In a sizable glass bowl, this seven-layer salad looks gorgeous. Although you can change the type of onions, cheese, etc., I often prepare it with bacon, lettuce, red onion, pea, and Cheddar cheese. Everyone loves it, therefore there is never too much!
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 10 mins |
| Total Time: | 25 mins |
| Servings: | 12 |
Ingredients
- 1 pound bacon
- 1 large head iceberg lettuce – rinsed, dried, and chopped
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 1 (10 ounce) package frozen green peas, thawed
- 10 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese
- 1 cup chopped cauliflower
- 1 ¼ cups mayonnaise
- ⅔ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
Instructions
- For the salad: Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain bacon slices on paper towels; crumble and set aside.
- Place chopped lettuce in a large glass dish or bowl; top with a layer of red onion, peas, shredded cheese, cauliflower, and bacon.
- For the dressing: Whisk mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, and sugar together in a bowl until smooth. Drizzle over salad and refrigerate until chilled.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 387 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 10 g |
| Cholesterol | 51 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Protein | 15 g |
| Saturated Fat | 10 g |
| Sodium | 667 mg |
| Sugars | 6 g |
| Fat | 33 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Use whatever veggies you have. It’s so good! I used lettuce, shredded carrots, peas, cucumbers, red onion, sharp cheddar cheese, and boiled eggs.
Absolutely wonderful. All the textures are great.
The recipe is good – I used a trifle bowl and it looked pretty and tasted good too.
I also prefer this salad all mixed up but hubby hates it mixed. So I layer the mayo an then put the cheese over it. Back when this first became popular everyone made it in layers then mixed right before serving. I think ppl just didn’t read to mix before serving and here we are lol
No changes! I made this for a baby shower we were having for one of our team mates! I made 24 individual salads and 24 it the dressing to go with it plus a little extra on the side for seconds! It was a huge hit! None left! The salad dressing was exquisite! Thank you so much!
This recipe was huge in the 70’s and we ate it all the time. What isn’t mentioned here is why it was layered with the dressing on top. By doing this and ensuring the dressing seals in the salad, the lettuce and other ingredients stay fresh and crisp. If you only drizzle it on, you better serve it right away. But we always made this a day ahead spreading the dressing to the edge of the bowl to keep everything sealed. You can choose to toss it when served or not. Any other vegetables you choose can be added, such as celery, carrots, etc. The critical ingredients are the bacon, mayonnaise with sugar, cheese, peas, and lettuce. The other vegetables can be changed out.
I’ve made a version of this salad for 50 years. Mine has no cauliflower and no parmesan cheese in the mayo. In fact, in these parts we just sprinkle sugar over the mayo layer. Chill for a few hours or overnight. I like to stir it together when I serve it so dressing and ingredients are dispersed throughout. I use sweet onions (such as Vidalia) instead of red. Some people put a layer of chopped hard boiled eggs in as well.
It’s great but I mix it all up too then add dressing .. FYI to Nini ….. CUCUMBERS are not a good substitute due to the excess liquid they have that is probably why it was too soggy
I’ve been making this salad for over 25 years! The main thing you need to do is to use only “dry” vegetables (no tomatoes for example). The secret to the dressing is usually 1T. of white sugar for every cup of mayo. This way if you end up with a 12-layer salad you can just increase the dressing. Chopped carrots, celery, radishes, and even broccoli, can make this salad spectacular. I always mix everything together before serving so the dressing isn’t a blob sitting on top and the veggies are evenly coated.
The flavor was fantastic. The only problem was there was WAY TOO much liquid in the bowl when I served it. The only change I made was I left out the cauliflower and replaced with one cucumber and I used green onion vs. red. I made it 4 hours before I served it. I could not keep the leftovers as it was too soggy. I would make again but cut the dressing in half. Also, I put half of the dressing in the middle and half on top so it would make it easier to toss before serving.
I made this for Easter and brought it in to work. Everyone raved about it and loved the dressing with mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese and sugar! I followed the recipe exactly, only used Bibb lettuce instead of regular lettuce. This photo was after it had all been devoured!
I loved it but the red onion is way too strong for my taste. Will use green onions next time.
This was great! I used romaine lettuce. This is a light refreshing meal and is extremely versatile . I’m looking forward to trying it again with some different ingredients.
easy and delicious!
I make this all the time. It is so good.I change a few things to my liking. I rate this as a 10.
Everyone loved this salad and asked for the recipe. A definite keeper. I made in a 13×9 pyrex pan. I subbed boiled eggs for the cauliflower, used less peas than called for (personal taste) and followed the rest of the recipe exactly. I did not think it was too sweet at all. A seven layer salad is supposed to be a little sweet. I actually thought it would be too soggy the next day for leftovers, but it actually was still very good. Enjoy!
This is a delicious salad, I use boiled eggs, and a 11×17 inch glass dish, let it sit in fridge 10 hours then serve, I also use extra bacon, cheese, and topping sprinkle cheese on top yum
It’s delicious! My Boys are all insisting it be added to our traditional Thanksgiving and Christmas meal! I Iayered the dressing between the ingredients and on top making 2 layers of each ingredient in a large Pyrex rectangle dish. So good!
I noticed that most people said they would change the application of the mayo dressing. Every seven-layer salad recipe I have ever seen puts the dressing on the top. What this recipe did not include was before serving, you mix dressing and all layers together, distributing the mayonnaise throughout. Beautiful Salad
This salad was awesome and the dressing is to die for. I did add black olives.
So the recommended bowl in the recipe is a large flat bowl (like a large spaghetti bowl), not the high, deep dish bowl depicted, which looks pretty but is impractical for serving. This is the way I’ve always made my multi-layer salads, for easy mixing just before serving. Good recipe!