Our twist on the classic Caesar salad features an easy-to-prepare, rich, and perfectly creamy dressing, adding a burst of flavor to many of your favorite salads.
Ingredients
- Anchovies - opt for anchovies or sardines in oil. Drain excess oil on a paper towel, take one, and mash it into a paste. If the smell is a concern, substitute anchovies with a drizzle of Worcestershire sauce.
- Lettuce - Romaine lettuce and kale are the winners!
- Tomatoes - cocktail, cherry, plum, or other flavorful tomatoes.
- Mayonnaise - the essential ingredients for the creamy caesar dressing.
- Olive oil - good quality virgin olive oil will help with creaminess.
- Parmesan - If you want to achieve a smoother texture, reduce the parmesan amount in the sauce at least to ½ cups or less.
For the full list of ingredients please scroll down to the Recipe Card.
Instructions
STEP 1: Mash the sardine in a small bowl or mason jar.
STEP 2: Add all dressing ingredients.
Whisk to combine and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour for the flavors to blend.
STEP 3: Combine all the salad ingredients in a bowl.
When the dressing is refrigerated enough, give it a good stir and pour over the salad.
SERVE! Garnish with lemon slices, croutons, more parmesan shavings, black cracked pepper and dig in!
Tips
- Sugar -While some add sugar to the dressing for enhanced flavor, it's entirely optional. The sugar isn't for sweetness but to intensify the flavors of the other ingredients.
- Whisk vigorously - Whisk the oil into the dressing vigorously or use a jar for an easier shake.
- Serve right away - Consume the homemade Caesar salad with dressing immediately or on the same day to prevent sogginess in the lettuce and veggies.
- Make-ahead tips - want to enjoy the salad later? No worries, chop the lettuce and tomatoes, boil the eggs, and whisk up the creamy caesar dressing. Refrigerate everything separately for up to 2 days and when ready to eat, combine all.
Serving Suggestions
- stuffed shells
- Roasted chicken or turkey
- grilled cheese
- roast beef sandwiches
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📖Recipe
Caesar Salad With Dressing
Ingredients
Caesar Salad
- 4 eggs, cooked through
- 10 Cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- Lemon wedges or slices for serving
- 5 cups Lettuce of choice, chopped
- Salt and pepper
- Parmesan shavings for serving
- Herb Croutons for serving
Creamy Caesar Salad Dressing
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- 1 smoked sardine/anchovies, backbone removed
- 3-5 tablespoons of good quality olive oil
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- ¾ cup parmesan, grated
- 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons of sour cream
- ½ teaspoon dijon
- 1 dash Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Mash the sardine in a large bowl. Add all the remaining dressing ingredients. Stir to combine and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour for the flavors to blend.
- Meanwhile, combine all the salad ingredients in a bowl. When the dressing is refrigerated enough, give it a good stir and pour over the salad.
- Garnish with lemon slices, croutons, more parmesan shavings, black cracked pepper and dig in!
Notes
- Dressing - you should end up with almost 1 & ½ cups of the ready-made Caesar salad dressing. You don't have to add all of it to the salad, start with a little drizzle in the beginning and see if you need more. The most common serving size for dressing is 2 tablespoons.
- Nutrition - calories mentioned are per 1 & ½ cups of caesar dressing.
- Salad ingredients are for 4 smaller salad portions and you will not use the whole caesar salad dressing.
- Properly sealed dressing stored in a jar or food container will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days.
- What can I substitute for anchovies? Anchovies give that impeccable umami flavor to the dish but not everyone loves the smell of anchovies. You can easily substitute anchovies with sardines, Worcestershire sauce, fish sauce (add to the sauce but don’t smell it!), soy sauce, shrimp paste, miso paste, kalamata olives paste.
- Why is my Caesar dressing separating? Caesar salad may separate if you may have added too much olive oil and not whisked well. Olive oil should be added while vigorously stirring the rest of the ingredients in a smaller bowl or even better a glass jar.
Nutrition
❤️Did you make this recipe? Please be sure to leave a rating and a comment below. Thank you!❤️
FAQs
The original Caesar dressing a long time ago was not white and creamy and did not contain anchovies. It was later added to a new version of Caesar Salad along with eggs.
Anchovies give that impeccable umami flavor to the dish but not everyone loves the smell of anchovies. You can easily substitute anchovies with sardines, Worcestershire sauce, fish sauce (add to the sauce but don’t smell it!), soy sauce, shrimp paste, miso paste, kalamata olives paste.
Caesar salad may separate if you may have added too much olive oil and not whisked well. Olive oil should be added while vigorously stirring the rest of the ingredients in a smaller bowl or even better a glass jar.
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