My 7 Layer Salad with a creamy buttermilk poppy seed dressing is a crowd pleasing layered salad that can be assembled ahead of time so it’s perfect for picnics, potlucks, and barbecues. It’s colorful and festive, and guaranteed to get raves!
7 layer salad is the queen of all salads!
You know I love me some salad ~ it’s one of my favorite things to share here, from hearty main course salads to simple slaws, I’m an equal opportunity salad lover. I don’t like to play favorites, but hey, there’s no denying the epic nature of the 7 layer salad. It’s grand, and deserves a place of honor on any table.
what are the layers in a 7 layer salad?
I have to cop to it right now ~ I’ve got 10 layers in my salad! Can you blame me? Once I got started it was impossible to reign myself in. You can use almost any salad ingredients you like to make this, but the more vivid the colors the bigger the ‘wow’ when you set it out on the table.
- crisp lettuce, chopped.
- cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered, depending on size.
- bell pepper, diced. Use orange because they’re not only sweet, they work with the color scheme 😉
- corn, grilled with kernels removed
- red cabbage, shredded
- hard cooked eggs, chopped
- black olives
- cheddar cheese
- pecans, toasted
- bacon, crumbled (because there’s a pot of gold at the end of every rainbow)
I’m kind of a rainbow freak when it comes to cooking, I feel like the more color you can jam into a dish, the better. Not only does it add eye appeal, but those colors signal great flavor and lots of nutritional benefits, too.
how to layer a salad
You’ll need a glass bowl with straight sides for this layered rainbow salad so you can see and stack all those pretty layers. I found mine at a thrift store, but you can sometimes get lucky at home goods stores, or of course, online. I’m addicted to Amazon Prime. This one is perfect. You can use it to make summer trifles later.
The trick to layering up a large salad like this is to put each new ingredient in a ring around the perimeter of the bowl, and then fill in with a little more greens in the center. This way, when the dish is completed, you’ll have a nice balance of greens to ‘add ins’.
Check your progress through the side of the bowl as you go to make sure you’re getting the layered effect you want. Each layer needs to have a certain ‘thickness’ to be visible. I like to finish with the bacon because it looks extra tempting.
the dressing
The dressing is rich and creamy and worthy of such a show stopping salad. I blend buttermilk, sour cream, mayo, lemon juice, and poppy seeds until smooth, then season with simple salt and pepper. You can slather it on over everything before bringing it to the table.
more spectacular salads
- Spicy Thai Spaghetti Salad
- Chopped Asparagus Salad Recipe
- Fully Loaded Wedge Salad
- Shrimp Taco Salad
- Marinated Tomato Salad
- Mediterranean Orzo Salad with Shrimp
7 Layer Salad
Ingredients
- 1 5 ounce tub of baby spinach or baby kale, or a mixture of sturdy lettuces
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved or quarterd
- 1 orange bell pepper, cut in a small dice
- 2 ears of fresh corn, blackened on a grill pan, kernels removed
- 1/4 small purple cabbage, shredded
- 3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
- 6 ounces can black olives, sliced
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup pecans, toasted
- 10 pieces of crisp bacon, crumbled
buttermilk dressing
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, give it a shake before measuring
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 Tbsp poppy seeds
- juice of 1 lemon, about 2 Tbsp
- 1/2 – 1 tsp salt or onion salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
garnish
- fresh thyme leaves or snipped chives
Instructions
- Put down a good layer of the clean and dry greens on the bottom of your bowl.
- Arrange the cherry tomatoes around the edge to form the second layer, and check from the side to insure that you can see them. For each layer you will add a bit more greens to the center of the bowl to even off the layer. (This is to make sure you have enough greens in the final salad.)
- Repeat the layers for all the ingredients, and top with the nuts and bacon.
- Make the dressing by whisking all the ingredients together. Taste to adjust any of the ingredients.
- Pour some of the dressing in an even layer over the top of the salad. Scatter some fresh thyme leaves, or sniped chives, over the dressing for a garnish. Set aside the rest for serving alongside the salad.
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
- Choose a sturdy lettuce for this salad, no delicate spring mix please, it’ll get squashed. I like to use triple washed greens because they are DRY. You don’t want to layer up wet or even damp greens.
- All amounts are approximate, use enough so that you can create a layer along the outside rim, for each ingredient. Don’t stress over getting the layers perfect, it’s kind of a losing battle. As long as you have enough of each ingredient, the layers will show in the end. One trick is to chop the ingredients finely whenever possible, or even shred them, so the layers will be more distinct.
- A thick creamy dressing will sit on the top and you can set the whole salad in the fridge until serving. If you choose a more fluid dressing, like a vinaigrette, dress it at the table instead.
- There’s no need to toss the whole thing when you serve it, just let people scoop out individual portions, and serve extra dressing on the side.
- Plan to make this the same day you plan to serve it.
Nutrition
Has anyone used this as a main dish for a casual summer dinner?
It’s a fabulous main dish, I might add a layer of shrimp or chicken.
This salad is SO pretty!! And love all these tips for building it successfully 🙂
Nicely done! And Pride is just around the corner.
Not like the layered salad I remember that my aunts used to bring to pot lucks 🙂 This is such a beautiful and modern twist on a great way to serve salad. Love the bits of grilled corn peeking out!