Quick and Easy Caesar Salad Recipe (2024)

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more details, please see our disclosure policy.

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

This Caesar Salad recipe can be quick, delicious, and economical if you know how to make the right tweaks. I’ll show you how in this easy Caesar Salad recipe.

You can stop eating out now that you can make the best Caesar yourself at home! This is a great dish to serve with Goat Cheese Pizza.

this …

Want to save this post?

Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox. Plus, I’ll send you budget recipes and money-saving tips every week!

Sure, those salad kits and pre-made boxes of Caesar Salad are easy, but they’re not cheap and they’re not all that good.

Making your own Caesar Salad at home seriously takes just a few minutes and the result is a delicious, crisp, tangy salad that is the perfect accompaniment to your favorite main dishes.

It’s also pretty good all on its own, especially if you add a hard cooked egg, some grilled chicken, or a sliced avocado. I should know. Me and Caesar Salad go way back.

When we got married over 20 years ago, restaurants were at the height of the Caesar Salad craze. Now, I know that Caesar Salad never truly goes out of style. But, in the early 90s every restaurant had a signature Caesar Salad recipe. Every. restaurant.

And it’s a good thing, too, ’cause we loved it. There are many delicious caesar salad recipes filed away in my memory bank. The onethat we ordered every time we wentto California Pizza Kitchenwhile we were dating. The chicken caesar salad from Taffy’s Pizza that we usually got after church back in our Santa Barbara days. The salad I usually ate when I finished waiting tables at Brigitte’s.

Quick and Easy Caesar Salad Recipe (2)

And the delicious, hand-crafted-at-your-table version that we enjoyed the first days of our honeymoon when we forgot our travel money at home and lived fortwo days on $40. One of our first “make-do” moments of marriage.

That’s us on our early honeymoon in San Luis Obispo, circa 1994. (Luckily we stopped back at home for some cash before heading to France for two weeks!) Yes,I’ve got lots of memories wrapped around the iconic Caesar salad recipe that was created on aspur-of-the-moment in Tijuana almost 100 years ago. Thankfully, early in our marriage Ifound some inexpensive alternatives to restaurant caesar salad, delicious though it may be. At first I relied onbottled varieties, but the best Caesar Salad recipe is the one you make yourself at home.

Does Caesar Salad Have Anchovies?

Yes traditionally Caesar salad does have anchovies. This particular Caesar Salad recipe is a trimmed down version. It’s the one I made most often when we were fighting debt and had little kids. It has no expensive anchovy paste and no raw egg. This means it’s light, simple, and very inexpensive to make. If you want a frugal, but creamier version, check out this Chicken Caesar Salad recipe.)

Is Caesar Salad Bad For You?

Caesar salad can get a bad rap because of the cheese, croutons, and creamy dressing it’s covered in. This version though is a less creamy version, so it’s lighter in calories!

What Goes With Caesar Salad?

You could eat this on its own for a nice light dinner. We served this with my easy lasagne recipe with basil and chives.

Quick and Easy Caesar Salad Recipe (3)

How to make this good and cheap:

Here are some of the strategies you canuse to make this recipe more economical:

  • Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. Parmesan isthe high ticket item here. Buy itwhen you find iton sale. Ibuy big blocks of it at Costco for a cheap price. I also use Asiago or Romano if they are cheaper.
  • Make your own dressings. I’m sure you’ve got plenty of salad recipes that call for bottled dressing. Those bottles are either way too expensive or full of junk. Make your own and save money.
  • Make your own croutons. Do not waste money on boxed croutons when you can make your own for pennies.

This is a pretty straight-forwarddish. You don’t need any fancy equipment.However, having some good basickitchen tools can really make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable. Over time, I’ve honed my collection so that they are perfect for my needs. Here are the tools that I like to use in this recipe.

Quick and Easy Caesar Salad Recipe (4)

Easy Caesar Salad Recipe

Caesar Salad can be simple, quick, delicious, and economical if you know how to make the right tweaks. I’ll show you how in this easy Caesar Salad recipe.

4.80 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 342kcal

Author: Jessica Fisher

Ingredients

  • 1 lemon (juiced)
  • 3 tablespoon mayonnaise
  • 3 clove garlic minced
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • dash Worcestershire sauce
  • salt
  • black pepper
  • 1 head romaine lettuce washed, torn into bite-sized pieces, and chilled until ready to serve
  • 3 oz Parmesan cheese (shredded) (¾ cup)
  • 1 cup croutons

Instructions

  • In a small bowl combine the lemon juice, mayonnaise, and garlic. Blend well. Add the olive oil and worcestershire sauce. Whisk well to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

    1 lemon, 3 tablespoon mayonnaise, 3 clove garlic, ¼ cup olive oil, dash Worcestershire sauce, salt, black pepper

  • Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more lemon juice or garlic as needed.

  • In a large salad bowl, place the lettuce and toss with the dressing. Sprinkle on cheese and croutons, toss again.

    1 head romaine lettuce, 3 oz Parmesan cheese (shredded), 1 cup croutons

  • Serve immediately.

Notes

  • Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. Parmesan isthe high ticket item here. Buy itwhen you find iton sale. Ibuy big blocks of it at Costco for a cheap price. I also use Asiago or Romano if they are cheaper.
  • Make your own dressings. I’m sure you’ve got plenty of salad recipes that call for bottled dressing. Those bottles are either way too expensive or full of junk. Make your own and save money.
  • Make your own croutons. Do not waste money on boxed croutons when you can make your own for pennies.

Nutrition

Calories: 342kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 473mg | Potassium: 464mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 13810IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 321mg | Iron: 2mg

Tried this recipe?Tell us what you think! Your reviews help us develop better recipes and give newcomers the confidence to try your favorites. Scroll down to leave a starred comment.

Quick and Easy Caesar Salad Recipe (5)
Quick and Easy Caesar Salad Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What was the original Caesar salad made of? ›

Cesare Cardini, an Italian immigrant to the United States, who lived in San Diego but also ran a restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico, was said, by his daughter Rosa Cardini, to have invented the Caesar salad on the Fourth of July 1924 by cobbling together merely seven ingredients: whole leaves of romaine lettuce, a raw egg ...

What is normally comes with Caesar salad? ›

Caesar salad is made with romaine lettuce, croutons, Parmesan cheese, and Caesar dressing. The dressing is a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, and garlic.

What is classic Caesar dressing made of? ›

To make the dressing: Mash anchovy fillets and garlic in a large salad bowl. Add lemon juice, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, egg yolk, and Worcestershire sauce; whisk until smooth and creamy. Gradually stream in olive oil while whisking constantly. Season with salt and black pepper.

Is eating a Caesar salad healthy? ›

The bottom line. A classic Caesar salad can fit into any healthy eating plan, but modifications to make it more nutritious may be a good idea if you eat them often. Choose a salad dressing that's low in saturated fat and sodium and consider using a 1-tablespoon (14-gram) serving.

What are the two types of Caesar dressing? ›

Caesar salad dressing comes in a few basic forms. First, some are creamy, like ranch dressing, while others are more like vinaigrette, with a visible separation of oil and water-based ingredients.

Is Caesar salad Italian or Greek? ›

The Caesar salad was invented by an Italian man named Caesar Cardini. Italians can rest assured that there was Italian influence behind its creation. Cardini was a restauranteur who was born in northern Italy.

Why is my Caesar salad soggy? ›

As mentioned, moisture tends to make salads go soggier even faster. That said, it's even quicker when the dressing is made up of acidic ingredients like vinegar or citrus—which, in most cases, they are. The acid in these ingredients can break down the cell structure of tender greens leading to their demise even faster.

How do you cut romaine lettuce for cesar salad? ›

Cut the romaine into bite-sized pieces and wash under cool running water before drying throughly (a salad spinner is best, but laying on paper towels and patting dry works too). Wet lettuce prevents the dressing from coating the lettuce well.

What is a Julius Caesar salad? ›

A Caesar salad (also spelled Cesar, César and Cesare) is a green salad of romaine lettuce and croutons dressed with lemon juice (or lime juice), olive oil, eggs or egg yolks, Worcestershire sauce, anchovies, garlic, Dijon mustard, Parmesan cheese, and black pepper.

Is Caesar salad healthier than regular salad? ›

When you're choosing your bowl of greens this summer, you should know that three types contain more calories, sodium and fat than you may want, one dietitian says. So, if you want to eat the healthiest salads possible, steer clear of taco salads, chef salads and Caesar salads.

Which ingredient is not commonly found in a Caesar salad? ›

The ingredient typically not found in a classic Caesar salad is Iceberg lettuce. A traditional Caesar salad, made primarily of romaine lettuce, doesn't include iceberg lettuce. It may vary in different recipes.

What are the traditional ingredients in a Cobb salad? ›

Arrange the salad - on a large plate, layer the romaine with eggs, chicken, tomatoes, blue cheese, bacon and avocado. Drizzle everything with that classic cobb salad dressing and serve! Alternatively, equally divide all ingredients between serving plates and drizzle with dressing.

What are the ingredients in craft Caesar dressing? ›

Soybean Oil, Water, Vinegar, Romano and Parmesan Made from Cow's Milk Cheeses (Part-skim Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes), Sugar, Egg Yolks, Salt, Contains Less Than 2% of Dried Garlic, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Spice (Contains Celery), Corn Syrup, Xanthan Gum, Dried Onions, Whey, Cream, Modified Food Starch, ...

What is the difference between a regular salad and a Caesar salad? ›

The main differences lie in the type of lettuce used, key components, and dressing. House salads offer a broader range of ingredients and dressings, while Caesar salads have specific components like romaine lettuce, parmesan cheese, and a distinct Caesar dressing.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Golda Nolan II

Last Updated:

Views: 6017

Rating: 4.8 / 5 (58 voted)

Reviews: 89% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Golda Nolan II

Birthday: 1998-05-14

Address: Suite 369 9754 Roberts Pines, West Benitaburgh, NM 69180-7958

Phone: +522993866487

Job: Sales Executive

Hobby: Worldbuilding, Shopping, Quilting, Cooking, Homebrewing, Leather crafting, Pet

Introduction: My name is Golda Nolan II, I am a thoughtful, clever, cute, jolly, brave, powerful, splendid person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.