When you’re planning the perfect make-ahead dish for your holiday gathering, look no further than Classic Southern Seven-Layer Salad. It’s as versatile as it is delicious, and always receives rave reviews!
Making the Classic Southern Seven-Layer Salad:
I started by combining some mayonnaise, sour cream, sugar, shredded parmesan cheese, sugar, and white wine vinegar in a small bowl for the dressing. Then, I moved on to building the salad. I like to make it in a clear trifle bowl to showcase the different layers, starting with a layer of bite-size pieces of iceberg lettuce. Next, I added sliced hard-boiled eggs. I lined the bowl with a ring of sliced eggs, and put the rest on top of the lettuce (here’s how to make Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs Every Time). Then, I added a ring of sliced grape tomatoes above the eggs, and placed the remaining sliced tomatoes on top of the eggs. For the fourth layer, I added the white and green parts of sliced scallions.
I added the fifth layer of broken pieces of cooked and drained bacon, and the sixth layer of shredded cheddar cheese.
Finally, I added the last layer of green peas. I finished the salad by spreading on the dressing that I had previously made. To make the salad look more festive, I sprinkled on a few of the green peas and a little bit of paprika.
I covered the salad with plastic wrap, and refrigerated it over night. Before serving the salad, I tossed it to combine all of the luscious ingredients. Yum!
- 1 cup (8 ounces) mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup (4 ounces) light sour cream
- 1/2 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 head iceberg lettuce cut into small pieces
- 4 hard boiled eggs sliced lengthwise
- 1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes cut in half lengthwise
- 1/2 (8 ounces) pound bacon, cooked, drained and broken into small pieces
- 6 green onions white and green parts thinly sliced
- 1 cup (4 ounces) sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 cup green peas thawed
Whisk together all dressing ingredients in a small bowl until smooth and creamy; set aside.
Add lettuce to trifle bowl, or other clear bowl. Place a ring of sliced eggs around perimeter of bowl, nestling them in the lettuce for support. Place remaining eggs on top of lettuce. Place a ring of sliced grape tomatoes around perimeter of bowl above the eggs; place remaining tomatoes on top of egg layer. Layer the bacon, green onions, Cheddar cheese, and green peas in that order on top of tomato layer.
- Spread dressing on top of salad. If desired, sprinkle a few green peas and paprika on top for a festive look.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, and preferably overnight.
- Before serving, toss to combine all ingredients.
- Yield: 10 to 12 servings.
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