Mason Jar Salad

As usual, I am way behind the trend. I have been wanting to make Mason Jar Salads for a while and had been saving recipes for them on my Pinterest boards. Finally, I got a big box of mason jars at a garage sale ( at the sweet price of $1 for the lot), put them through the dishwasher and decided to give it a go. You can also buy jars at your local hardware store or just save and re-use jars you have. 

You can pretty much use whatever ingredients you want and layer them. This is a variation on a Caprese pasta salad. Start with a dressing on the bottom, then put tomatoes or some veggies, then a grain or pasta and keep layering up, ensuring that leafy greens are the top layer, and trying not to leave too much empty space in the jar. 

The great thing about using these jars is that you can make a few in advance and they keep the ingredients nice and fresh. Very handy for lunches. 

Pesto- I just blended basil, oil and pine nuts
( I think traditional pesto also has a  garlic)

Diced tomatoes

Pasta, cooked and tossed lightly in oil with salt and pepper

Peas, cooked

Fresh Mozzarella 

Fresh Spinach

My mom had bought me these lids a while ago and they work perfectly for mason jars.  I was so happy that I remembered where I was storing them and that they fit! Ahh...when the stars align like that.. :) They are great because they don't leak so you can really shake up the jar to mix up the salad before eating it  Apparently the metal ones that come on the jars can be a bit of a pain and can sometimes leak.

These are from a Hardware store in Boston, although they should sell something similar in Canada.

I mixed up my salad and poured it out onto a plate for lunch.  If you are on-the-go, eating it out of the jar would work fine too.  It was so delicious! I can't wait to eat and make more of these!

Stay tuned for more mason jar salad ideas!