Easter Dinner | Recipes | Salad
ByJo-Anna RooneyPostedUpdated
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7 Layer Saladis a classic recipe! This easy, make-ahead salad has layers of lettuce, peas, green onions, celery, green pepper, water chestnuts, bacon, cheese, sliced boiled eggs, and a creamy sour cream mayo dressing.
If you’re looking for a simple and classic salad recipe for your Easter dinner, this 7 Layer Salad is it! You make this salad ahead time, saving you time and stress when you’re trying to get Easter dinner on the table.
A Classic Salad Recipe
I love everything about Easter…it’s one of my most favourite times of the year. The food, the spring colours, the Easter Bunny! Everything. Did I mention the food?! Easter dinner is one of my family’s most favourite holiday meals…ham, scalloped potatoes, glazed carrots, hot cross buns, and this 7 layer salad. Maybe you love this classic salad too?
Simple + Fresh Ingredients
This 7 layer salad is made up of layers of chopped lettuce, peas, green onions, celery, green pepper, sliced water chestnuts, cooked + crumbled bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, sliced boiled eggs, and a creamy sour cream mayo salad dressing. So many delicious flavours in every bite. And such a simple salad to make.
PUTTING THIS SALAD TOGETHER
Use a 9×13 glass pan. (or a trifle bowl…I recommend anything glass so you can see the salad!)
- Start with adding the chopped lettuce to a 9 x 13 dish.
- Then add the green onion and green pepper.
- Add the frozen peas.
- Add the sliced water chestnuts and sliced green onion.
- Then add the water chestnuts.
- Sprinkle on the cooked and crumbled bacon.
- Sprinkle with the shredded cheddar cheese.
- Top with the dressing, making sure to seal the salad.
- Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
7 Layer Salad?
Ok, let’s not get too technical here mmmmkay? Traditionally this salad is called 7 Layer Salad, but over time some how it’s gone from a seven layer salad to about 10, as a few more ingredients were added! Details, details. It all just tastes so delicious.
Tips & Tricks
- Make Ahead: This salad is best made ahead of time, allowing it time to rest overnight (24 hours is best). BUT, if you’re in a pinch, it is delicious the day it is made too…if you can, let it rest at least a couple of hours in the fridge.
- Lettuce: Use iceberg lettuce, the crunchiness of this lettuce is best for this salad.
- Cheese: Use a flavourful cheddar cheese, like a sharp cheddar cheese.
- Peas: Yes, you read that right, use frozen peas. They thaw beautifully in the salad.
- Peppers:We like green pepper in this salad, but feel free to use red bell peppers.
- Bacon: If you don’t want to add bacon, feel free to substitute it with chopped ham.
- Water Chestnuts: If you don’t like these, you can easily leave them out.
- Eggs: If you have people that don’t like boiled eggs, feel free to leave them out. If you have some people who love boiled eggs, consider adding them to only half of the salad, then mark the half with a slice of boiled egg on the top of the salad. Or even offer sliced boiled eggs on the side.
- Garnish: Feel free to garnish this salad with bacon bits and sliced green onion.
- Covering the salad: Sometimes the assembled salad is a little higher than the edges of a 9×13 pan, so don’t press down the foil or plastic wrap covering, or the dressing will stick to it. If the salad is too high, sometimes I will stick wooden toothpicks into the salad, and make a covered tent with foil.
- Take it along!This is a great salad if you need to take something to a dinner you’re invited to. It’s also great for potlucks!
Leftover tip!
Leftovers are delicious and will last up to 3 days. Just wrap tightly with foil, plastic wrap or a lid, and store in the fridge.
Layered Salad
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This easy, make-ahead 7 Layer Salad has layers of lettuce, peas, green onions, celery, green pepper, water chestnuts, bacon, cheese, sliced boiled eggs, and a creamy sour cream mayo dressing.
- Author: Jo-Anna Rooney
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Resting Time: 24 hours
- Total Time: 24 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 head of iceberg lettuce (cut into bite sized pieces)
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 – 227 mL can sliced water chestnuts (you can find these the Asian food aisle)
- 1 bunch chopped green onion
- 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
- 1 – 10 oz package frozen peas (leave uncooked)
- 1 lb bacon (cooked and crumbled)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 5 hard boiled eggs (more if you like)
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tbsp white sugar
Instructions
- Use a 9 x 13 glass dish. (or a trifle dish…I recommend anything glass so you can see the salad!)
- Have your bacon cooked and crumbled.
- Peel and slice the cooked and cooled hard boiled eggs.
- Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream and sugar. I like to use a hand blender to mix it well. Set aside.
- Layer the ingredients: lettuce, celery, green pepper, frozen peas, water chestnuts, green onions.
- Add the sliced eggs and crumbled bacon.
- Sprinkle on the cheese.
- Seal the salad with the mayo mix, making sure to cover the salad completely to the edge of the dish.
- Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours before serving.
Recipe from my Mom
More Easter Dinner Recipes
SEE ALL EASTER RECIPES
Looking for more Easter dinner recipes? Here are some great recipes and posts, including main dishes, side dishes, printables and more!
Creamy Cucumber Salad Recipe
Broccoli Salad with Mandarins, Red Onions and Bacon
15 Non-Traditional Easter Dinner Ideas To Try This Year
Easter Side Dishes: What to Serve with Ham
Easy Easter Dinner Menu, Grocery List + Tips!
Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
Have a delicious day!
Please note that This Seven Layer Salad Recipe was originally published in April 2012, but I have since updated it with new images and more recipe tips!
