Seven Layer Salad (Make Ahead)

This Seven Layer Salad is a classic Southern dish that's great to make ahead with your favorite veggies, meats, and cheeses, all dressed in a creamy mayo dressing. It's fresh, delicious, and perfect for potlucks, picnics, or any occasion where you want to impress your guests.

The classic 7 Layer Salad recipe is a stunner and a perfect dish to bring to many occasions. It's served chilled and is often decorated with toppings such as croutons, nuts, or herbs. Growing up in the South, this recipe is a classic for large gatherings since it's only a handful of ingredients and also the perfect make ahead salad recipe.

The wonderful thing about a layered salad is that it is not only beautiful but also has a variety of flavors and textures in each bite. You can easily customize it to suit your individual preferences with your favorite vegetables, cheeses, and meats.

Popular variations of layered salads include ingredients like lettuce, tomatoes, green onions, bacon, peas, hard-boiled eggs, and cheese. It's perfect for a picnic, potluck, or large dinner party!

Looking for more potluck salad show-stoppers? You’ll DEFINITELY want to check out my Macaroni Salad and Best Pasta Salad!

Why You'll Like This Recipe

• Any Occasion Show Stopper: Talk about visual appeal! The layers of colors are beautiful and appealing in a potluck line of food choices. It’s perfect to bring to a work celebration, church homecoming, family gatherings, birthday party, or to simply make with a special meal at home with family.
• Nutritious and Delicious: Light versions of ingredients work great in this salad making it a lower-calorie and lower-fat side dish option.
• Combination of Flavors and Textures: This salad has crispy, crunchy, and smooth components all in one! The combination of the zippy dressing, sharp cheddar cheese, and flavorful veggies makes for the perfect bite!
• Easily Customizable: There’s a veggie you don’t like or one that you want to add, you can tailor this salad exactly to your taste preference and meal plan.
• Make Ahead Magic: You can make it the night before an event, leaving you with less to do when it's time to serve. The flavors of the dressing will marry and get better with time as well.

Ingredients

Scroll Down for Ingredient Amounts Listed in the Recipe Card Below

• Sour Cream and Mayonnaise: These combine to create a creamy base for the salad, providing richness and flavor.
• Sugar or Sugar Substitute: Adds a touch of sweetness to balance the tanginess of the sour cream and mayonnaise mixture.
• Ranch Dressing Mix: Enhances the flavor of the dressing with its blend of herbs and spices. You can use a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Mix or a homemade ranch mix.
• Vegetable Layers (Iceberg Lettuce, Green Leafy Lettuce, Cauliflower, Red Onion, Sugar Snap Peas, Grape Tomatoes): These vegetables provide freshness, crunch, color, and a variety of nutrients
• Bacon: Crispy bacon adds a savory, salty, and crispy element to the salad as well as a boost of protein.
• Cheddar Cheese: Shredded cheese adds richness and a savory flavor to the salad. It also provides additional texture and helps bind the layers together.

Laura Ashley's Tip: This is the ideal make ahead salad, in fact its BETTER to make it the day before. The flavors can marinate all together for an even more delicious bite!

Tools You'll Need

• Cutting Board
• Chef's Knife
• Trifle Dish (My bowl is a Pampered Chef Trifle Bowl and no longer available. Second-hand websites like ebay often have it for sale.) You can also use a Large Glass Bowl

How to Make Seven Layer Salad

1. Start by washing and chopping all your vegetables. Having this done will make assembly quick and easy.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, sugar, and dressing mix.

3. To a trifle bowl or clear glass bowl, layer each ingredient in an even layer so that each layer is visible on the outside of the dish. The order of ingredients are iceberg lettuce, green leafy lettuce, cauliflower, red onion, sugar snap peas, tomatoes, and cooked crumbled bacon.
4. Spread the dressing in an even layer on top of the salad, then sprinkle the cheese evenly on top.
5. Cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap or a lid and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow the flavors to marry. 

What to Serve with a 7 Layer Salad Recipe

The possibilities are endless! This fresh salad goes great with nearly any meal. We love to have it with anything from the barbecue, cooked chicken, and burgers, and smack dab in the middle of 30 other side options at a potluck.

Expert Tips and Substitutions

• You can customize the ingredients according to your taste preferences. You can also use different types of lettuce or add other vegetables or toppings.
• It is best if you make this salad the day before serving. Layered in the recipe order, the ingredients won't get soggy and will meld together perfectly. The dressing flavors will also have more time to marry.
• Traditionally, this salad isn’t one you toss together. This helps preserve the crispiness of the layers of vegetables. However, if you want to do that before serving it, go for it!
• Other vegetables that work great in a layered salad are:
  • Sliced Radishes
  • Shredded Brussels Sprouts
  • Fresh Corn
  • Blanched Asparagus
  • Blanched Green Beans
  • Sun-dried Tomatoes
  • Diced Bell Peppers
  • Chopped Celery
  • Shredded Carrot
  • Diced English Cucumber
  • Green Peas or Sweet Peas
  • Spring Mix Lettuce
• Other ingredients that work great in a layered salad are:
  • Hard Boiled and Sliced Eggs
  • Olives
  • Different Cheese Varieties
  • Chopped Cooked Chicken
  • Chopped Nuts
  • Smoked Turkey or Ham
  • Chickpeas
  • Water Chestnuts
  • Avocado
  • Cooked Pasta
  • Fried Onions
  • Croutons
  • Fresh Herbs
• You can omit the ranch if you’d like. If you don't want to use a ranch powder mix, you can use a homemade dressing mix such as this one.
• Mayonnaise can be substituted with Miracle Whip salad dressing.
• Some recipes call for bacon and cheese to be added at the time of serving. From my experience, it didn’t make a difference but do as you’d like.

Variations

• Mexican Flavors: Replace traditional salad ingredients with black beans, corn, avocado, jalapenos, salsa, and shredded Mexican cheese blend. Use a chipotle-lime dressing for added flavor.
• Greek Flavors: Use ingredients like romaine lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, red onions, feta cheese, and chickpeas. Drizzle with a Greek yogurt-based dressing seasoned with lemon juice, garlic, and oregano.
• Caprese: Layer sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, basil leaves, and roasted red peppers. Drizzle with balsamic glaze and olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
• Asian Flavors: Combine shredded Napa cabbage, carrots, bell peppers, edamame, mandarin oranges, and crunchy chow mein noodles. Dress with a sesame ginger vinaigrette.
• Mediterranean Flavors: Layer ingredients such as mixed greens, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, cucumbers, Kalamata olives, and crumbled feta cheese. Serve with a lemon herb vinaigrette.
• Southwestern Flavors: Use ingredients like mixed greens, black beans, corn, red onions, avocado, cherry tomatoes, and shredded Monterey Jack cheese. Top with crushed tortilla chips and dress with a cilantro-lime dressing.

Storage

If the salad has been sitting out at room temperature for more than 2 hours, discard it as it may have become unsafe to eat.

Since this salad isn't tossed together with the dressing, it will last longer than most salads in the refrigerator. Store leftover salad covered in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days. If you toss it together before serving, it'll wilt faster and is best eaten in 1-2 days.

Frequently Asked Questions

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• Chopped Broccoli Salad