Wednesday, December 10, 2025

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 dropped at the desk chilled, crisp, and able to scoop.

7 Layer Salad
  • 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 friends arrive.
  • Time-Saving Tip: Use prewashed chopped lettuce, bagged shredded cheese, precooked or microwave bacon, and store-bought hard-boiled eggs.
  • Serving Options: 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 basic style. Inexperienced onions add a gentle, contemporary taste. For extra chew and coloration, use purple onions as a substitute. Soak and drain nicely for a milder taste.
  • Eggs: I discover the air fryer is the simplest option to make hard-boiled eggs. Simply allow them to cool utterly earlier than chopping so the whites keep good and agency.
  • Dressing: Made with staple substances like mayo and bitter cream, this dressing is calmly seasoned and easy to make. Use a bottle of ranch dressing for a simple shortcut.
  • Cheddar Cheese: Use medium or sharp cheddar for a daring taste that stands as much as the opposite substances.
  • Bacon: Crispy, crumbled bacon provides a salty, smoky taste. You possibly can both bake your personal or use bacon bits.
    • Fast Tip: If utilizing bacon bits, cook dinner them in a skillet or the microwave so as to add a bit extra crispness.

Methods to Construct a 7 Layer Salad

  1. Mix all of the dressing substances and put aside.
  2. Prep all of the salad substances and layer in a trifle bowl (full recipe under).
  3. Refrigerate earlier than serving to let all of the flavors meld.
  4. When able to serve, prime with cheese and bacon, and scoop straight down so every serving will get a bit of each layer.
  • Dry the lettuce very nicely 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 potential.
  • Unfold the dressing to the perimeters to create a seal that retains the salad more energizing 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.
  • Hold 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 unique bowl or switch to hermetic containers and refrigerate for as much as 3 days. If further liquid collects on the backside, fastidiously 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 ranking under.

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

Complete 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 nicely. Place chopped lettuce within the backside of a big 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 perimeters.

  • Cowl the salad and refrigerate for a minimum of 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 embody 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.

Elective Ranch Type 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

Energy: 348 | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 13g | Fats: 29g | Saturated Fats: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 10g | Monounsaturated Fats: 7g | Trans Fats: 0.04g | Ldl cholesterol: 165mg | Sodium: 579mg | Potassium: 298mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1124IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 186mg | Iron: 1mg

Vitamin data supplied is an estimate and can range based mostly on cooking strategies and types of substances used.

Course Salad, Facet Dish
Delicacies American
colorful and hearty 7 Layer Salad with writing
glass bowl filled with a 7 Layer Salad and a title
hearty 7 Layer Salad in a glass bowl and close up with a title
7 Layer Salad in a dish with a title

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