How to Make Layered Salad Recipes

Did you ever learn how to make layered salad recipe. These recipes can be made with vegetables, fruits, a combination of both with multiple other ingredients. The list of choices for a vegetable recipe might be lettuce, onion, cucumbers, tomatoes, pasta, beans, peas, cooked eggs, bacon, chicken, ham, water chestnuts and cheeses; you might also choose to add a little fruit.


When you learn how to make layered salad recipes they might be made of fruits like peaches, pears, strawberries, raspberries, pineapple and bananas; or it might be several layers of fruit gelatin. You might also choose to have layers of whipped cream, sweetened cream cheese, custard or puddings or other sweetened creams. In most ways these resemble what we call a trifle only containing mostly fruits.

The traditional seven layered salad originated here in the southeastern United States and it was the vegetable type. Originally, it was called seven layered pea salad. I still always put peas in mine; to me it is not the same without the peas. I must tell you I do not like the canned peas; only fresh ones steamed and cooled or frozen. Since the original recipe many other choices have been made of ingredients creating many versions.

When you have learned how to make layered salad recipes, you will find they are nice to take to carry in dinners, picnics or any crowd size gathering. They make a beautiful presentation when presented in a pretty clear glass container. Layering the ingredients to make a pretty design of colors to show through the glass is the objective.

I make one of many of my vegetable recipes quite often and I want to offer you my thoughts on these recipes. First, many recipes will list Iceberg and other tender lettuces as the ingredients. I choose to only use Romaine lettuce because I have found it to hold up better. I find the iceberg and others to get too wilted by the time it sets in the refrigerator to blend the flavors.

The flavor; that is the other thing I want to comment on. If I take the salad to a gathering, of course, I like a pretty presentation. I do believe a better flavor is achieved by mixing and blending the ingredients. This is what I do when serving at home; even when taking out it will make a nice presentation if put in a pretty bowl and garnished.

SALAD with LAYERS

How to Make Layered SaladsHow to Make Layered Salads
  • 6 Cups thinly shredded romaine lettuce
  • 1 Cup sliced green onion tops
  • 1 ½ Cup diced celery
  • ½ Red bell pepper thinly sliced
  • 1 Can (8 ounces) water chestnuts, drained
  • 1 Package frozen green peas
  • 2 Cups mayonnaise
  • 2 Teaspoons sugar
  • 1 Teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ Teaspoon seasoned salt
  • ½ Cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • 3 Hard boiled eggs chopped
  • ¾ Pound crisply fried bacon, crumbled

Thoroughly wash, drain and shred lettuce.

Using a 4 quart serving dish, layer lettuce on bottom of dish.

Then spread green onions over top of the lettuce.

Layer celery over top of onions.

Layer red bell pepper over the celery.

Drain water chestnuts, slice thin and layer over the red bell pepper.

Spread the frozen green peas over the water chestnuts.

Spread the mayonnaise evenly over the green peas.

Sprinkle the garlic powder, sugar and seasoned salt over the mayonnaise.

Next sprinkle the parmesan cheese, then the chopped eggs and end with the bacon crumbs on top.

Cover and refrigerate salad overnight.

To serve a layered salad, spoon from bottom up to get some of each layer.

SEVEN LAYER SALAD

This layered salad only has seven layers; when it comes to layering vegetables for a salad it is easy to find many that will be good in it.

  • 6 Cups chopped lettuce
  • 2 Teaspoons salt
  • 1 Teaspoon pepper
  • 2 Teaspoons sugar
  • 6 Hard boiled eggs sliced
  • 1 Package frozen peas thawed
  • 16 Ounces bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
  • 2 Cups Shredded Swiss cheese
  • 1 Cup mayonnaise

Mix together salt, pepper and sugar.

Put half of the lettuce in the bottom of a large bowl; sprinkle with half the salt sugar pepper mixture.

Layer egg slices on lettuce and sprinkle with other half of salt sugar pepper mixture.

Next layer the peas, then the other half of lettuce, the bacon and then the cheese.

Spread the mayonnaise over the top covering all the ingredients.

Cover and chill 24 hours; toss before serving.

HOW TO MAKE LAYERED SALAD a gelatin salad recipe

This salad is a little time consuming but very light and good. It also makes a nice presentation.

  • 1 Small package lime gelatin
  • 1 Small package orange gelatin
  • 1 Small package lemon gelatin
  • 1 Small package strawberry gelatin
  • 1 Cup boiling water for each flavor of gelatin
  • ½ Cup cold water for each flavor of gelatin

White Mixture

  • 2 Cups milk
  • 1 Cup sugar
  • 2 Envelopes unflavored gelatin
  • ½ Cup cold water
  • 2 Cups sour cream
  • 2 Teaspoon vanilla

Spray lightly a 9 X 13 inch pan or casserole dish.

Dissolve lime gelatin in 1 cup boiling water; stir until dissolved and then add ½ cup cold water. Pour into prepared pan or dish. Refrigerate until set.

Dissolve unflavored gelatin in ½ Cup cold water.

Cook white mixture: Bring milk just to a boil in heavy saucepan and turn off heat; add sugar and stir until dissolved.

Add dissolved unflavored gelatin mixture. Add sour cream and vanilla. Beat until blended and let cool.

When lime gelatin sets pour 1 ½ cups of white mixture over the gelatin; refrigerate until sticky to touch.

Next prepare the orange gelatin with the 1 cup boiling water (make sure it dissolves) and ½ cup cold water; pour over white gelatin.

Refrigerate and when orange gelatin sets pour onto the orange another 1 ½ cups of the white gelatin.

When the white gelatin sets up follow with the lemon gelatin, the white gelatin mixture and finish with the strawberry gelatin.

NOTE: Keep the white mixture over warm water to keep it from setting up. You can make all the flavored gelatins at once and keep at room temperature to keep in liquid form.

OVERNIGHT LAYER SALAD

This layered salad recipe is a great make ahead menu idea.

  • ½ Bunch/head lettuce
  • ½ Pound fresh spinach
  • 6 Hard boiled eggs chopped
  • ½ Pound ham cut in strips
  • ½ Pound Swiss cheese cut in strips
  • 1 Red onion thinly sliced
  • 1 Package (6 ounces) small cooked shrimp
  • 1 Cup sour cream
  • 1 Cup mayonnaise
  • ½ Pound fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Combine washed and dried lettuce and spinach; layer in bottom of large bowl.

Next layer the chopped eggs, then the ham and Swiss cheese.

Top cheese with the onion slices and shrimp.

Mix sour cream, mayonnaise and parmesan cheese; spread over top of the salad.

Cover and refrigerate overnight and toss before serving.