A hundred years ago, the jazz age was in full swing with flappers dancing the night away and over-the-top parties. F. Scott Fitzgerald in The Great Gatsby listed the many foods on the buffet table at an elegant party. The list included “salads of harlequin designs.” I did a post on Harlequin Salad in August. This red and green cabbage salad with beets, carrots, peas, and onions in a vinaigrette dressing is delicious and makes a stunning presentation. Since the salad turned out so well, it is currently featured on A Hundred Years Ago’s header.
A friend recently looked at A Hundred Years Ago’s homepage with its Harlequin Salad header, and said, “That picture looks nice, but I’d never make that salad. Now, if you’d made it as a mason jar salad, I might give it a try.”
After mulling over her comment, I was intrigued and decided to try making Harlequin Salad as a mason jar salad.
To be totally transparent, I’m into hundred-year-old recipes, not the latest meal prep trends. That said, I’m glad I pushed myself to rethink Harlequin Salad to a much greater extent than I typically do when updating hundred-year-old recipes. Mason Jar Harlequin Salad was easy to make, attractive, and tasty.
Mason jar salads are very popular. The salad is made in layers with the dressing put in the jar first, then the firmest ingredients, with the most fragile ingredients added last. This prevents the salad from getting soggy. They generally stay fresh for 4 – 6 days. People often make several jars of salad at the same time. Mason jar salads are typically dumped into a bowl or plate to eat.
Mason jar salads are a game changer for many. They allow weekly meal prep, are cost effective, and provide portion control for those concerned about how much they eat. And, they are good for the environment because the mason jar can be reused.
I made two jars of my rendition of Harlequin Mason Jar Salad, and ate one of the salads two days later, and the other four days after I made it. The salad looked lovely when I dumped it into a bowl and stirred it a little to get everything coated with the dressing.
Harlequin Mason Jar Salad
Note: This recipe makes enough salad to fill two 16 oz. mason jars.
STEP 1. MAKE THE VINAIGRETTE DRESSING
Dressing Ingredients
1/3 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar
Put the salt, pepper, paprika, and mustard in a small bowl; stir to combine. Add the olive oil and stir until mixed. Slowly add the vinegar, a little at a time, while stirring continuously with a fork.
Step 2. LAYER THE SALAD IN THE MASON JARS
Salad Ingredients
Dressing (see above)
1/2 cup cooked carrots, coarsely chopped (cool before layering in jar)
1/2 cup cooked beets, coarsely chopped (cool before layering in jar)
1/2 cup cooked green peas (I used frozen peas that had been thawed.)
1/2 cup onions, chopped
1 cup red cabbage, finely shredded
1 cup green cabbage, finely shredded
Layer the ingredients in the following order in two 16-ounce mason jars: dressing, carrots, beets, peas, onions, red cabbage, green cabbage. Put half of each ingredient in each jar.
Notes: Be sure the chopped beets are well drained before layering. The red color from the beets will run a little, but it can be minimized by carefully draining them.
This salad is very flexible. Feel free to adjust the amounts of the various ingredients based on personal preference.
Step 3. EAT THE SALAD
When ready to eat, the preferred way is to dump the salad into a bowl to mix the ingredients, though the jar with the salad can be shaken and the salad eaten directly from the jar.
This type of eating is very popular these days. It’s amazing how many choices we have. I know I definitely eat with my eyes first. And no doubt you’ve inspired me to make a few Harlequin Salads tomorrow…
The ingredient layers in the mason jar make a lovely presentation. I think that you’ll like this salad.
That is such a great idea. I’ve been carrying around a recipe for a jar for years and need to make it.
You should give it a try. It’s a fun, different way of pulling together a salad.
Nice idea, and the 100-year-old recipe works great here.
I was pleased with how well the old Harlequin Salad recipe worked when redone as a mason jar salad recipe. This experience makes me think that I should sometimes think more deeply about how hundred-year-old recipes might be made and presented in 2025 when adapting them for this blog.
It does look pretty in jars.
I especially enjoyed how bright and cheery the jars of salad looked each time I opened my refrigerator. When I made this recipe, I wanted to test how well they tasted several days after I made them, so I ate one jar of the salad two days after I made it, and the other four days after I made it. I enjoyed the anticipation when I saw beautiful jars of Harlequin Salad sitting on the refrigerator shelf.
A great idea for one and two person household…. Now I just have to get past the beets and I am good to go!
You eat the onions and I will eat the beets!
Works for me!
If beets aren’t your thing, just skip the beets when you make the salad. It would still be delicious without them.
This sounds like a real winner!
It’s yummy and a wonderful way to prep the salad ahead of time.
Love it!
Nice to hear that you enjoyed this post.
Yes, a feast for the eyes and the stomach! Thanks for reimaging a classic salad full of all good things!
This salad has a lot going for it. It looks nice, is tasty, is easy to make, and can be prepped ahead.
there’s something very enticing about a salad in a jar! (I wonder why it pleases us so much?)
sherry
hmm. . . maybe because the salad layers are easy to see in the jar and are visually appealing