Go Back

Grandma's Layered Salad

This recipe creates a classic 'Grandma's Layered Salad,' assembling fresh romaine, bell pepper, green onions, celery, hard-boiled eggs, water chestnuts, and peas. It's generously topped with crispy bacon and cheddar cheese, all unified by a creamy, slightly sweet mayonnaise and sour cream dressing. A perfect, visually appealing dish for any gathering.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings: 10 people
Course: lunch/dinner
Cuisine: eastern europe
Calories: 4414.6
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Main
  • 1 head romaine lettuce shredded
  • 1 large bell pepper finely chopped (green or red)
  • 8 green onions sliced
  • 1 cup celery sliced diagonally
  • 6 hard-boiled eggs sliced
  • 1 6 ounce can water chestnuts, sliced
  • 1 10 ounce can peas, drained
  • 8 slices bacon cooked, drained and crumbled
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese grated
  • DRESSING
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons sugar

Equipment

  • 1 Cutting Board For safe and efficient chopping of vegetables.
  • 1 Chef's Knife Essential for precise dicing and slicing.
  • 1 Large Transparent Serving Bowl To showcase the distinct layers of the salad.
  • 1 Small Mixing Bowl For preparing the creamy dressing.
  • 1 Whisk To ensure a smooth and lump-free dressing.

Method
 

  1. Shred romaine lettuce and chop bell pepper, slice green onions and celery.
  2. Hard-boil eggs, then cool, peel, and slice them.
  3. Cook bacon until crispy, then drain excess fat and crumble.
  4. Drain canned peas and slice water chestnuts.
  5. In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, and sugar until smooth.
  6. Begin layering in a large, transparent serving bowl: start with shredded romaine lettuce.
  7. Continue layering with bell pepper, green onions, celery, sliced hard-boiled eggs, sliced water chestnuts, and drained peas.
  8. Carefully spread the prepared dressing evenly over the layer of peas, ensuring it covers thoroughly.
  9. Garnish the top layer with grated cheddar cheese and the crumbled crispy bacon.
  10. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours before serving to allow flavors to meld and the salad to set.

Notes

Achieving distinct, vibrant layers is key to this salad's appeal; use a transparent serving bowl if possible. Ensure all vegetables are well-drained to prevent a watery salad. For optimal flavor melding and texture, chill the salad for at least 2-3 hours before serving
- this also helps the dressing set. When preparing the dressing, adjust the sugar to balance the tang of sour cream with the richness of mayonnaise. Cook bacon until perfectly crisp and crumble it just before layering or serving to maintain its texture. For an extra touch, lightly salt and pepper each vegetable layer before adding the next.