Built for Potlucks, Made with Heart

I’ll never forget the day I pulled into the driveway of our first home in northern Illinois. Eight months pregnant, dog in the backseat, husband still at work—I stepped out of the car and was instantly greeted by the buzz of a lawn mower. My new neighbors had taken one look at my swollen belly and decided to help however they could. The grass desperately needed a trim. A few hours later, they returned with a casserole and a Seven-Layer Salad, which I had never heard of until that day.

Welcome to the Midwest: where the people are generous, nostalgia runs deep, and showing up often involves a Pyrex dish.

That day marked the beginning of my fascination with the Midwestern salad—which, as writer Ben Tansel puts it, is “more of a mood than a category.” Over my seven years in the heartland, I came to learn just how broad that category really is. These so-called “salads” might include Cool Whip, Jell-O, pudding, canned fruit, crushed candy bars—anything that jiggles, fluffs, or holds together with a prayer. Grocery trips often included sightings of Watergate Salad and other pastel-hued creations piled high in the deli case.

Having grown up in the South—another region with a deep affection for Cool Whip, instant pudding, and sugar-laced creations—some of these dishes were familiar. But many were not. Why the stronghold of sweet, jiggly salads in the Midwest? Much of it traces back to German and Scandinavian immigrants—particularly the latter—whose fondness for gelatin molds and dairy-rich fare became part of Midwestern food culture. Layer that with the arrival of widespread refrigeration and convenience foods in the 20th century, and you’ve got a region that knows how to feed a crowd with whatever’s on hand—and make it memorable.

In this collection of stories and recipes, writers and home cooks across the Midwest share their memories of family reunions, church suppers, and even overseas potlucks, where one bite of a familiar salad brought everything rushing back.

The truth is, these salads aren’t just about flavor. They’re how people show up in times of joy and crisis. They can be a salve in the face of grief, a reflection of mixed cultural identity, a taste of home far from it, or a bridge between generations.

I hope you enjoy this love letter to Midwestern salads—whether you laugh, cry, reminisce, try a new recipe, or, at the very least, call your grandma.

20 Retro Midwestern Salads That Start with a Box of Jell-O

By Karla Walsh

From creamy, crunchy classics to unapologetically weird wonders, these nostalgic “salads” prove that in the Midwest, anything goes—especially if it jiggles.

Meet Cookie Salad: The Midwest’s Sweetest Potluck Secret

By Samantha Lande

It’s not a dessert. It’s not a joke. It’s a Midwestern salad made with cookies, Cool Whip, and a whole lot of nostalgia.

17 Midwestern Potluck Salads That Could’ve Been in Grandma’s Church Cookbook

By Karla Walsh

These nostalgic church cookbook favorites—think Snickers salad, macaroni salad, and more—prove the Midwest still rules the potluck table.

The Jell-O Salad That Got Me Through Every Chaotic Family Reunion

By Sophie Boudreau

Every kid needs a coping mechanism. Mine was Strawberry Pretzel Salad.

How Greek Immigrants Shaped Detroit’s Most Iconic Salad

By Samantha Lande

Canned beets, iceberg lettuce, and pink dressing—this isn’t your average Greek salad, but in Detroit, it’s a classic.

The Low-Effort Wild Rice Salad Everyone Wants at Minnesota Potlucks

By Marissa Hermanson

Minnesotans know: when wild rice meets fruit, crunch, and a tangy dressing, it disappears fast.

This Iconic Marshall Field’s Salad Has Been a Chicago Tradition for Over a Century

By Alex Fulton

Generations have ordered it. It hasn’t changed—and that’s the point.

Somewhere Between Cool Whip and Fresh Basil, My Grandmas Showed Me How to Cook with Heart

By Ben Tansel

Two grandmothers. Two wildly different kitchens. One chef’s journey to find the sweet spot between potluck charm and culinary precision.

Inside the Unofficial Salad Circuit That Holds Rural Minnesota Together

By Marley Flueger

Midwestern salads—quirky, creamy, and served with a spoon—are more than a regional food tradition. They’re part of an unspoken social contract: We show up for each other, with something to share.

The Japanese American Potluck Table: Where Memory, Migration, and Mayo Collide

By Jami Nakamura Lin

One writer reflects on how the soft, squishy salads of her childhood potlucks carried more than comfort—they carried history.

What a Snickers Salad in Spain Taught Me About Building My Own Traditions

By Teal Jennings Yost

At a Thanksgiving potluck in Spain, one Midwestern “salad” reminded me what I wanted to pass on—and what I wanted to make my own.