7 Layer Salad

Better than traditional seven layer salad, this easy side dish recipe is high protein since it is loaded with cheese, bacon and eggs. The creamy homemade dressing has an amazing flavor. It’s a layered salad perfect for picnics and potlucks.

If you’re looking for a fresh and flavorful salad that’s easy to prepare and will impress your guests, look no further than the classic 7 layer salad. This colorful and tasty dish is a perfect blend of crisp vegetables, creamy dressing, and savory toppings, all layered to create a visually stunning and deliciously satisfying salad.

Whether you’re hosting a party, picnic, potluck or just looking for a new lunch option, this timeless salad is sure to become a favorite in your recipe collection. In this article, we’ll walk you through the steps for making a perfect 7 layer salad, and share some tips and tricks for customizing it to your taste.

This salad is popular during the springtime, and it’s the perfect way to use up some of those Easter hard boiled eggs.

Dressing Ingredients

The first step to making seven layer salad is to mix up the dressing in a small bowl. Allowing the dressing to “rest” while you prepare the rest of the salad helps the flavors to blend together beautifully.

Our recipe calls for mayonnaise, a little sour cream, a touch of sugar for flavor and here’s our powerful secret….parmesan cheese. Guys….I could add parmesan cheese to every.single.thing I eat. I find it adds amazing flavor and richness to recipes. And this seven layer salad dressing is no different!

Salad Layers

You’ll find different ingredients in just about every seven layer salad recipe you look at. When we make our salad we think about 2 things.

• The first is color. We want our salad to be pretty!
• The second is protein. I like to sneak extra protein into any recipe I can. My kids are active and it’s hard to get enough protein in them at times.

One egg has 13 essential vitamins and minerals, plus no sugar and no carbs. Adding eggs to this salad is a GREAT way to add not only protein, but other important dietary needs to this salad.

Here are the salad ingredient layers:

1. Lettuce. Seven layer salad traditionally calls for iceberg lettuce. Many times we will layer iceberg lettuce with baby spinach. This adds to the pretty green color on the bottom layer of the bowl. Use spring lettuce mix or Romaine if you’d like!
2. Tomato. We use grape tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes) and slice them in half. We also like to use sliced Roma tomatoes because they are small. If you have garden fresh tomatoes, definitely use those.
3. Peas. Use frozen peas rather than canned peas. Frozen peas will have a better color and they are firmer than canned peas. Don’t worry about cooking the peas. Just let them thaw and add them to the salad.
4. Hard Boiled Eggs. Use leftover Easter eggs or whip out some hard boiled eggs quickly. We like to make eggs in the Instant Pot. We find they come out beautifully every time! If you generally have trouble with the shell sticking to the egg and not coming off cleanly, be sure you are using eggs that are about 7-10 days old. Fresh eggs are harder to peel. You can also place the hot eggs into a bowl of ice water to cool them quickly. Cooling causes the egg to contract slightly in the shell which then makes it easier to peel off. Allow them to sit in the ice water for 5 minutes then peel them.
5. Cheddar. As with the Parmesan, we recommend using freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese. We prefer the taste of sharp cheddar, but you can use a mild cheddar if you’d like.
6. Dressing. This is the perfect amount of dressing for us. If you are afraid it won’t be enough, you could make a little more and serve it on the side.
7. Bacon. Make sure the bacon is drained, cooled and crumbled before adding it to the salad. Here’s a secret hint: We often pick up a maple flavored bacon and it adds a slight sweetness to the salad that is just unbeatable! The bacon crumbles will melt in your mouth.

Seven Layers Total. Serve in a clear glass bowl or a trifle bowl for a pretty presentation.

Recipe Variations

• Make this in a 9×13 glass dish instead of a large bowl. The dressing will be more evenly spread over the salad that way.
• Love onion? Try adding red onions in the salad or green onions on top of the salad.
• If you don’t like peas, try green bell pepper.
• If you have leftover Easter ham, use that in a layer, preferably right above the eggs.
• Other veggies to try: carrots, red bell peppers, celery or even black olives. Just make sure everything is chopped into bite size pieces.

Make Ahead Instructions

This is an ideal make-ahead salad. You place the “heartier” layers up towards the dressing and the lettuce sits at the bottom. The dressing will cover the top of the salad to “seal” in the freshness.

Make this salad one day before serving it for an overnight salad. Make sure the dressing covers the top and then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving.

Serving Ideas

As you can see from the picture, this salad is beautiful when presented in a large glass bowl. The bowl we used was 4 quarts.

If you’d like, you can also make individual servings in wide mouth mason jars or in smaller single serving sized glass bowls.

Pair this Salad With:

When we think of this easy salad recipe, we think of summer foods! Grilled chicken, smoked turkey or chicken burgers are some of our favorites.

7 Layer Salad Recipe

4.70 from 59 votes

Better than traditional 7 layer salad, this easy side dish recipe is high protein since it is loaded with cheese, bacon and eggs. The creamy homemade dressing has an amazing flavor. It's a layered salad perfect for picnics and potlucks.

Servings 12

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

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Ingredients

 

• 1 pound maple flavored bacon
• 1 1/4 cups mayonnaise
• ¼ cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 large head iceberg lettuce (rinsed, dried, and chopped)
• 1 pint grape tomatoes (cut in half)
• 2 cups frozen green peas (thawed)
• 6 large hardboiled eggs
• 10 ounces shredded cheddar cheese (about 2 ½ cups)

Instructions

 

• Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium high heat until evenly brown and crisp. Allow the bacon to drain on paper towels. Crumble and set aside.
• Prepare the dressing by whisking together the mayo, sour cream, sugar and Parmesan cheese. Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to top the salad.
• In a large 4 quart glass bowl, layer the chopped lettuce*, tomatoes, peas, eggs, cheese.
• Drizzle the dressing over salad, covering as much of the top as possible.
• Sprinkle the top with bacon.
• Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to serve it.

Video

Notes

 

*You can use whatever type of lettuce you’d like: romaine, iceberg, spring salad mix or spinach. Or use a mix of several types!

The calories shown are based on the recipe serving 12 people, with 1 serving being 1/12 of the salad. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**

Nutrition

Calories: 519kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 160mg | Sodium: 672mg | Potassium: 362mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1210IU | Vitamin C: 16.1mg | Calcium: 271mg | Iron: 1.4mg

Author Julie Clark

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Calories 519

Keyword easy salad recipe, easy side dish, salad with eggs

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