Make Ahead Refrigerator Salad
- SERVES
- 10
- CHILL TIME
- 2 Hr
A lettuce salad that we can make ahead of time? Sure! Wanna know how we do that without the salad wilting? The trick is in the layers. The ingredients don't get mixed together till we toss the salad just before serving!
What You'll Need
- 2 cups mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 medium-sized head iceberg lettuce, chopped
- 2 large red bell peppers, finely chopped
- 1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped
- 1 (9-ounce) package frozen green peas, thawed
- 3 celery stalks, finely chopped
- 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
- 1 (3-ounce) container real bacon bits
What to Do
- In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, and garlic powder; mix well.
- In a large glass bowl (see Note), layer half the lettuce then half the red peppers, onion, green peas, celery, mayonnaise mixture, and cheese.
- Repeat layers then top with bacon bits. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours before serving (see Note).
Note
-
Using a trifle dish or large glass bowl with straight sides allows us to see all the colorful layers of this salad.
-
Make a dessert instead with the help of our recipe collection, 40 Extraordinary Make-Ahead Desserts.
- We've got more layered salad recipes we know you'll love like our Chilled Stacked Salad and Seven Layer Potato Salad.
Read NextGarbage Salad
Nutritional InformationShow More
Servings Per Recipe: 10
- Amount Per Serving % Daily Value *
- Calories 346
- Calories from Fat 249
- Total Fat 28g 43 %
- Saturated Fat 8.4g 42 %
- Trans Fat 0.0g 0 %
- Protein 12g 24 %
- Amount Per Serving % Daily Value *
- Cholesterol 53mg 18 %
- Sodium 736mg 31 %
- Total Carbohydrates 12g 4 %
- Dietary Fiber 2.9g 12 %
- Sugars 4.9g 0 %
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drae
Mar 14, 2016
We always called it 7 Layer Salad. I just counted your items and sure enough it's 7. Our local cafeteria restaurant always has this on their salad section and it's always good.
catlady6866 288727 4
Mar 29, 2015
I rated this 4 stars, only because I make my a little differently. There are many variations of this 'layered salad', but they all sound delicious. I don't add sour cream to mine...I only use (lite) Real Mayo. I never added garlic powder, but I'm sure that a tiny bit would enhance the flavor of the 'dressing'. I always add in some coarsely chopped hard-boiled eggs, and I use a purple onion. I use a mixture of red and green bell peppers (for color) and I always use 'real' bacon...not bacon bits from a plastic jar. I found that this salad is best after it sits (covered) in the fridge overnight. This recipe can very easily be cut in half, if you're serving a smaller crowd. Everyone loves this salad, and it always goes over very well at our summer cookouts.
Steve
Nov 30, 2016
Why are you rating the recipe at all, if you MADE A WHOLE NEW RECIPE out of it by changing virtually EVERYTHING? Where do you guys come from?
doloreseleeson 392 7811
Mar 31, 2017
Why rate this salad and then tell us about a completely different recipe???????
jynx
Mar 09, 2015
What about pepper jack cheese and maybe some bell peppers?
Test Kitchen Team
Mar 10, 2015
Of course, we think that sounds like a great way to change it up! We'd love to see a picture on our Facebook page when you make it. If you'd like to share, and haven't already liked us on Facebook here is a link: https://www.facebook.com/MrFoodRecipes?ref=hl
roynbarbi 9975190
Sep 01, 2014
I love this salad, have made it several times, using a variety of salad ingredients, including sliced mushrooms, olives, tomatoes, grated carrots..(that is what is so cool about this is you can use what you have on hand) and I use organic salad greens instead of iceberg lettuce for more nutritional value. I layer the peas still frozen, they thaw nicely in the fridge and help keep the salad cold! I know we aren't supposed to rate with alot of changes, but this is just one of those recipes that lends itself to creativity! PS, I serve with tongs and don't toss before serving, just let diners dig for the gold! haha
bpaine71 8158881
Sep 02, 2013
This salad is wonderful! All the flavors blend thoroughly! I have made it several times.
rudiger 4690931
Sep 02, 2013
I make this salad a bit differently - at the step before layering the peas, I put a layer of slices of hard-boiled eggs. Also, I use only 1 cup mayo, and then 1 cup sour cream. When putting this mixture on, I totally seal right through to the edges. This helps the flavours mix, as I make it about 24 hours before it is to be eaten.
jojosubrbo
Apr 30, 2013
One thing I would like to know, how many servings? It is just my husband and myself, and alot of these recipes are too big
janniegal
Sep 02, 2013
Hi Jojosubrbo -- I've made this salad before and it makes a lot. It's a salad to take to a covered dish dinner.
dlita13 5413221
Dec 09, 2011
My Mom use to make this when I was at home - only she didn't make it in a deep dish and served it without tossing - called it Layered Salad! It would keep this way in the fridge for at least a couple more days without wilting - if it lasted that long!
swtpnkflutterby 20 47751
Jul 30, 2011
This is a great little recipe.... its quite popular in our family.. I do mine a little differently tho.. i dont use garlic or cheddar cheese in mine, Im sure its just fine, and I use real bacon fried crisp for the top. One more thing I use differently is parmesan cheese where the cheddar cheese was used, between 1/2 and 1 cup of parm all over the top of the mayo. then add the peas and bacon on top of that.. its a very pretty salad when done in a trifle bowl. you will get plenty of compliments on it too. one more thing, I dont use sour cream either, just the mayo. its just a little different version.
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