Sides/Salads

Flavorful, Healthy Mason Jar Salads

I pack a lunch for work every day, which can be a struggle if I don’t plan ahead and prepare something the night before. But making salads in a jar has been a lifesaver! By strategically layering the ingredients in the jar, the salad doesn’t get soggy and stays fresh in the refrigerator a lot longer. The key is to start with your dressing and then work your way up from hearty vegetables like carrots, radishes, or onion to sliced pepper and greens like lettuce, spinach, or kale. By doing this, I can make three or four lunches in one night and store them in the refrigerator for the week. Then, when you dump out your salad into a bowl, you end up with your dressing on top. Genius! You can include any of your favorite salad ingredients, but mine typically include homemade balsamic dressing, carrots, radish, onion, cooked quinoa, peppers, and a mix of kale, lettuce, and spinach.  

Flavorful, Healthy Mason Jar Salads
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Prep Time
30 min
Total Time
30 min
Prep Time
30 min
Total Time
30 min
For the Dressing
  1. 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  2. 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  3. 2 tablespoons honey
  4. 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
  5. 3 cloves garlic, minced
  6. 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
  7. 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  8. 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
For Each Jar
  1. 1 1/2 pint wide-mouth glass mason jar
  2. 2 tablespoons of balsamic dressing
  3. 1/4 cup grated or sliced carrots
  4. 2 tablespoons thinly sliced onion
  5. 2 radishes, thinly sliced
  6. 1/4 cup thinly sliced bell pepper
  7. 1/4 cup cooked quinoa
  8. 1 cup of greens (lettuce, kale, spinach, etc.)
For the Dressing
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients. (Yields about 1 cup, which is enough for 8 salads if you use 2 tablespoons per salad.)
  2. Store leftover dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
For the Jar Salad
  1. Add 2 tablespoons (more or less depending on your taste) of dressing to the bottom of the jar. Layer ingredients, beginning with the carrots and ending with your greens.
  2. Store in refrigerator for up to 4 days (I usually only make 4 jars at a time.)
Notes
  1. I cook about 1/3 cup of dried quinoa according to the package directions, which yields about 1 cup — enough for 4 salads.
Seasoned to Impress https://seasonedtoimpress.com/

Green Bean Casserole

Green bean casserole seems to make an appearance on many holiday tables (at least the commercials make it seems that way), but I wanted to make mine extra special and make it from scratch — sans canned soup and with fresh green beans. It turned out so good and was probably my favorite side dish. I must admit, I did use store-bought fried onions. Don’t judge, we all cheat sometimes!

Green Bean Casserole
Serves 6
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Ingredients
  1. 2 lbs. fresh green beans, ends trimmed and snapped into halves
  2. 1 lb. white sliced mushrooms
  3. 1/2 a white onion, diced
  4. 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  5. 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  6. 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  7. 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  8. 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  9. 3/4 cup half-and-half
  10. Salt and pepper
  11. 1 cup french fried onions
Instructions
  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add green beans, and cook for 3 minutes. Remove beans immediately, and place in a large bowl of ice water. When beans are cool, drain and set aside.
  2. In the same pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add diced onion, garlic, and sliced mushrooms. Sauté until soft, about 5 minutes.
  3. Stir in Worcestershire sauce.
  4. Stir in the flour, and cook for 1 minute.
  5. Add the chicken broth, and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, until sauce begins to thicken.
  6. Add the half-and-half and cook until thickened, stirring constantly.
  7. Season with salt and pepper.
  8. Add the green beans and half of the french fried onions to the sauce, and gently toss until beans are coated evenly.
  9. Pour into a 3-quart baking dish, and top with remaining 1/2 cup of fried onions.
  10. Baking uncovered at 375 for 15-20 minutes.
Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker
Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker
Seasoned to Impress https://seasonedtoimpress.com/

 

Pecan Sweet Potato Casserole

I hosted my first Thanksgiving on Thursday and had such good intentions of posting all my recipes that day, but once the food coma and exhaustion set it, I didn’t do much of anything. So, better late than never! Over the next few days, I’ll share some of my favorites.

Pecan Sweet Potato Casserole
Serves 8
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Ingredients
  1. 6 sweet potatoes
  2. 2 eggs
  3. 1/4 cup half and half
  4. 1/4 cup butter, softened
  5. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  6. 1/8 teaspoon salt
Topping
  1. 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  2. 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  3. 1/4 cup cold butter
  4. 1/2 cup chopped pecans
For the topping
  1. Combine the brown sugar and flour in a bowl, cut in butter until crumbly, and stir in the pecans.
For the potatoes
  1. Peel and chop the sweet potatoes and place them in a large pot of cold water. Bring to a boil, and cook for about 20 minutes, or until tender.
  2. Drain and mash the potatoes. (You should have about 3 cups total.)
  3. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, eggs, half and half, butter, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat until light and fluffy.
  4. Transfer to a greased 11 x 9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with topping.
  5. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
Adapted from Taste of Home
Adapted from Taste of Home
Seasoned to Impress https://seasonedtoimpress.com/