Layered Pea Salad

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The amazing Green Pea Layered Salad with bacon, lettuce, mayo, boiled eggs, it is TOO GOOD to NOT try!

This is one of my most FAVORITE recipes of all time. I have been making it for years. I have several variations.

The ingredient proportions I listed here are for a two person salad, you can easily adjust to suit your needs.

I started out using Bacos, those little imitation bacon bits and they are really good. But then I evolved. I now fry fresh bacon especially for this salad. I have several variations of it: some I use mayonnaise mixed with sugar; sometimes I use half sour cream and half mayonnaise. There is no really RIGHT way as long as you get down the basics.

Here is a list of ingredients: (proportions are explained in detail in the article)

• iceberg lettuce
• celery
• green bell pepper (I have used other peppers from the garden just use what you have available) I have even used diced jalapenos cause LB and I love spicy food, and red and orange bells are good too
• we don’t eat onion, but if YOU do, a vidalia or bermuda onion will do nicely (oh I wish LB would let me eat onions! I MISS THEM!)
• frozen green peas
• sliced boiled eggs (OPTIONAL) I have made this salad and added a layer of sliced boiled eggs, NOT chopped, but SLICED.

Now the dressing, which will go on LAST, consists of:

• mayonnaise (you can certainly use my homemade mayonnaise recipe, and you can use half sour cream and half mayonnaise) and don’t get me started on brands of mayonnaise. Based on Kraft’s latest mayonnaise blunder, I’m currently using Hellmanns. Also, I know how you hate it when I talk so much in an ordered list. So I’ll shut up and move on. Mayonnaise is important though. It does matter.
• sugar
• shredded cheese (I use Sargento or Weight Watchers Mexican Blend) but use what you have. These lighter finer shredded cheeses really work great in salads and such because they aren’t oily and overpowering. They BLEND in.
• bacon fried drained and crumbled (here comes Mickey! Mickey LOVES Bacon!)

Let’s get ready to rumble!

Now, Magpie is 16 years old and has developed a food intake menu that involves maybe one meal a week that I cook. That’s ok, she does cook for herself if she does not like what we’re having. She loves steak, shrimp, yogurt, fruit. She is really picky about salads. Years from now, when I am really old and forget this recipe, she will contact me and say: “Mom, you remember that pea salad recipe you used to make when I was young? I wanted to make that for my husband tonight, but I don’t know what the ingredients are.” And I am going to play REALLY DUMB and say “No, honey, I sure don’t remember that.” Because these kids ought to learn to eat what is good for them. Of course, I did the same thing to my parents. Over the years I have contacted my mother and my mother-in-law asking: “Do you remember that recipe…..?” Yep, serves me right. Moving on, aren’t you glad? Oh and by the way, I would eventually give in and send her the recipe or send her to THIS blog.

So getting back to why I brought that up, you need to proportion the salad to how many people are eating. The picture you will see of my finished salad is small because I customize it to two eaters, LB and me. Allright, so amounts depend on servings ok? And this WILL KEEP okay for about one day in the refrigerator if covered, and if you don’t “mess it all around” while serving it. I use a SPOON to remove “portions” from the bowl, leaving the remaining salad undisturbed, and that leaves a nice ready to eat leftover for me for lunch the next day. I usually can’t wait that long though, and end up having it for breakfast. It’s that good.

Ok. Back to getting ready to rumble. The ingredient amounts I will list here are for our two person salad.

Get the container you will use to serve the salad (and hopefully store as well.)

Chop or gently tear your lettuce. Dice your celery (1/4 cup). Dice your pepper(s) of choice (1/4 cup). Thinly slice onion (remove skin first). Cook frozen peas according to directions and drain. I have used canned peas? But I think frozen peas work better.

Layer:

• Lettuce
• celery
• pepper
• onion (IF you are using)
• green peas
• sliced boiled eggs if using them (optional)

In a separate small bowl, mix together mayonnaise about 1/2-3/4 cup for two person version (or mayo and sour cream combo if you are doing that) with the sugar (1 tablespoon for 2 person version.)

Gently spread over the top of the layered salad with a spatula, doing your best to avoid disturbing the layers. It takes a little getting used to, but you’ll get the hang of it. You want to see only the mayonnaise layer when you are done, so put it on thick enough to: a) be a dressing and b) to cover the top layer of the salad completely.

Cover with a lid or foil. Refrigerate at least an hour, more is ok.

Just before you serve this wonderful salad, put the bacon and cheese on top. And I pretty much always put some FRESH ground black pepper on top, I love that stuff.

I have decided to make this for dinner tonight, I cannot stand it. The pressure is mounting. I want my layered salad and I want it now!

the Rancher’s Daughter
theranchersdaughter.com