Cesar Salad

What's better than salty cheesy lettuce that you still can call 'healthy' because it's a salad? Homemade salad dressings are a great way to jazz up a boring salad and this is one of my favorites! Every time I make it, my little brother practically licks the bowl clean! You can make the salad to eat right away or just make the dressing and save it on the counter for a few days (if it lasts that long). I don't recommend refrigerating the dressing because the oil will harden when kept in the fridge.

One thing most people do not know about Cesar dressing, it originated in Mexico in 1924. Like most famous dishes, Cesar salad was a complete accident! The chef just threw together some ingredients he had on hand and the dressing caught on and evolved into the Cesar dressing we know and love today.

I put a delicious twist on my salad by adding bacon to the mix! What is better than bacon anyways? I then use the bacon fat too cook the croutons adding such a nice smokiness to those crunchy croutons! You can always omit the bacon and cook the croutons in two tbsp of olive oil instead. I used a Tuscan white bread from the grocery store, but you can use any crusty bread! I recommend using stale bread or leaving it out for a few hours before you cook it to give your croutons some extra crunch. I also like to use spring mix as my lettuce base, I think this is a little bit more exciting than the traditional romaine!

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Cesar Salad

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 20 Minutes

Yield: One Big Bowl of Salad

Ingredients

• 2 Strips of Bacon

• 2 Slices Crusty Bread (torn to pieces)

• 1 tsp Paprika

• 1 tsp Garlic Powder

• 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard

• 2 cloves of Garlic (minced)

• 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

• Juice of 1 Lemon

• 2 tsp Anchovy Paste

• 1/2 cup Mayonnaise

• 1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• Salt & Pepper to Taste (be careful with salt, anchovy paste is salty)

• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese

• 1 Large Container of Spring Mix Lettuce (or a lettuce of your choosing)

Instructions

Line a sheet tray with parchment paper and place the bacon on the tray. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and place the bacon in the oven while it preheats, this will render more of the fat from the bacon. Cook for 15-18 minutes until crispy.

When the bacon is done cooking, place on a paper towel lined plate to dry. Then place the torn crispy bread, paprika, garlic powder and salt & pepper directly onto the tray with the bacon fat. Toss until croutons are thoroughly coated in fat and seasoning. Return to oven and cook for 12 minutes until golden brown and crusty. When cooking is complete place on paper towel lined plate.

While the croutons cook, make the dressing. In a small bowl whisk together Dijon mustard, minced garlic, Worcestershire sauce, half of the lemon juice, anchovy paste, and mayonnaise. Once ingredients are thoroughly mixed slowly whisk in olive oil until emulsified. Taste and add salt & pepper as necessary. If the dressing is too salty, add more lemon juice to cut the salt. Then mix in the shredded Parmesan cheese.

Chop your bacon into one inch pieces.

Toss lettuce, dressing, bacon and croutons and enjoy! Leftover dressing will last for 2-4 days in a sealed container on the kitchen counter.

Did you try this recipe? If so, leave your comments below!

Serving Suggestions

I like to serve this dish with Chipotle Bacon Grilled Cheese or Crab Cakes, recipe coming soon!

No nutritional information is available at this time.