A classic make-ahead salad made much more festive.
I think most of us are familiar with a Seven Layer Salad. It’s that nostalgic layered salad staple that you’ve been seeing at parties and potlucks for decades. And it should be a staple… You can make it ahead, it has a beautiful presentation, and everyone loves it. This salad has the same idea… we’ve just made it much more festive. Thanks to some updated flavors and the addition of irresistible candied nuts and a maple-tinged creamy dressing, this is a salad that’s easy to make but truly fit for special occasions.
What Ingredients Do You Need for Seven Layer Christmas Salad?
For the salad itself, you’ll need:
- Romaine lettuce. (Iceberg would work too but choose something crunchy that won’t wilt.)
- Apples. Something crisp!
- A red onion.
- Dried cranberries.
- Walnuts. (Pecans work too!)
- A touch of sugar and butter for those nuts.
- Some gorgonzola cheese.
- Bacon.
And for the dressing:
- Mayo.
- Sour cream.
- Dijon mustard.
- Apple cider vinegar.
- Maple syrup.
It’s simple but the perfect combination of creamy, sweet, and tangy.
But I Don’t Like Blue Cheese.
A lot of people don’t. I hear you. But gorgonzola is a more approachable blue cheese, a little milder in flavor and perfectly balanced by the sweet apple and tangy cranberries here.
Still not convinced? Feta makes a great substitute.
How Do You Make Seven Layer Christmas Salad?
Most of it is self explanatory, (you layer the ingredients) but we can talk about the order of operations.
1) Cook your bacon first.
2) Make your candied nuts. It’s easy, don’t fret! And they add SO much to this salad. In a nonstick pan, just combine the nuts, sugar, and butter over medium heat and stir until the sugar turns to liquid. At that point you want to stir constantly to make sure the sugar doesn’t burn. Keep stirring, and once all the nuts are coated, pour the mixture onto a piece of parchment paper. Take a wooden spoon or other utensil and separate the nuts a bit so you don’t have nut bark once it hardens. That’s it, you did it!
3) Assemble.
Lettuce goes in first, followed by the onion, then the apples, and the cranberries. The dressing is the next layer and all you have to do there is whisk together the ingredients. Taste it before you pour it on, and add a touch more vinegar or maple syrup if it’s needed. Sprinkle with the gorgonzola.
If you’re serving this soon, carry on with the next layers: the bacon and the candied nuts. Not serving yet? Read on.
I’m Making This Ahead. How Do I Store It?
If you’re making this the day before, stop layering after you’ve added the dressing and cheese. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill it until you’re ready to serve it. Two days is kind of your limit for chilling. Once you’re ready to present it, add the gorgonzola, bacon, and nuts, and right before serving, toss everything together.
If I’m making this ahead, I like to place the bacon and nuts on a piece of parchment and place them on top of the plastic wrap. I then cover the whole thing with plastic wrap one more time, which makes it easy to transport to a party without bringing a separate container. Once I’ve arrived, I unwrap and slide out the parchment so the salad can sit in it’s beautiful layered form until we’re ready to enjoy.
