I have a yummy recipe to share with you in time for Mother’s Day! YAY! I’m finally on time with a recipe. hehehe
This is a recipe my mom used to make. It is called 8 Hour Salad and is similar to Broccoli Salad. It is a bit time consuming but it is really good and really worth the effort. I make this for a lot of cookouts and get together’s. It does have salad dressing in it so you’ll want to make sure you have it on a tray of ice or that you can keep it cool if you are taking it to a cookout or outdoor picnic. Otherwise, if it doesn’t go super fast (which it probably will and won’t have to worry about it) you’ll want to put it up within 1 – 2 hours, before it gets to room temperature. Printable recipe is below the photos.
Start with leaf lettuce. Tear it into bite sized pieces and wash it well. Let it drain or pat with paper towels, then place in a large, rectangle dish/bowl.
While lettuce is draining, mix your dressing up. Dressing consists of 2 cups salad dressing.(eg: Miracle Whip) but NOT MAYONNAISE and one packet of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix. It will be enough, believe me. Mix the two together really well and set aside.
Chop cauliflower into bite sized pieces. Cut out as much stem and cut as close to the head as possible for smaller pieces. Layer on top of lettuce.
Chop broccoli into bite sized pieces in the same way. OR you can cheat a little like I do and buy pre-cut/pre-washed broccoli and then just run the knife through it a little. Layer on top of cauliflower.
Chop a medium red onion into diced sized pieces. Layer on top of broccoli.
Top with either real bacon pieces bacon bits OR fresh cooked bacon that has been crumbled. The real bacon bits actually work really well. Do NOT use those fake crunchy bacon bits though. EWW!
Drop your dressing on top of bacon layer by large spoonfuls. DO NOT STIR!!!!! That is very important. Do not stir or mix it together yet or it will be soggy when you serve it. Instead, use the back of your spoon to lightly spread the dressing across the top of the salad. Then cover it and put it in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight. I always make it the night before.
When you are ready to serve it, sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top and then mix it super well. And this might actually take you several minutes. You will think it won’t be enough dressing but it is plenty. It will mix in and coat all of the lettuce and vegetables.
Serve immediately and enjoy!!! It will be good the next day but after that it will start to get soggy quickly so I don’t recommend it past two days.
This salad is so yummy. All of the flavors meld together and mix overnight. I’ve NEVER had more than a couple tablespoons of salad left over. I don’t like raw onion at all but I love the red onion in this salad. Something about it goes really well with the other vegetables and the dressing.
Ingredients
SALAD:
- 1 large bunch leaf lettuce washed and dried
- 1 bunch broccoli
- 1 head cauliflower
- 1 medium red onion
- 1 package of real bacon pieces OR 12 slices of bacon: cooked and crumbled
- Parmesan cheese for sprinkling on top
DRESSING:
- 1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing Mix
- 2 Cups salad dressing (eg: Miracle Whip NOT Mayonnaise)
Instructions
DRESSING:
- Mix Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing Mix and 2 cups salad dressing together and set aside.
SALAD:
- After washing and drying lettuce, tear into bite sized pieces.
- Layer in a large rectangle bowl/dish
- Chop washed cauliflower into bite sized pieces and layer on top of lettuce
- Chop washed broccoli into bite sized pieces and layer on top of cauliflower
- Chop red onion into bite sized pieces and layer on top of broccoli
- Sprinkle bacon over top of red onion
- Spoon salad dressing mix over top of salad
- Spread evenly with back of spoon. DO NOT STIR OR MIX
- Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight
- When ready to serve, sprinkle lightly with Parmesan cheese
- Mix salad well to incorporate dressing and coat lettuce and vegetables.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a comment below letting us know you made this recipe. Then tag @cinnamonhollow on Instagram and hashtag it #cinnamonhollowrecipes
If you try our 8 Hour Salad recipe, leave me a comment and let me know how you liked it!!!
Travel Lover | Pet Mama | Beauty Junkie | Low Glycemic – Healthy Fats – Low Carb – Keto Inspired Food Enthusiast | Cocktails | Printables
I am a stay-at-home- mom, living in KY with my husband and children. I’m a travel and lifestyle blogger encouraging folks to live their life one adventure at a time while also focusing on beauty, essential oils and health. From time to time I also like to showcase my adorable pets along with my family. Along with Cinnamon Hollow I can be found at The Martin Family Adventure … read more
