The dressing goes at the bottom.

The trick to a non-soggy packed salad is layering: dressing on the bottom, sturdy stuff in the middle, greens on top.

The classic mason jar method works perfectly. Put your dressing in first, then pile in the vegetables that can handle it — cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, chickpeas. These sit in the dressing for hours without getting sad. Then stuff the greens in on top, where they stay dry. When you’re ready to eat, shake it up or dump it into a bowl and everything gets dressed at the moment of eating.

One thing people overlook: dry your lettuce. Water is the real enemy here, not dressing. If you’re packing wet greens straight from the rinse, they’ll go limp no matter what container you use. Spin them properly or pat them dry before packing.

If you’re using a normal lunch container instead of a jar, same logic applies — just keep the dressing in a separate little pot or container and add it at lunch. It’s not fancy, but it works.

A soggy salad is the saddest lunch, and it’s totally avoidable.