Layered Salad (Layered Overnight Salad)

Layered Salad (Layered Overnight Salad), is the perfect easy side dish to make for dinner or take to a gathering – dinner party, potluck, bbq cookout, party, or holiday meal. A super easy salad that is made ahead of time, easily transportable, and everyone gobbles it up!  The best part about this overnight salad is that you can make it your own, and substitute vegetables that you love. It is also low carb and keto friendly recipe!

The Perfect Layered Salad

A simple make-ahead recipe, this low carb layered salad is perfect for a weeknight dinner or a party. It’s keto friendly and you can customize this salad recipe by substituting your favorite vegetables. Everyone loves this healthy side salad! A delicious keto salad recipe that will be your new favorite.

You’ll Love This Layered Green Salad

Quick and Easy Make Ahead Seven Layer Salad

If you start counting you will see that is more than a seven layer salad – it’s actually eight! (if you include the dressing) 🙂 Seven Layer Salad is a traditional Southern dish that became wildly popular in the 50’s. The original recipe often had tomatoes, cucumbers, and eggs. Our layered salad has a more modern twist with with artichoke hearts, black olives, and water chestnuts. Of course you can substitute any ingredients you want (see below), but this is our family’s favorite combination.

You can literally make this the day before and forget about it making it perfect if you are having company over, or head out the next day to a cookout/party.

If you are serving to your family for a weeknight side dish, make it in a 13 x 9 pan and only take out what you want to eat. Mix the dressing in on your plate. Once the dressing is tossed into the salad and mixes with lettuce, the lettuce will start to get soggy.

Again, as long as you don’t mix your dressing into the salad you can make this salad for dinner then pack up a serving for your lunch the next day! I’ve done this many times and even added hard boiled egg or diced chicken and made it a full meal. Couldn’t be easier. Love it!

Family Friendly Recipe

I’m always on the hunt for family friendly recipes! Luckily everyone in our loves salads, except for one of our kids. 4 out of 5 is not bad in our house! 🙂

A Healthy Side Salad That’s Pretty

Of course, because this dish is loaded with vegetables it makes it a healthy side salad. Because there is mayonnaise and sour cream on top it will add fat. This is good if you are following a ketogenic diet, but if you want lower fat substitute light mayonnaise and light sour cream.

There’s no denying that this is a pretty salad. If layering into a clear flat bowl or a trifle dish it will really show the layers and color variations of the vegetables. A perfect presentation to impress people!

Layered Side Salad For a Crowd

This salad serves from 10 to 12 people so it is a great layered side salad for a crowd.

This salad is built for potlucks and parties because it’s so easy to make and it makes a dramatic presentation if you layer in a clear glass trifle dish or flat bowl!

Make It Your Own Layered Green Salad

Easily subsitute veggies that you love! Great substitutes for the artichoke hearts and black olives are cauliflower and broccoli. If you don’t love water chestnuts substitute celery. These both add a crispy crunch that’s yummy. Tomatoes and cucumbers add a nice fresh taste also. If you want more protein, add sliced hard boiled eggs. If you don’t like red onion, substitute sliced green onions. The more colors you use the more dramatic the layers in your dish too. Just play around and see what works for you!

Another thing I often do is mix in fresh or dried herbs to my dressing. My favorites are parsley, dill, and thyme. So good!

Here are some suggested substitutions:

• 1 can water chestnuts ⇒ 1/2 cup celery
• artichoke hearts ⇒ 1 cup broccoli or cauliflower florets (small florets), or 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• black olives ⇒ 1 cup broccoli or cauliflower florets (small florets), or 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

A Low Carb and Keto Layered Salad

This could definitely be considered a low carb and keto salad.

With 20.5 grams of fat, and 7g net carbs and 6.7g protein it fits nicely in with a low carb and ketogenic diet. Yay! It is actually a meal on its own.

Peas do add some carbohydrates to this salad. However, the amount of peas per serving is only about 1 ounce. Peas have approximately 4 grams of carbohyrdrates and 1.6 grams of dietary fiber, so 2.4 net carbs.

Peas are included in the nutrition facts below. If the carbs are too high remove peas and replace with another vegetable!

Want more low carb and easy keto dinner recipes? Check out my post  Fast and Easy Keto Dinner Ideas, (HERE)

Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Layered Overnight Salad

Here are the ingredients that you will need:

• 8 cups leaf lettuce, torn into pieces
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 10 oz frozen peas
• 1 (3 oz) can water chestnuts (sliced)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or other favorite cheese) (reserve 1/4 cup for the top)
• 1 (14 oz) can quartered artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
• 1 (2.25 oz) can black olives (sliced)
• 1 lb bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled (reserve 1/4 cup for the top)
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 3/4 cup sour cream

How To Make Layered Overnight Salad

Okay, this is so easy and good you will wonder why you have never made this before! 🙂 Here are the steps to make this easy layered green salad:

Prep And Assemble Your Ingredients

Cook your bacon, cool, and crumble. Wash your lettuce, remove excess water. I use a lettuce spinner which makes this process super easy (My lettuce spinner is HERE). Tear lettuce into small pieces. Thinly slice your red onion. Drain the water chestnuts, artichoke hearts, and black olives. Roughly chop the artichoke hearts. Shred your cheese.

 

Layer The Salad Ingredients

This dish can be made in a 13 x 9 glass dish, a clear flat bottom bowl, or a trifle dish. For the prettiest presentation use a flat bowl or trifle dish to better show the layers. For practicality sake (its still pretty), it is much easier to serve portions out of a 13 x 9 and the dressing distributes itself better – you don’t even have to toss. Serve it as is.

In your dish of choice, layer all ingredients in the order of the recipe – lettuce first, then red onion, frozen peas, water chestnuts, 3/4 cup of the shredded cheese, artichoke hearts, black olives, and bacon.

Mix dressing

Stir mayonnaise and sour cream together. Spread even layer over the top of the salad.

Refrigerate

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Serve

You can serve as is, or I like to pretty it up by sprinkling a little grated cheese , bacon crumbles, and parsley (or other favorite herb) over the top.

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