When my husband and I were first married, we had to sort out which family traditions we would combine and carry on in our newly established household. I insisted we serve fondue and heavy appetizers for Christmas Eve dinners (like my family always had), and he insisted we make 7-Layer Salad on Christmas Day to accompany our main course. At the time, I had never heard of 7-Layer Salad and as he explained his mom’s recipe, I was admittedly not impressed. But, after a bit of convincing, I gave the recipe a chance, and I’m so glad that I did. It is good!
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Today, 7-Layer Salad is hands down one of my favorite salads. It hits all the flavor notes, from the sweetness of the sugar and green peas, to the saltiness of the bacon; and, from the tanginess of the mayonnaise, to the bitter and spice of the lettuce and scallions. It’s perfect! It plates well too and looks great on the holiday dinner table, especially when layered into a trifle dish or tall, clear bowl. Give this salad a try, it may just become a holiday tradition in your home too.
To start, prep your ingredients. Wash and coarsely chop 8 cups of leaf lettuce. Set aside. Next, thaw frozen green peas by soaking them in three cups of lukewarm tap water for about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside. Finely slice scallions and set aside. Fry and chop bacon and shred cheese. Set aside.
To assemble the salad, place 8 cups of lettuce into the bottom of a trifle dish or clear, steep-sided bowl. Evenly sprinkle ¾ of a cup of thinly sliced scallions over the lettuce, followed by two cups of thawed green peas. Next, dollop 1 ¼ cup of mayonnaise over top of the peas and, using an offset spatula, spread the mayonnaise out evenly, making sure to cover the peas entirely. Add additional dollops of mayonnaise, if necessary to seal off and cover the layers underneath. Next, sprinkle the mayonnaise evenly with one tablespoon of granulated sugar. Top the mayonnaise layer with one cup of shredded cheddar cheese and finally, the chopped bacon. There you have it, the seven layers: lettuce, scallions, green peas, mayonnaise, sugar, cheddar cheese and bacon. Enjoy!
