Salad in a Jar

Salad in a Jar  

Q&A 

Why do you use a mason jar instead of a plastic container? 

Here are a few reasons: 

1) Using the mason jar allows you to add the dressing into your salad which is convent when traveling around to work or other places. You don't have to pack that separately. 

2) The mason jar seems to keep the food fresh for a long period of time. You get a better seal with the jar. You can have a mason jar salad 5-6 days post making it. 

Layer 1: The Dressing

The first layer of the Mason Jar is always the dressing. You can use any type of dressing you like. I prefer a vinaigrette dressing but you can use a creamy ranch. It depends on what you like. The vinaigrette will come out of the mason jar easier. 

Here I used 2 tablespoons of dressing. You can use a little more depending on your preference.

I'll show which type of dressing I used down below. 

Layer 2: Hearty Vegetables 

It's important to layer this second because these veggies shield the dressing from the lettuce and meat. You can pick veggies that will taste good in a dressing marinade such as carrots, tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, broccoli, asparagus, celery to name a few. You can add in any others you'd like. Some people (like my husband) do not like tomatoes at all but I think they are a great second layer.  

Layer 3: Beans and Other Less Hearty Veggies 

This layer is where you put less hearty veggies like green beans, corn, mushrooms, zucchini or sprouts. If some dressing reaches this it won't be too bad. 

Layer 4: Pasta and Grain Layer

This layer is for pasta noodles if you'd like to add them to maybe an Italian salad. You can add quinoa or rice here as well for a mexican salad. 

Layer 5: Protein and Cheese 

In this layer you can add eggs, bacon bites, any type of cheese, chicken or any meat. You don't want these laying in dressing for 3 days as they will become soggy. 

Layer 6: Lettuce, Seeds, and Nuts

In this layer you'll want to add ingredients that would become soggy if they touched the dressing.