A traditional seven layer dip is not very healthy. This seven layer salad is guilt free. It’s filled with healthy ingredients, down to the creamy, tangy dressing which is made of Greek yogurt.
Layering it into a mason jar is not just for aesthetic purposes, but it makes these salads really convenient to take on the go. You can make these ahead of time and bring them for a healthy lunch. You want to make sure you don’t overfill it, leaving enough space for you to shake your salad and thoroughly mix the dressing with all the ingredients.
Normally, it’s like pulling teeth to get Mr. K to eat a salad or anything remotely green, but he actually really enjoyed this. You don’t have to keep it at seven layers either. I technically have 8 because I sprinkled on some almond slivers for crunch.
The first layer is lettuce. The second layer is a Greek yogurt lemon basil dressing (taking the place of the sour cream in a seven layer dip). I wanted to keep it close to the lettuce to make sure all the lettuce pieces get enough dressing. The next layer is tuna, though you can change it out for raw tofu to make it completely vegetarian. Or make it a layer of black beans or garbanzo beans to get the “refried beans” layer usually in a seven layer dip. My next layer was tomatoes, much like the salsa in a seven layer dip. I love corn and it’s in season, so I added some corn as my next layer. Then a layer of fresh avocados because it makes this salad extra creamy and it takes the place of the guacamole. My final layer was some colorful pomegranate seeds which add color, antioxidants and crunch. You can also use persimmons or apples or other Fall fruits. Finally, I sprinkled some almond slivers.
The inspiration for this recipe came from some OXO tools I was given to create a seasonal plate for Plated. I was given tongs, a hand-held mandoline slicer, fruit spoon set, salad dressing shaker, corn peeler and a whisk. My kitchen is full of so many different tools and I’m always obsessed with trying and getting new ones so this was a pretty fun project.
I was most excited by the corn peeler because I love corn on the cob and I like how restaurants usually cut the corn off the cob in strips, which this tool helps you do easily.
Surprisingly, the most useful was actually the fruit spoon. It seems so plain but it is sturdy and the perfect size to scoop into an avocado half and remove it from its shell in one push.
The salad dressing shake is pretty neat too. I love that it has the measurements written on it, so you can directly measure your ingredients into the shaker instead of using another measuring cup. I was easily able to make my dressing directly in this shaker.
I was able to use almost all the tools given to me. Ironically, the only one I didn’t use was the salad tongs. I didn’t need it since my salads are in jars and I can easily shake it to mix the salad.
You might like my healthy noodle salad rolls, too.
7 Layer Salad in a Jar
Ingredients
- 12 leaves of green leaf lettuce cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cooked corn on the cob with corn stripped off cob
- 1 can of white albacore tuna or firm tofu, cubed to make vegetarian
- 1 large avocado diced
- 1 large tomato diced
- seeds from one small pomegranate
- 3 tbsp of almond slivers
for the dressing
- 1 cup fat free Greek yogurt
- juice of 2 lemons
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 10-12 fresh basil leaves chopped finely
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Whisk together the salad dressing ingredients. If you have a salad shaker, whisk directly in salad shaker and then hand shake to finish mixing.
- Slice lettuce leaves into bite-sized pieces and place evenly into three mason jars. Pour dressing on top. Add tuna/tofu on top. Add a layer of diced tomatoes. Add corn on top of tomatoes. Add avocado pieces on top of corn. Layer pomegranate seeds on top. Finally, add some almond slivers. Seal and store in fridge until ready to eat. Shake salads with lid on before eating.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
How long do these keep in the fridge?
Not too long, like any salad the lettuce will begin to wilt, etc, if you keep it too long. I’d say 1-2 days max.