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I think Caesar salad is kind of the rebel of salads. I mean, its got lettuce so it’s masquerading as healthy, but then it goes and dresses itself with a luscious mayo based dressing, crispy bacon, and salty garlic-y croutons. Oh, and lots of parmesan cheese. It’s like the fettucinni alfredo of salads. And I’m all for it!!

When I want Caesar salad, I want the perfect Caesar salad. Why waste all those calories on stale, prepackaged croutons and dried out, tooth breaking bacon bits?! I want it done right. And that’s what we’re going to do here. Trust me, if you’re looking for the perfect Caesar salad, this one hits all the right notes. Fresh, crisp romaine hearts are topped with large grates of parmesan cheese – I peel large curls off of the block with a vegetable peeler so you really get that salty, nutty hit of cheese every few bites. The dressing is super creamy with a good kick of garlic and lemon, but rather than these recipes calling for “anchovy filets”, I promise you’ll have all the ingredients on hand anytime the mood hits. I tried the anchovy recipes, and they were good… but I really can’t say I noticed any life changing difference that warranted the special shopping trip to keep them on hand (plus, if I’m honest, handling them grosses me out)! A little hit of dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce accomplishes the same salty/savoury notes we’re looking for in our Caesar salad.

We’re using real bacon, nice thick cut old fashioned bacon. And pan frying the bacon sets us up to make the most amazing croutons after, taking advantage of that super flavourful bacon grease to flavour the bread (don’t worry, we drain most of it off first). Don’t think you need to rush out to the grocery store to get a loaf of bread just to make croutons. Here’s a tip – anytime you have crusty bread or sourdough (even buns or sandwich bread would work), and there’s a chunk left (you know those rounded end pieces no one seems to want?!), just slice it up in cubes and throw it in a ziplock bag in the freezer. Then, whenever you want to make Caesar salad done right, you can just throw the frozen bread cubes straight into the pan with the bacon grease and the perfect croutons are minutes away. You can also use frozen bread cubes to make things like stuffing, panzanella, or casseroles.

In the summertime (when somehow I feel satisfied without all. the. carbs), I love to serve this salad with some pan seared chicken or quickly sautéed cajun shrimp and call it a meal. So refreshing and delicious! You can also make chicken caesar salad wraps for a delightful lunch. I like to make extra dressing, croutons, and bacon and keep it all in the fridge so I can make caesar salad throughout the week, it’s so handy having all the ingredients ready to go. This time, I served our gorgeous Caesar salad with some perfect pan seared steak and roasted asparagus. It was quite the feast!

I’ve been making this salad for over a decade, and I wouldn’t’ change a thing about it. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! Let me know how it goes for you in the comments below, and I’d love to know what you served it with! Talk to you soon 🙂

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Ultimate Caesar Salad

This is Caesar salad done right. Each component is abosutely delicious making an unforgettable, ever so reliable salad. Top with some pan seared chicken or cajun shrimp and you've got a meal!

Course Salad, Side Dish

Keyword caesar salad, salad

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

Dressing:

• 3 tbsp mayonaise
• 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp worchestershire sauce
• 1 zest and juice of a lemon
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

For the Salad:

• 1-2 romaine lettuce hearts, washed and torn into bite size pieces
• 4-6 slices old fashioned (thick cut) bacon
• 1 cup crusty bread or sourdough, cubed
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp large grated fresh parmesan cheese
• 1 lemon, cut in wedges optional garnish

Instructions

Dressing:

• Add all ingredients to a mason jar and shake vigourously until well combined. Tatse and adjust seasoning to your liking – keep in mind flavours will intensify as the dressing sits. For more tartness, add lemon; for more tangy flavour add salt, dijon, or worchestershire, for more spice add more garlic and/or pepper, for more richness add parmesan cheese. To thicken, add mayonnaise, to thin, add olive oil. Refrigerate until ready to use, will keep for several days in the fridge.
  

For the Salad:

• Wash and spin dry or pat with paper towels the romain hearts. Tear and add to a large bowl. Top with the large grated parmesan cheese (I use a vegetable peeler to make large grates of cheese).
  
• Cut your bacon with kitchen shears into bite size pieces straight into a frying pan. Saute on medium low until cooked through and crispy. If your bacon is cooking too quickly or starting to burn, add a splash of water to the pan and it will soften the bacon and slow down the cooking. By the time the water evaporates the bacon will be perfectly cooked.
  
• Remove bacon to cool on a bowl or plate lined with paper towels. Drain all but 1-2 tbsp of bacon grease from the pan.
• Add the cubed bread to the remaining bacon grease. Season the bread cubes with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and cook until well browned and crispy. You do not want the bread to be soft at all or it will become soggy once dressed in the salad. Once done, remove bread to the same plate as the bacon to cool.
  
• When ready to serve, toss the lettuce and parmesan with enough dressing to moisten all the leaves generously. Taste, season with salt and pepper if necessary. Add the bacon and croutons and toss quickly. Serve immediately with lemon wedges for squeezing, if desired.
  

Featured in this Post:

This post includes affiliate links, meaning I made a small commission at no extra cost to you, should you decide to click through the links and purchase anything. These are my honest opinions and I would never recommend anything to you I didn’t absolutely love and use on a regular basis. Hope you find these lists helpful!

Dijon Mustard – This is one of my pantry staples. A small squeeze adds instant depth of flavour, a salty tangy punch to your dressings, sauces, soups, and marinades. I always have a bottle on hand!

Worcestershire sauce – Another pantry staple, perfect for adding flavour to dressings, meat dishes, marinades, etc. It has a sweet/spicy/tangy flavour, a little goes a long way! Lea & Perrins is the only way to go.

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