Seven Layer Salad

Seven Layer Salad makes a beautiful, delicious, old fashioned 7-layer salad with mayonnaise, hickory smoked bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, and other raw vegetables. 

Vary the other vegetables that you like and omit or substitute any in the recipe that you do not like.

This original recipe was called The Seven Layer Pea Salad and contained a lot of green peas.

Make it your way.


If you prefer to eliminate a few extra calories, reduce the amount of sugar and or the mayonnaise in the dressing to suit your taste palette and or lifestyle.

Seven Layer Salad Recipe

• 1 head iceberg lettuce, cored and shredded
  
  
• 1 stalk celery, diced
  
  
• 1 large green bell pepper, diced
  
  
• 8 oz. frozen green peas, unfrozen
  
  
• 2 cups mayonnaise mixed with 1 tablespoon sugar*
  
  
• 4 slices hickory smoked bacon, cooked crisp, drained, and crumbled
  
  
• 3 large fresh tomatoes, thinly sliced
  
  
• 8 oz. mild cheddar cheese, grated
  
  

Layer first 4 ingredients in a casserole dish or glass bowl, in order listed.

Then spread on mayonnaise mixture, sealing around edges.

Next, sprinkle on a layer of bacon.

Add a layer of tomatoes and sprinkle cheese over all.

Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator overnight, for flavors to permeate.

Do not toss before serving.

Makes a very beautiful and tasty salad... perfect for potluck and church dinners.

*Only mayonnaise was used as the salad dressing for this traditional Seven Layer Salad from the South, to cover and keep ingredients fresh and crisp.


However, some folks now mix 1 cup mayonnaise and 1 cup sour cream with only 1 tablespoon of sugar for the dressing.

Salad Variations

This recipe makes a colorful salad arranged in the oblong dish suggested above or a trifle bowl.

You may substitute the lettuce in the recipe with other greens such as spinach or use 2 or 3 types mixed together.

You can also substitute other vegetables as mentioned above or add more layers of different vegetables.

I have added as many as 13 layers when making this for a crowd.

Some ingredients that go well in this dish are sliced boiled eggs, sliced mushrooms, raw or canned, red bell peppers (for taste and bright color, sliced cucumbers and shredded red or white onions, to name a few.

When transporting this salad to potluck meals or other functions, a flat dish or container with a lid works best.

Related Pages

Cobb Salad Recipe

Pea Salad Recipe

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