Healthy 7 Layer Salad Recipe
Our healthy recipe for 7 layer salad can also be used as a 7 layer dip with fresh chopped vegetables (think carrots, celery and tri-colored peppers). Yum!
Football season is here again! If you have a family of football fans then you need touchdown-worthy “All-American” football food. This Clean Cuisine style 7-Layer Salad recipe is sure to bowl the whole gang over – especially when they discover it’s vegan and super healthy too! On second thought, you might actually want to keep the whole “healthy thing” hush-hush since nobody will know if you don’t tell (wink).
How to Make the Best 7 Layer Salad Recipe
I have been making this vegan / dairy-free 7-layer salad recipe every season for a few years now and it is always a hit with everyone, including the kids. I especially love that it looks impressive but is really super easy to make!
Simple Swaps for the 7 Layer Salad
THE BEAN LAYER
You’re definitely not going to want to skip this part. With just a few ingredients, the flavor add to this entire dish is amazing. Of course, if you’re in a rush a can of refried beans will do.
THE GUACAMOLE LAYER
Making this simple guacamole is easy and efficient. However, picking up pre-made guacamole is also pretty great too. We love Wholly Guacamole as a quick substitute because their ingredients are minimal and clean.
Wholly Guacamole Ingredients: hass avocados, tomatillos, water, onions, jalapeno peppers, contains 2% or less of cilantro, garlic, salt.
THE TOMATO LAYER
For the tomato layer, you can use any kind of tomatoes. We prefer vine tomatoes or roma tomatoes that ripe on the counter. Feel free to use any kind of tomato you have available… or pick up some fresh pico de gallo from your grocery. We love the deli pico that is made fresh daily. Can’t find it? Ask your grocer.
Looking for a killer pico de gallo recipe? Check out Gluten Free Dad.
Kitchen Favorites
Healthy 7 Layer Salad Recipe
Our healthy recipe for 7 layer salad can also be used as a 7 layer dip with fresh chopped vegetables (think carrots, celery and tri-colored peppers). Yum!
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 5
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 10
Ingredients
LAYER 1 | BEAN LAYER:
- 2 tablespoons cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil
- 5 cloves crushed garlic
- ½ Spanish onion, finely chopped
- 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) BPA-free pinto beans rinsed, drained and mashed
- 4 teaspoons all-natural taco seasoning (such as Simple Mills)
Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat; add the garlic and onion and sauté until soft and caramelized. Add the mashed beans and taco seasoning and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Set beans aside to cool. When cool, spread the refried beans on the bottom of an 8 x 8-inch casserole dish.
LAYER 2 | GUACAMOLE
- 2 Haas avocados, pitted
- Juice from 1 whole lime
- Unrefined sea salt, to taste
Place the avocado flesh in a large bowl and use a pastry blender to mash. Add the lime juice and salt and mash until smooth and creamy. Spread guacamole on top of the refried beans.
LAYER 3 | BUTTER LETTUCE
- 2 cups butter lettuce, finely chopped
Arrange the butter lettuce on top of the guacamole.
LAYER 4 | RED ONION
- 1 cup red onion, finely chopped
Spread the layer of onion out across the lettuce.
LAYER 5 | CILANTRO
- 1 cup cilantro, chopped
Spread the cilantro over the onion.
LAYER 6 | TOMATOES
- 2 cups tomatoes, chopped
- 1 teaspoon lime or lemon juice
- Unrefined sea salt to taste
Mix tomato ingredients in a small bowl and then spread across the cilantro.
LAYER 7 | BLACK OLIVE
- 3 cans (2.5 ounces each), sliced olives, drained
Arrange the sliced olives on top of the butter lettuce.
Yeah found a vegetarian salad to serve during football season this year at work…have a few vegetarians that need to be fed also. My work is keeping snacks for the University President’s box on game day up and yummy this looks like a great one thank you so much!!!!
So happy you like it June =) Thank you for commenting!
My husband and I host a super bowl party every year and this was our first party since adopting the clean cuisine lifestyle. I made this 7 later salad (ours was 6 because we don’t do olives) and it was so amazingly good and had great reviews!! It was comforting to know we could still do our party, change it up to be healthy and still have everyone enjoy the food. Thank you for your recipes 🙂
Hi Kristin, Yaay! SO happy to know it got such good reviews! And I know exactly what you mean about “party food”—we entertain a lot and it is always important to me that the food taste good AND also be healthy (which is not always easy to do with traditional “party food”) But so glad this one was a hit with your family. I very much appreciate you taking the time to let me know 😉
Hi Ivy,
I made this for a bbq we went to last night and it turned out delicious! Thanks for the recipes, they never disappoint 🙂
The 7-Layer Salad sounds out of this world. I have vistors coming next month and am definitely going to make this for them. They aren’t vegan but you don’t need be to enjoy a salad like that. Thanks so much.
Oh Charlotte I’m thrilled you like it!!! I can’t thank you enough for taking the time to let me know. I hope your guests like it too 😉
Maybe I am wrong, but I do not know anyone who is thinking too much about healthy eating while they are attending a Super Bowl party. But what I would love to learn from you is how to make a delicious and healthy Spanish style salsa dip or a guacamole dip for the chips. I love learning about other types of healthy recipes that include meat in it…But that’s just me. I am a hard core meat lover.
I can’t wait to try this it looks and sounds so good. I am always looking for new salads because I eat a lot of them for lunch and dinner for that matter and the same old stuff can get pretty boring. Is there any other salad recipes on your web site? I will check that out right away, I love you guys you always have such good advice and good healthy ideas.
Hi Christine. Yes we have a number of different salads and dressings… https://cleancuisine.com/category/eat-clean-recipes/salad-recipes/
This was a delicious recipe. I am looking for more healthy recipes that don’t look or taste “healthy if you know what I mean. My family refuse to eat Tofu but they didn’t know it was in the dip so it was scarfed down before they even knew it was there. Any other recipes I could get would be much appreciated. I put them on a diet and they don’t know it yet.
Hey Kathleen! Glad the dip went over so well. Almost any recipe on our site is family friendly. I would highly recommend checking out our Soups (https://cleancuisine.com/category/eat-clean-recipes/healthy-soup/) – always a great way to feed a family and hide some of the healthier elements. Enjoy!
I’m trying everything I can to get my family to eat more healthy so anything that looks this good and is good for you I’m not telling them about it I’m just making it and letting them eat it like nothing has changed. Are there any more of these recipes that you have been holding back on? I love your blogs and your web site you always have such great advice and food.
Thank you so much Mario.
I made this for the Super Bowl party and it was absolutely delicious. I didn’t however put Tofu in it because frankly I can’t handle the texture of it. I did put grilled chicken in it though and it was awesome, so if you want to try that I highly recommend it. I think it would also be good without any of that stuff if you just skipped that ingredient all together.
Hi Valerie – Great to know you enjoyed the recipe and made it your own!
This sounds like a great salad, it reminds me of the seven layer dip that I have seen but better because you can eat it as a meal. I am going to have to try this but I have to try it with something besides tofu. What other ingredient would you replace it with? I am going to try it with Chicken I think and see how the family likes it.
I would love to know what your family though of it. Enjoy the recipe.
I am going shopping for the ingredients today. We are having a party this weekend and I’m going to make this seven layer dip but your right I’m not going to tell them that it is healthy because then they won’t want to try it. I am trying everything I can to get my family to eat more healthy so anything that looks like this and is good for you I am not telling them.
Hi Edwin – Would love to know what your family thought. Most people just eat it and don’t even notice the difference. 😉
This sounds absolutely delicious. I am not vegan though so how do you make this non vegan? This is a very healthy recipe but I think if I used grilled chicken breast it would still be healthy don’t you? I guess I can experiment with it a little to find out what meat fits the best. Thank you for posting this and just so you know your aren’t alone I’m a fan of Tebow myself.
Hi Sean! Thanks so much. Just be sure to use organic and/or pastured chicken – aka a clean source of chicken. Hope you are enjoying it.
We are having a party this weekend and I am going to make this seven layer dip for that. I think you are right I’m not going to tell them that it is healthy because then they won’t want to try it. Why do people think that anything healthy automatically tastes bad? I’ll let you know how it goes over at the party. Thanks for the new recipe and I look forward to many more.