7 Layer Salad

Colourful veggies, a easy home made dressing, and crispy bacon make this 7 layer salad a potluck favourite. It may be made hours forward (or in a single day!), then delivered to the desk chilled, crisp, and able to scoop.

Taste: A creamy, barely candy dressing balances with the salty bacon, sharp cheddar, and candy peas for a nostalgic potluck taste.
Prep Observe: This dish is designed as a make-ahead salad that chills for hours, so it is able to serve when company arrive.
Time-Saving Tip: Use prewashed chopped lettuce, bagged shredded cheese, precooked or microwave bacon, and store-bought hard-boiled eggs.
Serving Strategies: I like to make this salad right into a trifle bowl to carry to a vacation gathering, a household potluck, or a summer time barbecue.

lettuce, mayonnaise, sour cream, bacon, cheese, peas, tomatoes, sugar, hard-boiled eggs, onions, and seasonings with labels to make 7 Layer Salad

Recent Layers & Straightforward Swaps

Lettuce: Iceberg lettuce has excessive water content material, so it stays good and crunchy. Swap for romaine, kale, or shredded brussels sprouts
Veggies: Cherry or grape tomatoes maintain their form greatest when layering. Frozen peas add a pop of sweetness, however may be swapped for canned peas for a extra traditional style. Inexperienced onions add a light, contemporary taste. For extra chunk and colour, use crimson onions as an alternative. Soak and drain properly for a milder taste.
Eggs: I discover the air fryer is the simplest approach to make hard-boiled eggs. Simply allow them to cool fully earlier than chopping so the whites keep good and agency.
Dressing: Made with staple components like mayo and bitter cream, this dressing is flippantly seasoned and easy to make. Use a bottle of ranch dressing for a straightforward shortcut.
Cheddar Cheese: Use medium or sharp cheddar for a daring taste that stands as much as the opposite components.
Bacon: Crispy, crumbled bacon provides a salty, smoky taste. You possibly can both bake your own or use bacon bits.
- Fast Tip: If utilizing bacon bits, prepare dinner them in a skillet or the microwave so as to add a bit extra crispness.

adding lettuce to bowl to make 7 Layer Salad

adding tomatoes to bowls to make 7 Layer Salad

The right way to Construct a 7 Layer Salad

Mix all of the dressing components and put aside.
Prep all of the salad components and layer in a trifle bowl (full recipe beneath).
Refrigerate earlier than serving to let all of the flavors meld.
When able to serve, prime with cheese and bacon, and scoop straight down so every serving will get a bit of each layer.

adding green onions to bowl to make 7 Layer Salad

adding dressing over ingredients to make 7 Layer Salad

Dry the lettuce very properly with a salad spinner, in order that the water doesn’t soften the layers.
If utilizing juicy tomatoes, place peas or onions between the lettuce and tomatoes to maintain the lettuce as crisp as doable.
Unfold the dressing to the sides to create a seal that retains the salad brisker and helps it maintain up in a single day.
Add cheese and bacon simply earlier than serving so the cheese stays gentle and the bacon stays crisp.
Preserve the salad chilled and return it to the fridge inside 2 hours of serving, or sooner if it sits out in heat temperatures.

The perfect layered salad in a glass bowl garnished with parsley

Storing Leftovers

Cowl leftovers tightly with plastic wrap within the authentic bowl or switch to hermetic containers and refrigerate for as much as 3 days. If further liquid collects on the backside, rigorously tilt the dish over the sink and pour off the surplus earlier than serving leftovers.

Basic Potluck Salads To Share

Did you make this 7 Layer Salad? Depart a remark and score beneath.

image of Everyday Comfort cookbook by Holly Nilsson of Spend With Pennies plus text

Prep Time 20 minutes

Prepare dinner Time 5 minutes

Chill Time 4 hours

Whole Time 4 hours 25 minutes

In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, bitter cream, sugar, and seasoned salt for the dressing. Put aside.
With a salad spinner, wash and dry the lettuce very properly. Place chopped lettuce within the backside of a giant trifle bowl (or 9×13 pan).
So as, prime with tomatoes, peas, boiled eggs, and inexperienced onions. Unfold the dressing on prime proper to the sides.
Cowl the salad and refrigerate for not less than 4 hours or in a single day.
Prime with cheese and bacon earlier than serving.

Be happy to substitute different greens for the layers. Choices embrace bell peppers, corn, sliced celery, mushrooms, or radishes, sundried tomatoes or shredded carrots, cabbage, zucchini, or brussels sprouts!
To make forward, assemble all of the layers besides cheese and bacon, cowl, and chill. Simply earlier than serving, layer cheese and bacon on prime.

Non-obligatory Ranch Model Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
¾ cup bitter cream
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon contemporary dill
1 tablespoon contemporary parsley
salt & pepper to style

Diet info offered is an estimate and can differ primarily based on cooking strategies and types of components used.

Course Salad, Aspect Dish

Delicacies American

© SpendWithPennies.com. Content material and images are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is each inspired and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.