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Home » Salad

Published: Mar 7, 2019 · Modified: May 14, 2021 by Kathy

Caesar Salad

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A green salad in a white bowl.

Delicious Caesar Salad made with a homemade creamy dressing. This salad has crispy romaine lettuce, shredded Parmesan cheese, and crispy croutons all combined with a garlic Caesar dressing. 

Perfect for a light dinner or lunch.

A white bowl filled with a Caesar salad.

Creamy Caesar salad

Caesar salads are packed full of flavor with a garlicky dressing and crunch from the romaine lettuce and seasoned croutons.

There's no need to grab a bag of prepared salad at the grocery store when you can have this tasty salad made with fresh ingredients in almost the same amount of time.

This is one of our favorite salads at home, when we go out to eat and even when we go camping!

I simply prepare everything and place each ingredient in individual zip-top bags. At camp, I just throw everything in a large bowl, toss and serve. 

Make this salad a main dish by adding pecan crusted chicken, blackened shrimp, or lemon herb chicken.

Ingredients for Caesar salad

A jar filled with a creamy dressing with salad ingredients in the background
  • Romaine lettuce - chopped
  • Caesar dressing - make your own or buy a jar of prepared dressing
  • Parmesan cheese - grated
  • Garlic croutons - make your own or buy from store
  • Fresh lemon - optional, but adds a little extra zing to the salad

Assembling a Caesar salad

  1. Place chopped lettuce in a large bowl
  2. Drizzle dressing on top. Using two large spoons toss until lettuce is well coated
  3. Sprinkle on cheese and croutons. Toss again.
  4. Squeeze lemon juice over salad and toss
A green salad topped with shredded cheese and croutons.

Tips for making a greatCaesar Salad

  • Cut lettuce into similar-sized pieces. I like my cut into 2-inch pieces.
  • Use fresh lemon juice - not bottled
  • Use shredded or grated Parmesan cheese. Do not use powdered Parmesan that comes in the can. That doesn't work well for this salad
  • Choose your favorite croutons - you can use garlic croutons, seasoned croutons, Caesar croutons or make your own
  • Use a bowl large enough so you can toss everything around. You want the dressing evenly distributed over every leaf of lettuce.
  • Don't skip the tossing of the salad with the dressing. Simply pouring the dressing over the top of the salad does not produce the same effect.

Recipe Faqs

Where does Caesar salad get its name?

It was named after Caesar Cardini who first came up with the salad in 1924 in Mexico. The name and the recipe have survived almost a century!

Can I make Caesar salad ahead of time?

Yes, but you want to assemble the salad just before serving. To make ahead of time, chop romaine lettuce and store in a plastic bag. Grate Parmesan cheese and store in a plastic bag. If you are making your own dressing, make and store in refrigerator. Have croutons ready.

Just before serving, add everything to a large bowl. Toss until dressing coats everything and serve.

Serving suggestions

Caesar salad can be a side dish or a main dish. I'd have to say we probably eat it equally as a side dish or a main. When eating as a main dish, we often add one grilled chicken breast, pan fried shrimp or sliced flank steak. Serve with buttery garlic breadsticks or cheesy pesto bread.

I also make Chicken Caesar Wraps using this salad. 

More delicious salads

  • Oriental Chicken Salad
  • Tuna Cobb Salad
  • Greek Salad
  • Asparagus Pasta Salad
A green salad topped with cheese and croutons in a white bowl.

If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @beyondthechickencoop

Looking for more great salads? Check out all my salad recipes!

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  • A small green bowl filled with Buttermilk Ranch Dressing surrounded by fresh veggies.
    Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
  • Easy broccoli salad with bacon bits in a white bowl.
    Easy Broccoli Salad
  • Pesto Orzo Salad with tomatoes, spinach and mozzarella in a large bowl.
    Pesto Orzo Salad
A white bowl filled with a Caesar salad.

Caesar Salad Recipe

Kathy Berget
Caesar salad with a creamy dressing.
5 from 21 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved!
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Total Time 15 minutes mins
Course Main Dish, Salad
Cuisine American
Servings 6 people
Calories 112 kcal

Equipment

  • Measuring Cups
  • Grater
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients
  

  • 2 heads romaine lettuce (trimmed and chopped)
  • ¼ cup creamy Caesar dressing
  • ¼ cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
  • ¼ cup croutons
  • ½ lemon (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Place chopped lettuce in a large bowl.
    2 heads romaine lettuce
  • Drizzle dressing on top. Using two large spoons toss until lettuce is well coated.
    ¼ cup creamy Caesar dressing
  • Sprinkle on cheese and croutons. Toss again.
    ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, ¼ cup croutons
  • Squeeze lemon juice over salad and toss. (lemon juice is optional)
    ½ lemon

Video

Notes

Ingredient amounts vary depending on the size of your heads of lettuce and how much dressing you like on your salad. Adjust to your taste.
Tips for making Caesar Salad
  • Cut lettuce into similar sized pieces. I like my cut into 2 inch pieces.
  • Use fresh lemon juice - not bottled
  • Use shredded or grated Parmesan cheese. Do not use powdered Parmesan that comes in the can. That doesn't work well for this salad
  • Choose your favorite croutons - you can use garlic croutons, seasoned croutons, Caesar croutons or make your own
  • Use a bowl large enough so you can toss everything around. You want the dressing evenly distributed over every leaf of lettuce.

Nutritional Disclaimer:

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition

Calories: 112kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 4gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 6mgSodium: 210mgPotassium: 527mgFiber: 4gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 18205IUVitamin C: 13.1mgCalcium: 125mgIron: 2.3mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @BeyondTheChickenCoop or tag #beyondthechickencoop!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Fred G says

    March 12, 2019 at 10:19 am

    5 stars
    Great way to use lettuce from my garden

    Reply
  2. David @ Spiced says

    March 11, 2019 at 6:05 am

    5 stars
    I absolutely love a good Caesar salad, and I've been craving one ever since you posted your Caesar dressing recipe. I guess I just need to put the ingredients on the shopping list, huh? 🙂 This salad looks phenomenal, my friend!

    Reply
  3. Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says

    March 08, 2019 at 10:48 am

    5 stars
    Hands down my favorite kind of salad Kathy! And I loved your homemade caesar drssing too!

    Reply
  4. Dawn says

    March 07, 2019 at 9:04 am

    5 stars
    A classic for good reason! You surely put your caesar dressing to good use! And now I'm craving! Pinned 🙂

    Reply
5 from 21 votes (17 ratings without comment)

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I'm Kathy, and I love to create delicious recipes from scratch utilizing many ingredients that we grow and raise. I'm a recipe creator, food photographer, and cookbook author!

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