This method of serving salad is wonderfully eye catching. It is the perfect party food because you can prepare it in small jars for a bunch of people without much effort. The yellow, green and red layers will definitely attract your guests’ attention.
In Germany, the layered salad is rather popular. The classic recipe contains leek, celery, sweet corn, pineapple, cooked ham, iceberg lettuce, eggs and often cheese. The topping is made of mayonnaise.
From my personal experience, this recipe is a bit outdated and I have to admit that this combination is not my favorite, especially during the warmer months.
As I love experimenting in the kitchen, I tried to refresh the original recipe and replaced the ingredients with more colorful veggies such as avocado.
Also, avocado provides you with healthy fats while the vitamin-packed mango adds a fruity twist. With some fresh sour cream and crispy bacon on top, the recipe can be catered to all tastes.
The ingredients can basically be adjusted to your preferences. By mixing or replacing one or the other, it is possible to create your very own personalized and improved version.
Instead of serving it in a large bowl, I like to use jars or glasses so that everyone has their own layered mixture – similar to way some folks make desserts.
You might still prepare one large portion when you are expecting a large number of guests. The principle of layering the ingredients and pouring over the sauce stays the same.
Also, don’t forget to check out Jennifer’s tips for ripening avocados in case yours are rock hard.
The Recipe
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped
- 1 cup sour cream
- 4 slices bacon
- 1 beef tomato
- 1 cucumber
- 1 salad heart
- 1 Mango
- 1 avocado
- salt pepper to taste
- Roast the bacon in a dry pan until crispy and put aside.
- Mix the sour cream with parsley and olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Peel the avocado and mango and chop into small cubes.
- Dice the tomato and cucumber.
- Wash and dry the salad and cut into fine small stripes.
- Layer the ingredients one after another into the glasses or a bowl from the bottom up: avocado – mango – tomato – salad – cucumber.
- Spread with the sour cream and top with crispy bacon.
Photos by Nina-Kristin Isensee, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details.
About Nina-Kristin Isensee
Nina lives in Iserlohn, Germany and holds an MA in Art History (Medieval and Renaissance Studies). She is currently working as a freelance writer in various fields. She enjoys travel, photography, cooking, and baking. Nina tries to cook from scratch every day when she has the time and enjoys trying out new spices and ingredients, as well as surprising her family with new cake creations.
You say this original recipe is outdated, but this is the first time I have seen this done with vegetables. I have only seen it with desserts. I like the twist you added and the flexibility to customize it.
I agree that it’s most common to have layered desserts than salads or other dishes. Well, the version with leek and celery has been popular for a long time and I thought about a variety that is more fresh. I think cucumber, tomato and mango are a great trio to fulfil this task.
Definitely like your recipe more than the original, although that looks great as well. Loved the addition of the mango there. If anything is sure to add that extra component of zing and freshness, then it’s mango.
Although one tiny little drawback I’d say is that it’s so colorful that some people might mistake it for a dessert and may end up disappointed haha.
That would be a funny thing to happen! But when I think about it, one could really turn it into a dessert, some kind of fruit salad with yogurt or custard topping maybe? We’d turn disappointment into delight 😉
Very interesting combination. I’m not big on mixing fruit with other foods. It doesn’t always digest well together. This one I’d probably put in the vita mixer and liquify it. The layering though I really like. Maybe some yellow pepper at the bottom and top it with just a few pineapple. I could probably eat about 10 or 15 of these. I might do it in a large clear bowl and eat the whole thing or serve it up. Thanks this is a good one.
All the mayo on the top seems like it is asking you to stir the salad despite serving it in something that makes this effectively impossible? Generally I am a big fan of the “put everything in adorable glass, jar, martini, soup spoon glass, etc” trend but unless you pre-toss the salad those suckers belong in bowls.
The principle of layered salad (in bowls or jars) has been being popular in Germany for decades. And not mixing or stirring the ingredients is actually just the thing what it’s about.
By serving it in a large bowl, you reach with the cutlery through all layers. And in the jar, you get something from everything after a few bites too.
I put sour cream on top, I prefer it instead of mayonnaise. By mixing it with some olive oil, it gets more fluid and will run down the layers when you start eating.
Certainly, you can make a tossed green salad of it and serve it the way you like 🙂
I would buy that except that it involves just eating a layer of mayonnaise. It seems unlikely to me that many people just eat mayonnaise of sour cream like that, it is a topping for the other ingredients. Especially as they would then eat a layer of dry leafy greens. I get the idea of layers, but the layers have to work eaten alone, or you need to be able to mix them.
If you prepare it in a large bowl e.g., you will get something from every layer on your table, eating one by one would not be quite satisfying, that is right.
But if you rather want to eat it straight from the top to the bottom, you might change the ingredients and mix them before so that it works out for you.
Another idea would be to remove the cream and just drip some oil and vinegar on top.
All I can say is…yummy, this recipe is not outdated…its awesome and I must say, I have gained new knowledge in that regard, new ideas too…in regard to what vegetables and fruits I might use to prepare this awesome layered salad. 🙂
I think this is adorable! I can eat a salad every meal of the day. It just hits my tastebuds perfectly. The best party about salads in a jar is how many different variations you can enjoy. From cobb to tuna to caesar: everything works.
These layered salads always look so amazing, especially in glasses or jars. I’ve never actually done it myself, which is baffling since I love salads and I’m such a sucker for good presentation. Putting this on my to-do list!
This looks absolutely delicious! Your recipe does sound much better than the original. I’ve seen these layered salads around a lot lately. I’m very surprised I haven’t tried one yet considering how much I love salads! I’m looking forward to trying your version. The combination of avocado and mango sounds divine!
I may be completely wrong but it seems quite like the mason jar salad trend that seems to be really popular at the moment. Layering food is such an appealing sight especially when you can see all the different layers thanks to the array of colours!
This receipe looks interesting with the mango. It seems to be a nice simple combination that I will have to try out soon! The only thing I would change is the mayo because it is not something I am a big fan of and there seems to be a lot in the photos. Because it is in a glass and not in a sealed container I would find this quite difficult to mix around and I think it is eaten more on a layer by layer basis. But apart form that I am really interested to see how this will turn out !
I topped the salad on the photos with sour cream instead of mayonnaise (which is part of the original recipe). It might look like more than it is because it is mixed with chopped parsley. When you mix the cream with a tablespoon of olive oil, it gets more fluid and as soon as you grab a fork and have a bite, it will start running down the layers.
But if you prefer to eat it layer by layer, you can do that too. Either way, I hope you enjoy the mix.
These glasses of layered salad not only serve people, but can also serve as a great party decoration, just edible. I can see something like this not just for the summer, but all year long just by changing the ingredients to what is in season.
I am a fan of salads, and I like the layered versions as well. I never thought to serve it in a glass like this. It looks very nice, almost like a parfait. What a lovely way to serve that course of the meal.
I much prefer the idea of sour cream on top as opposed to mayonnaise. I’d even consider drizzling a bit of vinaigrette.
I really like this idea – I’ve always enjoyed the concept of a parfait but never considered a layered salad. It’s a nice presentation and I’m always trying to make my food look pretty. The bacon on top is just perfect as well! Looks elegant but… it’s bacon. Awesome 🙂 I would like to try making a full meal using this concept : maybe a layered salad for appetizer, then a layered pasta/bread/meat type (maybe Shepards Pie ish) and then layered dessert. Ending it with a layered cocktail. Thanks for the inspiration, as always 🙂
Have not seen a salad done like this before. It looks delicious. The presentation looks good and the ingredients too. I think I would put some fresh dill in the ‘dressing’.
What a great idea for a salad! It would definitely help get kids to eat their vegies this way. It’s like a savory twist to a triffle. I think it would be a hit at a sit down dinner party if you served the first course of salad this way. It takes the boredom out of a regular salad.
I have never seen any salad quite like this before. I’ve made plenty of yogurt parfaits, thanks to a cooking class I took several years back, but I have never thought of layering salads as well. As for the salad portion, I typically prefer a healthier recipe, so I would probably make this without the bacon. Otherwise, I adore the idea!
I love the idea of doing these ahead of time for the week. What an awesome grab and go lunch! And with protein and leafy greens? Sign me up! The layering is genius and I love how everything is layered in such a way that nothing gets soggy. Now let’s see if I can come up with a taco salad version! Thanks for the awesome ideas and inspiration!
I love vegetables and fruit, and especially combinations of them in salads. I would probably make a large version of this in a trifle bowl, so it would still have the layering effect, but less dishes to wash. I like the idea of making the topping slightly more liquid, as well, so some of it would drip down and moisten the layers below. I can see myself adding in some hearts of palm, and probably cheese cubes, as well.
This salad looks very appetizing, and I love how colorful it looks. I also really like the idea of adding fruit to a vegetable salad, as it’ll combine many different flavors. I’ll probably skip the bacon, but I love every other element of this salad. Avocado, mango and tomato are three of my favorites. Thanks for this recipe!
The colors did caught my attention! While I do eat salads, I’m not much of a fan. However, presented and served this way, I think even those who aren’t big on eating salads won’t be able to help themselves but devour them. This is truly a great idea as far as presentation goes.
I think so, too. Sometimes, the appearance can make a difference. This serving suggestion gives a regular green salad a new twist. And there are lots of possibilities to jazz it up, too. I suppose this can be convincing for people who are not that much into a bowl of salad.
These are so cute! I’ve somehow never seen salad presented this way before, what a fun idea 🙂 A large glass serving dish would look nice for a big salad at the center of the table, but I love how they look in the individual containers. Mason jars would be such a nice way to present these, they’re such a versatile decorative element and I love finding new ways to use them!
Thank you a lot.
That’s right, a large, transparant bowl would also make a perfect dish for it. But filled in mason jars, that is indeed a great idea, it will provide a wonderful look on the table, I also enjoy finding the most different purposes for them. Have fun preparing it!
Those look good! I would not have thought of that food combination. The mangos or pineapples throw the dish off for me, for a minute. But now I am thinking it would be pretty refreshing. I am currently on a new salad kick, and my diet is getting boring. I will certainly try this.
The fruit component is definitely one thing you should try out. It really tops off this salad for me, because I love the combination. I hope you’ll enjoy it, too, when you’re making this!
I think that as far as food goes, a good presentation is very important and I always try to put some effort into making my dishes look nice to the eye, even more so if I have guests over. Your recipe looks fantastic and I’m sure it’s delicious. I prefer your interpretation rather than the original version and I appreciated your choice to add avocado to the dish, it adds a really nice touch of color and it’s one of my favorite fruits. The sour cream and the bacon are the icing on the cake. This sounds like the perfect dish now that the weather is getting warmer and I’ve already written it down for the next time I’ll have friends over for dinner. Thank you!
I agree with you: the presentation of food plays an important role to me too. I’m happy that you like this way of a serving suggestion – and the combination of ingredients.
And right, now that it’s getting warmer, I also enjoy preparing some lighter meals. This one is a fantastic choice and I love the mix of fresh, fruity, and salty flavors 🙂
This idea has never even crossed my mind before, because it’s so creative! I have never heard about a layered salad, especially when it comes to combining veggies and fruits in order to make the colors more attractive, and I think that this one definitely achieved that goal, I’m getting hungry just by looking at that picture! It seems a great and simple alternative to regular salads and it can absolutely be a refreshing way to spend summer days!
Thanks for sharing!
Wonderful, I’m glad that this special recipe attracted your attention 🙂
It is indeed a new approach to regular green salad, and it can be adjusted to your preference in so many ways! But I can only recommend using some fruit which provides a fresh and colorful nuance! I really hope you have fun making this and you’ll enjoy it as much as I do on a hot day!
I like layered salad but this one’s a bit too random for me- the combination of leek, sweetcorn and pineapple really doesn’t appeal. I would go for lettuce, tomato, cucumber, some avocado and shaved parmesan.
Well, the first combination you talk about is the classic one from the 70’s/80’s in Germany, I don’t like it so much either. So your second mix is comparable to the one I suggest in my article, avocado goes great in there. And parmesan is a nice idea, too. I think this would definitely be a hit!
Well this just looks absolutely delicious and entertaining and perfect for me. When it comes to creative party ideas, I might be the worst, so I can really use all the help that I can get. When I was scrolling through, I went past the picture and had to double back because I asked myself “was that bacon on top?”, and sure enough it was, which I am sure pleases any guest to see that. Thank you for sharing.
I’m happy that you like this idea and looking forward to try it at home. Sometimes, a twist like that is all a usual dish like salad needs, and all of a sudden it looks fresh and new 🙂 Enjoy being creative in the kitchen!