If you’re looking for an EASY, delicious, family-friendly lettuce salad that you can make ahead, and use as an excuse to “clean out your vegetable drawer”, this easy layered lettuce salad should cover all your bases!
For well over a decade, this layered lettuce salad has made an appearance in our meal plan at least once a month, maybe more.
Kids and adults love it, you can make it a day or more ahead and use whatever you have in your fridge, it’s extremely transportable, and it’s SO easy!
It’s my go-to salad recipe for summer BBQs, church potlucks, holiday parties, and simple weeknight meals at home.
Our family loves this layered lettuce salad… I hope yours will too!
Ingredients for Layered Lettuce Salad
- 6 c. chopped lettuce (2 heads Romaine lettuce)
- 1 c. chopped broccoli or broccoli slaw mix
- 1 c. chopped cauliflower florets
- 1 c. frozen edamame or peas
- 1/2 c. onion (red, yellow, or green); diced
- 1 large carrot; shredded
- 3 hard-boiled eggs, thinly sliced or crumbled
- 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 c. bacon pieces (cooked and crumbled)
- 1.5 c. plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 1/4 c. mayonnaise
- 1/4 c. white vinegar
- 2 T. granulated sugar or honey
- 1/4 t. salt
- 1/2 c. shredded parmesan cheese
- cherry tomatoes for garnish
Ingredient Variations
This salad is very forgiving, so feel free to swap out any of the ingredients based on your preferences or what you have in the house.
Here are a few ideas…
Lettuce — Use a bag of already-chopped lettuce with carrots and cabbage mixed in, or chop up a bunch of spinach if you’d prefer that.
Veggies — I like lots of veggies, but you can omit any of the veggies if they aren’t your favorite. Also, feel free to add sliced cucumbers, chopped peppers, shredded cabbage, etc.
Eggs — if you don’t love hard-boiled eggs, just skip them. Or, serve them up on the side (this is what I do, as some of my family doesn’t like them).
Cheese — most varieties of cheese will work in this recipe, although fresh Parmesan on top really is a nice flavor boost.
Meat — I usually just stick to chopped bacon, but you could skip the meat entirely, or add chopped ham, salami, pepperoni, or even grilled chicken to make a heartier meal.
Dressing — my family loves the mayo/yogurt dressing, but feel free to experiment with other dressings you enjoy too. I will say that using a thicker dressing allows it to sit on top of the salad, which keeps the lettuce fresher longer.
Garnishes — I love the look of cherry tomatoes on top of the dressing and Parmesan cheese, but you could certainly skip them. You could also do hard-boiled eggs on top, slice radishes, fresh herbs, or a drizzle of olive oil.
How to Make Layered Lettuce Salad
1. Chop lettuce and place it in the bottom of a 9″ x 13″ pan.
2. Layer lettuce with all veggies, eggs, cheese, and bacon.
3. In a small bowl, mix yogurt, mayo, vinegar, sugar, and salt.
4. Pour/spread dressing over salad mixture.
5. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the dressing and top with cherry tomatoes and/or cucumber slices, if desired.
6. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
This is a great make-ahead salad!
One of the reasons I turn to this recipe time and time again (besides the fact that it’s delicious) is because it holds up so well in the fridge.
It can easily be made a full day in advance without getting soggy.
It’s also very transportable and looks yummy when you bring it to potlucks or BBQ parties (I rarely take leftovers home).
This Salad is Great as Leftovers
Speaking of leftovers, this salad really does hold up well in the fridge, making it great for leftovers later in the week.
Whenever I make this salad, I always plan on enjoying leftovers for lunch at least twice during the week — sometimes on its own; other times, paired with a bit of leftovers from a different meal.
You could also plan ahead and pre-portion individual containers of salad for lunches if you work outside the home.
Make Ahead Layered Lettuce Salad
Need a family-friendly salad that you can make ahead? This easy layered lettuce salad should do the trick -- and help you clean out your veggie drawer!
Ingredients
- 6 c. chopped lettuce (I used 2 heads of Romaine lettuce)
- 1 c. chopped broccoli or brocoslaw mix
- 1 c. chopped cauliflower florets
- 1 c. frozen edamame or peas
- 1/2 red onion; diced
- 1 large carrot; shredded
- 3 hard boiled eggs; crumbled
- 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 c. bacon pieces (cooked and crumbled)
- 1 1/2 c. plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 c. mayonaise
- 1/4 c. white vinegar
- 2 T. granulated sugar
- 1/4 t. salt
- 1/2 c. shredded parmesan cheese
- cherry tomatoes and/or cucumber slices for garnish
Instructions
- Chop lettuce and place it in the bottom of a 9″ x 13″ pan.
- Layer lettuce with all veggies, eggs, cheese, and bacon
- In a small bowl, mix yogurt, mayo, vinegar, sugar, and salt.
- Pour/spread dressing over salad mixture.
- Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the dressing and top with cherry tomatoes and/or cucumber slices, if desired.
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
This salad works well with SO many different veggie combinations -- feel free to use up whatever you have in the fridge.
If you want to serve with nuts, seeds, or croutons, put those in a small bowl on the side as they will otherwise get soggy.
Also, if you don't like the idea of a thicker dairy-based dressing, leave the dressing off and instead, serve this salad with your own favorite store-bought or homemade dressings or vinaigrettes (keep the dressing separate instead of pouring it over the top.)
Nutrition Information
Yield
10Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 108Total Fat 5gSaturated Fat 2gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 63mgSodium 185mgCarbohydrates 8gFiber 3gSugar 4gProtein 9g
Nutritional information is approximate and does not account for additional ingredients or added toppings.
After years and years of enjoying this salad for so many different occasions, I can confidently say it is a winning recipe (if you can really call it a recipe).
Experiment with what you have in the fridge and make your own Easy Layered Lettuce Salad today!
Do you have any favorite make-ahead salad recipes?
Visit my virtual recipe box for more simple, delicious, family-friendly recipes!
Kelly C says
It is breakfast time here but goodness, I want this salad! I have to watch sodium now and it is such an eye opener to see the sodium so high in recipes you don’t expect it to be. I am going to get the ingredients for this today, I’ll have to look for lower sodium products. Thanks for sharing your recipes!
Andrea says
haha — hope you had a chance to make the salad yesterday — if not, make it this weekend!
J says
I’ll be watching for the recipe for pumpkin cookies with brown sugar frosting! Years ago someone gave me a recipe for pumpkin cookies, that I just made recently but was disappointed bc of not much flavor! I’m trying to find a tried and true pumpkin cookie that I can bake for my parents bc it’s not fun eating or throwing away bland cookies! My Dad loves frosting and my Mom doesn’t, so that would be a win win!
I love reading your blog and seeing your cute kids pics too!
Brenda says
We made something like this when I worked in a grocery store deli. We added dry ranch mix to the dressing. It was our best selling packaged salad.
Andrea says
I never thought of adding the ranch mix to the dressing — my family LOVES ranch! I might just have to try that!
Trina says
So glad you. An now include nutritional information. I always look for that, so it’s a big win for me. Only thing I wish it included is the portion size. I know it’s 1/8th of a 9×11 pan, but it would be nice to have a weight measurement for one portion, like “x” number of ounces or grams. Always enjoy your recipes, Andrea!
Andrea says
Thanks Trina!
Sharon says
Made this salad this weekend for extended family. Left off eggs (husband hates), but added raisins which he loved. Great recipe for entertaining. Was delicious next day for lunch!
Andrea says
thanks for coming back to share your feedback Sharon! I LOVE this salad for leftovers and am always bummed if it’s completely gone after the first meal!
Mary Lynn says
This may be a silly question – after you layer it all and add the dressing on top, do you mix it all together or just let it seep into the salad and it’s mixed in before you serve it?
Andrea says
the dressing is just one of the layers — it just sits on top and I don’t ever mix it in (not even before serving). You just scoop out the salad as-is and the dressing is the top layer. It sort of mixes in when you scoop it onto your plate.
Anneal says
Silly question… regarding the cutting of the romaine…I notice you are cutting the romaine still attached which is very efficient. But how do you wash the lettuce? I’ve always separated and washed the leaves first then cut them. Is there an easier way?
Andrea says
Hi Anneal, The lettuce I buy says it’s “pre-washed” and it actually does seem quite clean. However, if I were going to wash it, I would probably chop it all up on the stalk, then us a salad spinner to rinse and spin it dry. That seems like the most time-efficient way of doing it (at least in my head!)
Anneal says
Thanks!
Debbie says
My mom used to make these too, and everyone loves it! I say that anything with bacon seems to always be delicious. I just finally tried maple bar with bacon the other day and I was surprised that I liked it! 🙂
Kelly says
My mom has been making this for a few years now (no cauliflower, and added water chestnuts) and it is delish! Everytime she invites my family over for dinner, I let her know that I’m expected the layered salad! Every one needs to try this. I LOVE it!
Debbie says
Love your version, I’ve been make it since the 70’s. I don’t use quite so much dressing and add more layers of the veggies I like. I’ve added pineapple and its really good. I’m going to try it with the parmesan cheese. I also don’t use sugar. I use splenda and light mayo, it’s still delish. Love your site. Debbie
Barbara says
Just need a little clarification–do you need to thaw the peas before adding to the salad? I’m thinking that when they thaw, it might make the salad watery.
Andrea says
you can do either — I always just dump them in frozen because that’s easier 🙂
Susan says
I add a package of dry Hidden Valley ranch mix to the mayo/sour cream mixture. Adds great flavor!
Andrea says
Yum — love this idea. Dave is a huge Ranch dressing fanatic so I’m sure he would approve as well 🙂
Kathy C says
I like this idea. Kind of like a seven layer salad. While reading it, I had the idea that I bet you could layer the ingredients in quarts jars and have several salads ready for the work week.
Andrea says
Yes, you could definitely put it in separate containers for lunches. The only think you might need to do is “stir” it really well before you eat so the dressing gets mixed through. I prefer making it in a flat dish so it’s easy to make it through ALL the layers with each bite!
rose says
I’m going to give this a try…..
Also~ LOVE Love LOVE they way you present your recipe!
Thanks for this easy healthy idea!
Andrea says
Thanks Rose — hope you enjoy the salad. And feel free to make a much smaller batch if you’re feeding a smaller group 🙂
Sherry says
This is an awesome salad and I’ve made a version of this for a number of years. One tip for making this salad the day before is to chop the lettuce with a plastic knife or just tear the leaves. If you use a metal knife the leaves may turn brown at the edges. It doesn’t change the taste but it also doesn’t make your salad look as fresh.
Andrea says
Good tip Sherry. I didn’t even think about that — but I used a ceramic knife (so not metal) and maybe that’s why my lettuce stayed so fresh looking!
filiz says
It’s delicious!
Paulette says
Definitely going to try this. I always receive many compliments when I try your recipes!
Andrea says
Thanks Paulette — glad to hear my recipes go over well with your friends and family 🙂