As soon as our grill gets fired up for the season, this is the recipe my family requests. This is no ordinary side salad. If you have never grilled your Romaine lettuce before you are in for a savory treat. Grilling vegetables really brings out their flavors and offers creative ways to mix up old favorites. This Grilled Caesar Salad is one of our family’s long-time favorites.
Grilled Caesar Salad
A good Caesar Salad is one of those classic recipes to have in your cooking repertoire. I grew up eating this exact dressing for as long as I can remember. Since then, I have put my own spin on my family’s recipe by grilling the Romaine Lettuce. Doing so brings out the smokey flavor that pairs so well with the garlicky creamy dressing of a traditional Caesar salad.
How do I Grill Romaine lettuce?
Don’t be intimidated by grilling Romaine lettuce. It’s really quite easy and literally takes just a few minutes. If you have kids (or spouses) who don’t love to eat salads, this may be the salad that will change their minds. Simply, you just rinse off the romaine and allow it to dry. If it is wet when it hits the grill, it will steam and you don’t want that. Brush on a little bit of oil to avoid sticking and grill for about 2 minutes on each side or until the lettuce starts to char.
Tell me about the dressing
There are a few keys to my family’s famous Caesar dressing. First, you have to add the ingredients into your blender in the exact order listed. The consistency only works if you. No idea why. Also, this recipe has both anchovies and Worcestershire Sauce in it. There are vegan versions of Worcestershire but not for anchovies. If you are a strict vegan or vegetarian, you can simply omit it. If not, they pretty much make the dressing! Plus they have all kinds of good for you Omega 3 fish oils.
Can I make this salad ahead?
It takes about 3 minutes to make the Grilled Caesar Dressing and I like to make it in advance and chill it. That way, it’s ready to go and drizzle right on top of my warm, freshly grilled lettuce. Trust me, it’s an upgrade from your regular Caesar salad. Hope you enjoy it! I do not suggest making the lettuce ahead of time. It is best enjoyed right off of the grill when it is still warm.
Toppings
I suggest going with the traditional croutons on top. The larger ones are better and offer a nice texture contrast. Can easily sub with a gluten free version. Roasted chickpeas would also be a yummy topping. They can be purchased already made or make your own. Don’t forget the fresh Parmesan cheese on top!
Kick it up a notch by adding some avocado slices on top. Yes, you can grill those too! Of course, it’s easy to make this salad into a meal by adding any protein on top. Grilled fish, chicken, or tofu would be excellent choices,
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Grilled Caesar Salad- A Summer Favorite Meatless Monday
Your favorite salad gets a summer update. Grilled Caesar Salad is a must make! Under 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 1-2 heads of Romaine lettuce cut length wise
- dressing:
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 tin of anchovies in olive oil
- 1/2 C of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 egg whites
- juice of 1 large lemon
- 1/2 Tsp Worcestershire sauce
- sprinkle of salt, pepper and parm cheese
- condiments:
- thick cut croutons
- fresh Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
- rinse lettuce and allow to dry completely
- preheat grill to high
- coat lettuce in olive oil to prevent sticking
- meanwhile prep dressing in blender add
- garlic and anchovies pulse
- add olive oil and egg whites pulse
- add lemon, Worcestershire, salt, pepper and Parm pulse
- refrigerate for at least 20 min
- Grill lettuce for about 2-3 on each side
- remove from grill & drizzle with dressing
- top with croutons and Parmesan cheese
- serve immediately
I have never heard of grilled Romaine lettuce! But it’s definitely worth a try and it looks delicious. Thanks for the tip!
Oh it’s a game changer!
I do love Caesar salad! What a tasty variation!
The grilled lettuce really takes on an interesting flavor
One of our summer favorites too! I haven’t made a grilled one yet this year but we plan to this week. I had a Caeser with a dill twist last week, twice, and can’t stop thinking about it. Might just be dinner tonight if I can get to the grocery store.
OH dill does sound like an interesting twist!
Yum Yum Yum! Caesar Salad is my absolute favorite salad and I eat it at least twice a week. I’ve never tried it grilled and have no doubt that it will be super tasty!
One of my favorites as well.It’s a nice change hope you enjoy it grilled as well.
I LOVE Cesar Salad, I’ve never had it grilled before, I definitely have to try this!
You will love it!
I LOVE Cesar Salad, I’ve never had it grilled before, I definitely have to try this!!
Interesting that you grilled the lettuce! What a great twist to the traditional 🙂
It’s so yummy grilled hope you give it a try
I love this salad! So unique and it looks super-tasty!
Thanks so much!
I love Caesar salad especially turning the summer time. Have to admit am a bit up a skeptic with grilled lettuce but am definitely going to give it a chance next time as it looked so good.
It’s really quite easy and you will be surprised by how yummy it tastes
I have a grill and eat pretty plant-based so it is always hard to find ways to actually use the grill. I love this idea!
Great I hope you enjoy it
Ooooh yessss this sounds great, I need to grill romaine ASAP! I just grilled for the first time this year last weekend. I’d love to add avocado & tempeh bacon to this mix too!
That would be a tasty addition
I never would have thought to grill lettuce. How cool! I’ve got to give this a try! What a great way to mix things up!
It is a nice way to mix things up in the summer time
THis is such a great salad for summer! We love caesar and this twist is fabulous.
Fantastic hope you enjoy it too
Yum! This looks so delicious! I can’t wait to make this for my family.
Thanks hope you all like it as much as we did
I’m such a fan of grilled romaine! This is a great summer meal option.
I love it too
Such a tasty salad I can’t wait to try it
Thanks hope you enjoy
Wow! I didn’t even know you could do that and it would taste good! haha! Great tip!
Yes you can!
Oh yes, I love grilled salads! I am excited to try this out. What a perfect dish.
Thanks so much hope you try it out soon
I’ve gotten hooked on grilled romaine. It’s perfect in salads like this one.
I know it’s so good!
i have never grilled lettuce of any kind. I like the idea of it though I usually have chicken with my Caesar salad. I think the smoky grill favor on the Romaine would be a nice change of pace.
Yes it is a nice change of pace and you could definitely add chicken to yours
This looks absolutely delicious! I love the fact that the lettuce is grilled.
Thanks so much hope you give it a try
I love the idea of grilling this salad! Brings out some great flavors!
Thanks so much hope you try it out
Caesar Salad is one of my favourites, but I have never grilled the lettuce! Definitely one to try x #meatlessmonday
You will love it!
I never got around to trying this last year…not sure how I forgot (?). I’m going to give this a try, maybe even this week 😉
I think you are going to enjoy it!
My kids love Caesar salad (although I make the dressing vegan all the time or use store bought dressing) I will definitely try this variation this Summer! Thanks for the idea!
Thanks hope you all enjoy it. Grilling the romaine takes it up a notch
Caesar salad is my son’s FAVORITE. I am going to try this with him.
Grilling the romaine really takes it up a notch in flavor hope you all enjoy
This sounds so good! I’m def going to try this during the summer. What a great meal.
Grilling the lettuce really takes it up a notch flavor wise. let me know what you think
Grilled romaine lettuce…that’s a first. Would never have thought of grilling lettuce. It does look amazing though. Since, I’ll be firing up my grill this summer, I can’t wait to try grilled romaine lettuce. Thanks for the tip 🙂
it really takes it up a notch you will love it
What a great idea to char the romain on the grill to add flavor to your salad! I love this idea!
Oh it is so good you must try it
This salad just takes that flavor of the grilled romaine and kicks it up a notch. A great side or meal for summer days.
Yes it does! Let me know if you give it a try
Caesar salads are great for a quick meal. My husband loves this salad (and he’s not a fan of greens!) The kids enjoy it, too. Worth penciling this for a dinner sometime next week.
Great hope you all enjoy!