Caesar Salad Recipe | Spoon Fork Bacon (2024)

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We’ve finally updated our Caesar Salad Recipe and I couldn’t be more excited! I don’t think there’s a more iconic salad than caesar salad! It’s such a perfect, simple salad that goes well with SO many dishes!

We think it’s totally worth it to put in just a little bit of effort to make some of the components (like the croutons and dressing) from scratch for an ultimate caesar salad experience!

How to Make Our Caesar Salad Recipe

Process

1. Pour dressing into a large mixing bowl and top with lettuce .
2. Toss together until lettuce is evenly coated. Add croutons.

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3. Toss together with tongs, until croutons are evenly coated and distributed.
4. Top salad with remaining Parmesan and some black pepper. Serve.

Best Lettuce to Use for Caesar Salad

Romaine lettuce is the most used lettuce for classic caesar salad, and for good reason! It provides the perfect, bright crunch you want with the creamy, acidic dressing.

Personally we prefer using gem lettuce leaves (which is a miniature variety of romaine), just a teensy tiny bit more. The reason we love using gem lettuce leaves more is because you still get the bright, crisp texture from gem lettuce, but you also get the tenderness you find in butter lettuce. It’s the perfect balance of crispy, sweet and tender!

Anchovy Substitute for Caesar Salad

I think anchovies in caesar dressing is key to giving caesar salad its distinct, unique and delicious flavor. I do understand that not everything enjoys it, nor can everyone eat anchovies. If that’s the case the best substitute is Worcestershire sauce. You can replace 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire to our classic dressing recipe and increase the amount to 2 1/2 teaspoons for our quick and easy version!

Variations

• Use shaved Parmesan cheese instead of grated Parmesan for the garnish. I like to do this when I’m using the classic dressing (which is less creamy), for an extra nutty, cheesy kick!
• Although purists may disagree, I love adding thinly sliced radishes or jicama for a bit of extra crunch! I also love adding cherry tomatoes, grilled asparagus and avocados on occasion, when I want to bulk it up!
• Add some grilled chicken, steak, crumbled bacon or even some chickpeas or edamame to the mix to add some protein to the caesar salad!
• Lightly grill the lettuce leaves before serving! When I say lightly, I really mean for just a few seconds. By doing this, you keep the integrity of the lettuce, but add a slight char flavor that tastes amazing!
• If you can’t be bothered to use a knife to eat your salad, no problem, we get it! Just shred the heads of gem lettuce into bite sized pieces, instead of keeping the whole leaves intact.

Tips and Tricks for Success

• Make sure your lettuce is clean and crisp! The best way to do this is to rinse your lettuce in cold water and to use a salad spinner to rid the leaves of excess water!
• Don’t dress the salad until a few minutes before serving. This will ensure the lettuce and croutons remain crisp!
• Make the caesar salad dressing and croutons yourself! Although it may take a little more work, it’s totally worth it to make your own croutons and caesar dressing. They will definitely elevate your salad!
• Add veggies and protein to bulk it up (using some of our suggestions from above!).

What to Serve with Our Caesar Salad Recipe

• Grilled Shrimp and Steak Surf and Turf
• Shrimp Scampi
• Meatball Sub
• Seared Ribeye Steak over Browned Butter Mashed Potatoes
• Creamy Tuscan Chicken
• Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
• Garlic Butter Lamb Chops

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