Layered Salad

When I was growing up, a basic tossed salad was served frequently at dinner – lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, celery, and green peppers. It never varied except for the salad dressing. Mom always had her homemade Thousand Island dressing. We kids ate Italian. Dad ate Bleu Cheese. I would have eaten bleu cheese, but my Mom had indicated that it was nasty and that Dad’s taste in food was not to be trusted. Considering Dad’s cooking, I willingly believed my Mom. Heaven help us if Mom got sick and Dad had to cook for us. I remember actually crying a few times when Mom injured her back and couldn’t get out of bed and Dad had to cook. Absolutely indescribable. But I digress. (In Dad’s defense…I LOVE bleu cheese salad dressing. It’s my personal favorite.)

Outside of this basic vegetable salad, Holidays afforded Ambrosia or a Jell-O salad with whipped cream on top. There were also other variations on creamy salads with a box of powdered Jell-O stirred into the mix. That was pretty much the extent of salads as I knew them. Oh wait, I lied. There was also chicken salad and potato salad. The end.

When I moved away from home and came out West, I found, first of all that there were actually other types of salad dressings. I was skeptical. Then, Ranch dressing came along and took the country by storm and I was swept away into the magic of it along with everyone else. Good ol’ basic tossed salad suddenly became amazing! I ate salad with my dressing. I would have eaten just the dressing, but that would have been uncouth. Probably.

A major turning point in my salad education came with a salad served at one of my bridal showers, a layered salad. It really rocked my world. I couldn’t stop eating it and kept circling the food table like a ravenous shark, sneaking more helpings of that salad. As I have already indicated, I was salad deprived growing up.

When I first served this salad at a Holiday gathering for my side of the family, I was a little unsure about how they would take to a “different” salad than one that did not involve one of the above stated salad selections. Surprisingly, it was a giant success and for years my family would put me in charge of bringing “that layered salad”. I was so proud of them for being willing to expand their horizons.

One of the truly great things about this salad is that it can be made 24 hours in advance. As a matter of fact, it is best to make it a day ahead to allow time for things to settle and the dressing to become a part of the salad.

Although I have made a big to-do out of this salad, it is an extremely common salad these days, particularly for feeding a crowd. I did a Google search for photos of layered salad and got 5,800,000 hits…just on the pics. Yeah, it is common. There are variations on layered salad, but the one that I am presenting here is a slightly adapted version of the salad that I had at my wedding shower.

Cook’s Notes: 

1. The original salad was made in a 9- x 13-inch glass dish which provided a shallow 2-inch depth allowing the penetration of the simple mayonnaise salad dressing through the vegetables and lettuce. The only draw back is that the pretty salad layers are not really apparent through the sides of the dish.
2. I have this salad pictured in a deep trifle bowl in order to show off the pretty vegetable layers. The down side to this presentation is that the dressing mostly ends up sitting on top of the salad ingredients. If you choose to use a steep sided bowl, it would be best to lay down a few layers of ingredients, a layer of dressing, the remainder of the layered salad ingredients, and a final layer of dressing. If serving in a deep bowl, toss the salad and dressing just prior to serving–after everyone has oooed and awwed. (Obviously I have used pics of the salad in a trifle bowl; I wanted you to ooo and awe. My preferred way to make this salad is in a 9- x 13-inch glass dish. No need to toss the salad when it is prepared in this type of a dish, just serve as is.)
3. It is best to add the final toppings for the salad just prior to serving. The toppings do not hold up well if put on the salad too far in advance, particularly the bacon.
4. ***Reminder–Since the salad dressing is mayonnaise based, remember to use proper food safety. Keep the salad refrigerated until ready to serve. Return any leftover salad to the refrigerator within two hours.
5. Please note: The measurements for the salad are approximations only! This is a very flexible salad. Use whatever vegetable components your family or guests enjoy.
   

Print Recipe

Layered Salad

This is a beautiful layered salad, full of salad favorites. The ingredients for this salad are very flexible. Use whatever vegetable components your family or guests enjoy. Please note: The measurements for the salad are approximations only! 

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Refrigerate8 hours hrs

Servings: 8 -10

Author: Terri @ that's some good cookin'

Ingredients

For the Salad:

• 8 cups of salad greens, torn into bite-sized pieces (I used arugala, Romaine, and iceberg)
• 1/2 small head red cabbage, shredded
• 1 1/2 cups sliced celery
• ½ of a yellow pepper, diced
• ½ of an orange pepper, diced
• 2-3 tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 4-6 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed (I prefer petite peas. Do not cook the peas. I put them in a small colander and hold them under warm running water to defrost them.)

For the Dressing

• 2 cups mayonnaise, *not* Miracle Whip
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon white granulated sugar

For the Topping

• 1-2 cups shredded cheese, cheddar, Provolone, Gouda, or smoked Gouda work well
• 6-8 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

Instructions

For the Salad:

• For the Salad: In a 9”x13” dish or a steep-sided salad bowl (such as a trifle bowl) layer the salad greens, cabbage, celery, peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, and frozen peas. Please see Notes.

For the Salad Dressing:

• For the Dressing: Mix together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, and sugar. Spread on top of above salad. Cover and refrigerate salad for 8-24 hours.

Toppings:

• Just prior to serving sprinkle the shredded cheese and crumbled bacon on top of the dressing.
• If salad has been made in a shallow dish, simply serve as is. If the salad is in a steep-sided bowl, toss ingredients just prior to serving to distribute dressing.

Notes

Serving Dish: My photos show the salad in a steep sided trifle bowl. This was namely to show off the colorful salad layers. My preferred serving dish for this salad is in a 9- x 13-inch glass dish which provids a shallow 2-inch depth. The shallow depth allows the salad dressing to infuse through the vegetables and lettuce. If you choose to use a steep sided bowl, such as a trifle bowl, it would be best to lay down a few layers of ingredients, a layer of dressing, the remainder of the layered salad ingredients, and then a final layer of dressing. If serving in a deep bowl, toss the salad and dressing just prior to serving. If you are using a shallow serving dish, there is no need to toss the salad prior to serving.

Toppings: Apply the toppings just prior to serving. They do not hold up well if put on the salad too far in advance, particularly the bacon.

***Reminder: Since the salad dressing is mayonnaise based, remember to use proper temperature safety. Keep the salad refrigerated until ready to use. Do not leave it out longer than 2 hours at room temperature.

Recipe slightly adapted from my mother in-law, Mavis.

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