This seven-layer salad was inspired by both my grandma (brown sugar and curry powder) and the salads that are sold at Boots (pasta shells and julienned carrots). This produces a highly tasty, reviving salad that I adore and that my friends ask for at barbecues!
| Prep Time: | 25 mins |
| Additional Time: | 1 hr |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 25 mins |
| Servings: | 8 |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 cups small seashell pasta
- 4 carrots, peeled and julienned
- ½ head leaf lettuce – rinsed, dried, and chopped
- 1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
- ¾ cup frozen green peas
- ½ cup frozen whole-kernel corn
- 2 cups mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, and cook until tender, about 7 minutes. Drain, and rinse under cold water to cool.
- Place the carrots in an even layer in the bottom of a large glass bowl, preferably one that is roughly the same diameter from top to bottom. Place the lettuce in a layer over the carrots. Combine the cucumber, peas and corn; spread in a layer over the lettuce. Once the pasta is cooled and drained, then spread that out over the top.
- In a smaller bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, brown sugar, curry powder, and garlic salt. Spread this carefully over the pasta. Top with shredded Cheddar cheese. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 595 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 32 g |
| Cholesterol | 36 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Protein | 9 g |
| Saturated Fat | 10 g |
| Sodium | 538 mg |
| Sugars | 7 g |
| Fat | 49 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I thought two cups of mayo would be too much so I only used one. That was the only modification I made and otherwise liked this salad. Next time I’ll try a 50/50 blend of mayo/plain yogurt to make it more healthy and a better salad to regularly have on hand.
I made this as written with a couple changes to the dressing: I substituted one cup of mayo for one cup of sour cream and omitted the brown sugar. The dressing tasted more ranch-like that way, which I prefer. That said, I’ve made this before exactly as written, and that way was delicious too. I think the dressing amount is perfect.
I made half the dressing because I don’t like a lot of mayo in salads. Kids complained the salad was sweet. I really liked the taste the second day better than day one. Salad kept really well in the fridge for multiple days. I used leaf lettuce, zucchini, chopped snap peas, and carrots. Next time, might add cauliflower and/or broccoli. This is a great recipe, just needs to be modified to better suit our tastes.
Great
Simply delicious! I doubled the pasta because I knew I’d like a more generous layer. I used only 1 cup of mayo, and my family and I felt there was still ample dressing. I also omitted the brown sugar, as I personally find mayo is sweet enough as it is. Next time, I will try a layer of cooked shrimp, too! Will be a regular on our menu from now on.
I have to say this exceeded my expectations. I was looking for something light and tasty, and this fits the bill. I pretty much followed the recipe except I used 1c mayo and 1c Greek yogurt. I also upped the curry a bit and added about half tsp dry mint. Also used bow tie pasta, what I had on hand. The key here is letting it sit at least an hour! Overnight is even better. We had to break into it before the hour and t was ok. But after tasting it later in the evening it was so much better. The flavor a meld together.
This salad is amazing! I added about 1 tsp extra of brown sugar to the dressing just because I didn’t think it was quite sweet enough. I also put in some scallions, and cauliflower and next time i would add hard boiled eggs and grape tomatoes.
My rating is definitely written for this dressing!! I was searching for a new and interesting way to top a seven-layer salad for a pot-luck, found this recipe with these simple dressing ingredients, and gave it a try. This dressing is EXCELLENT!! My typical seven-layer salad is very different than this (no peas or pasta, fresh spring greens and spinach plus the lettuce, eggs, bacon, tomato, mushrooms, carrots, carmelized nuts, green onion, etc., etc., whatever you like), but the addition of this dressing made it all so much better. Most of these salads are topped with plain mayo, which is so super-boring. This dressing, on the other hand, has only four ingredients but tastes so much more complex than that. I used low-fat mayo with the measures of brown sugar, curry and garlic salt exactly as listed. The combination of brown sugar and curry is something I would never have come up with myself, and is soo good. Light, refreshing, and enhanced all the flavors in the salad without overpowering it. The amount of dressing was perfect for topping a salad in a large glass trifle bowl. I made up the dressing two hours before needed, placed it in the frig to let the flavors mingle, and then put it on top of the salad just before leaving for the pot-luck so nothing would wilt or soften. The salad disappeared, and everyone wanted to know where I bought the dressing. I was so proud to say it was homemade and all natural. Thank you so much, Miss Sriri, for the recipe!!
We really llike this it is a change from the layered salad I usuallly make… love the shells really changes this salad.. Oh, I did not add the curry powder..
Have tried this twice and both times nobody cared for it at all. Thought I must have done something wrong with it the first time, nope, we really just do not like it.
This was so easy to make and so pretty to look at. I will make this again and again. What a great reason to whip out the trifle dish!
I made this for a party once and since then everyone requests it for their parties; it’s just wonderfull.
WOW! The only change I made was that I used 1 c. light mayo and 1 c. fat free sour cream instead of 2 c. mayo for the dressing. I think I will go back for seconds now! 🙂
The first time I made this I thought it was o.k. But then I tasted it the next day and it was delicious. Now it is one of my faves. It is addicting like another reviewer said.
The dressing on this was awesome! The curry really dresses this standard up. I changed some of the layers, but I thought the amount of dressing was just right.
This was alright, definitely new. I thought there was was too much dressing though. If i make it again i’ll be using less dressing.
Excellent recipe, but I used half the mayonnaise. I can’t imagine how much sauce there would be if you used the whole two cups! I used the same spices and brown sugar and it turned out great. Even my brother liked it with all the vegetables! Makes a great light dinner or lunch.
This recipe is quick and easy and produces a salad that impresses with both its looks and its taste! This will be one of my go to recipes for bbq’s or potlucks!
This is awesome! I needed a last-minute dish for a family get-together & this was fast, easy, and looked magnificent! Because of allergies i added some chili powder (less than 1tsp) in place of curry, and we topped it with some black olives which gave the veggies a little salt.
Really good twist on a salad my mom makes. My husband loved the curry and the pasta make it really filling.
I have made this many times, it’s addicting! I always add chopped peanuts on top. They compliment the curry wonderfully and realy add extra flavor. I have also decreased the mayo to cut calories and sometimes use chopped Romaine lettuce instead of iceberg with good results.