Mason jar salads are quite possibly my newest BFF in my recipe arsenal. They make for an incredibly easy meal! With a little planning and prep work done ahead of time, of course. In one afternoon I was able to put together several mason jar salads, popped them in the fridge, and put my feet up. Simple meals; ready and waiting. A few tips when experimenting with mason jar salads:
- Layering. Keep the heartier items at the bottom. Ingredients that can hold up directly on top of the dressing layer; i.e. meats, beans, pastas, etc.
- Weighing. Perhaps it’s because I’m a bit OCD, but weighing out each ingredient helps when making bigger batches. Then I simply divided that ingredient into the proper portions for each pint. Voila!
- Drying. Make sure your ingredients are as dry as possible. Spin your greens, towel off rinsed items, use grape tomatoes rather than chopped.
- Packing. Be sure to pack your mason jar salad well. If you leave too much extra room, condensation from wetter ingredients may not play well with your greens.
- Noshing. If you take them to-go for lunch, simply bring a fork and bowl. It may prove to be a messy lunch if you opt to stir the salad in the jar itself.
Add this recipe to your cookbook on Key Ingredient also.
Ranch Rotini Mason Jar SaladAuthor: Mrs. CoxRecipe type: Salad, EntreePrep time: 15 minsTotal time: 15 minsServes: 1 These Ranch Pasta Mason Jar Salads are perfect to pack on picnics, stow in the cooler for camping, or just pull out of the fridge for an easy meal.Ingredients
- 2 TB organic ranch dressing
- 1 cup al dente cooked organic rotini pasta, cooled
- ¼ of one small bunch organic broccoli florets, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 TB diced organic red onion
- ½ organic celery stalk, diced
- 3 organic grape tomatoes
- 1 ounce cubed smoked cheddar cheese
Instructions
Layer ingredients in a clean 16 ounce Mason Jar
- ranch
- pasta
- broccoli
- red onion
- celery
- grape tomatoes
- cheese
Place lid and ring on jar. Label and refrigerate. Best if used within one week.