Summertime Layered Salad is a super crunchy, delicious “make-ahead” salad that’s great for a crowd. Easy to make and easy to transport, this salad is the perfect recipe to take along to your next family gathering. So, whether you are having a backyard bash or a tea party with girlfriends, this recipe is a contender for feeding a small group.
Summertime Layered Salad can actually be made anytime of the year. In fact, the first time I had this salad many, many years ago was at a Christmas Eve gathering with Charlie’s family. My sister-in-law, Michelle, made this salad the night before to serve alongside her main dish, which I believe (if I remember correctly) was an out-of-this world prime rib roast!
Michelle is a wonderful cook and I had to have this recipe and she generously shared it with me oh so long ago.
I’ve modified Michelle’s original recipe to include more vegetables, which makes the salad extra fresh and crunchy! Made the night before, it is one less thing to worry about on the day of your party. Plus, with lots of fresh vegetables in pretty Summer colors, it looks beautiful on your dinner table or buffet.
Plus, it has bacon! Who can resist bacon?
Speaking of buffet, this is a great “pot-luck” dish, too. Make it the day before your pot-luck gathering and you won’t have to rush out the door to get to your destination on time (well, maybe you will {grin}, but your salad will be ready!).
A few tips to ensure the peak freshness of this salad:
- Add the bacon, eggs, Parmesan and cashews at the last minute, when tossing the salad.
- If using tomatoes in this salad as I did, be sure to remove the seeds and just use the flesh part of the tomatoes. Leaving the seeds in will make the lettuce soggy.
- Take extra mayo along just in case your salad needs a bit more.
Although this is a “layered” salad, you’d never know it from my photos above! Sorry, but I don’t have one of those “trifle” type bowls that display layered dishes to perfection. I do, however, have a fishbowl {grin}. And, below is the actual salad, nicely layered in the fishbowl to sit overnight in the refrigerator.
Note: no fish were harmed in the taking of this photo {grin}. In fact, I don’t have any fish because I have a cat, a boy named Coco. I guess in reality, this isn’t a fishbowl, but a fishbowl vase!
I’ll add a trifle bowl to my “wish list” and see if I can commandeer one soon (at least in time for the next layered salad or dessert {grin}).
Here’s the recipe:
Summertime Layered Salad
Crunchy and delicious, this salad is made the night before and toss at serving. Great for family gatherings, potlucks and picnics, it’s a good choice any time of year.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 12-16 1x
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 8 slices of thick-sliced bacon, cooked, cooled and chopped or crumbled
- 4 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled and chopped
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup cashews, chopped
- 1 head of iceberg lettuce, shredded, chopped or torn into small pieces
- 1 bunch green onions, both green and white parts, sliced
- 1 – 8 ounce can of sliced water chestnuts, drained
- 1 cup radishes (about 6 normal size radishes), thinly sliced
- 1 cup carrots, peeled and julienned or shredded (about 2 carrots)
- 1 cup mixed bell peppers (red, green, orange and yellow), seeded and chopped
- 1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
- 1 – 16 ounce package of frozen petite peas, defrosted and drained well
- 1 cup mayonnaise (maybe more depending on the size of your bowl)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Instructions
- Prepare the bacon; once cooled, place in refrigerator container or baggie and refrigerate until the next day.
- Prepare the hard-boiled eggs; once chopped, place in refrigerator container or baggie until the next day.
- Measure the cheese, place in baggie and refrigerate.
- Measure cashews and place in baggie until the next day.
- In a large salad bowl, layer the rest of the ingredients as follows: iceberg lettuce, green onions, water chestnuts, radishes, carrots, peppers, tomatoes and peas.
- Cover the top of the salad with mayonnaise, smoothing with a spatula from edge to edge, so that the vegetables are covered with mayonnaise (this is tricky to do because the peas will roll around and stick to the mayonnaise!).
- Sprinkle the sugar over the mayonnaise.
- Cover with plastic wrap; place the plastic wrap right on top of the mayonnaise sealing so that no air gets into the salad (otherwise, your salad will create condensation, making the salad soggy).
- Refrigerate over night.
- When ready to serve, remove from refrigerator and add the bacon, eggs, cheese and cashews and toss thoroughly.
- If the salad seems a little too dry, add a little more mayonnaise and toss again.
Tootles,
Related Posts:
(other salad recipes)
- Classic Egg Salad Sandwiches
- Copycat BBQ Chopped Chicken Salad
- Creamy Petite Pea Salad with Bacon and Cashews in Tomato Cups
- Easy Peasy Caprese Salad
- Fresh Mozzarella and Arugula Salad with Avocado
- Lite Oriental Chicken Salad
- Loaded Avocado Ranch Salad
- Mexican Taco Salad
- Spinach Salad with Brown Sugar Bacon and Candied Black Pepper Pecans
- Steak and Egg Salad
- Summer Berry Chicken Salad
- Tri-colored Roasted Potato Salad
- Turkey and Avocado Salad with Craisins
I might just try this one later this week, this is perfect for our upcoming brunch date. I can easily get all the ingredients except for one thing. Is there an alternative for water chestnuts?
Water chestnuts provide the “crunch-factor” in this recipe. They have a “neutral” taste, so don’t add to the overall flavor of the salad. As far as suggestions for replacement, jicama is one choice. A root vegetable, jicama (if available) has a slight sweet note (rather than a neutral flavor) and can be peeled, sliced then chopped into 1/4-inch chunks. It will provide the “crunch-factor” that would be missing if you simply leave the water chestnuts out (which you can do as an alternative). But, jicama may be hard for you to find, depending on your location.
Other alternatives are to increase the amount of radishes in the salad, because they, too, have a “crunch-factor”. But radishes have a slightly spicy flavor, so I wouldn’t add too many extra. Also, you could add celery for the “crunch-factor”. But, celery, too, has a distinct flavor, so use restraint so that it doesn’t overpower the salad and become the main flavor.
I would not increase the amount of carrots or peppers as both have a sweet note and would make the salad sweeter (not a bad thing; just different).
Hope this helps! I’m sure you’ll love this salad, with or without water chestnuts – easy to make ahead, it will allow you to enjoy your brunch date, rather than feel harried with last minute preparations! Thanks for dropping by and thanks, too, for the thought-provoking question!
Thanks so much for these tips. I lucked out and found water chestnuts at a specialty store, and my dad loved this so much he wants me to make it again this weekend!
That’s awesome! So glad you enjoyed this delicious salad! Thanks for sharing!