Are you planning a Memorial Day picnic or barbecue? We are big fans of food served in jars (they are so handy and convenient when toting a picnic out to the park) so we love the salad-in-a-jar serving idea. And the best part is that it can be done with just about any recipe. Here are a few suggestions.
The Corn and Chickpea Salad shown above comes from Country Living and includes, cucumbers, walnuts, feta cheese and fresh oregano. Sounds delicious.
The jars keep everything together, and tight-fitting lids mean no spills or accidents on the way to your picnic. You can also pack salads in individually-sized jars, so people can have their own and dispense with a plate entirely.
Nearly any salad would work in jar form. Depending on the ingredients, the jars could be packed with a pre-tossed salad, or layered with individual ingredients with dressing at the bottom or served on the side. The latter would make for a really pretty presentation, and everyone could shake up their salad jars themselves before digging in. Here are a few salad recipes from our archives that could be served jar-style:
- Kale Slaw with Peanut Dressing – Kale is nice and hearty, so feel free to pre-mix.
- Joyce's Drunken Noodle Salad – This would make for some lovely, colorful layers
- Erica's Asian-Inspired Chicken and Orzo Salad – A complete meal in a jar!
- Julie's Quick and Easy Nicoise-Style Salad – Pack the tuna on the bottom and layer the rest of the ingredients on top
- Cannellini Salad with Goat Cheese & Mint – Try adding some fresh greens on top of this salad for more color and crunch
- Grilled Zucchini and Grape Tomato Salad – So summery!
- The Seven-Layer Salad – Make mini versions of this classic layered salad.
Related: Easy Jam Jar Salad Dressings
(Image: Tina Rupp/Country Living)
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but why? who is going to lug around and later clean a bunch of jars? what's wrong with a bowl?
...By the same token, then, why not ask "who is going to lug around and later clean a bunch of bowls PLUS the bigger bowl or Tupperware or whatever that you carried the salad in before you put it in the bowl?" Either way, unless you're carrying the salad in your hands, you've gotta lug around and later clean something no matter what.
The presentation is nice but it really doesn't have to be jars, it can be any container. I prefer glass and use the Glasslock/Snapware containers because they are easier to pack than round glass bale wire jars.
Bowls work just fine, of course.
I love this. I think this kind of thing is what sets apart a picnic or party that people will talk about forever, from one that is forgotten the next day.
It doesn't have to be jars like these - the point is to think outside the box. Try something different! Get creative!
Will definitely keep this in my bag of tricks.
Cute idea, but where can I get those jars??
I've done this for picnic before when we put everyone's meals into individual baskets or paper bags - very popular and easy to transport.
ditto vonlet -- where the heck are those jars from? would be great for lunches of soup, etc