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Everything you need to know about how to make Caesar Salad at home! This easy salad recipe can be served as a main dish or side dish.

We’re often asked what our favorite side dishes are for everything from grilled chicken and Italian lasagna. We often just serve fresh fruit and a roasted vegetable, but when we want something just a little bit more, we make this easy salad recipe with homemade croutons and dressing.

What you’ll love about this Salad:

homemade seasoned croutons
homemade dressing {with no added sugar}
ready in 20 minutes
add grilled chicken for extra protein

Where did Caesar salad originate?

Not from Julius Caesar! This simple salad was created by an Italian restaurant owner named Caesar Cardini. It was said to be first made in Mexico. Crazy, right? It is thought that the salad was created on a whim when restaurant supplies were short from a July 4th rush. (source)

Did you know this lettuce salad has its own special day? National Caesar Salad Day is July 4, the day credited to its creation.

The Parts of a Caesar Salad

Lettuce Base. Romaine lettuce is traditional for this type of salad. I find it one of the easiest to cut up, too!
Homemade Dressing. I love that this dressing doesn’t have sugar in it. So often salad dressings are full of sugar, but not this one!
Homemade Croutons. If you’re in a time crunch, use store bought croutons, but these homemade ones are amazing and give the salad a pop of flavor.
Parmesan Cheese. Buy a block of Parmesan and make cheese shavings rather than small pies of grated cheese. It looks pretty and you’ll taste it more.

A bonus we put on our salad? Bacon! Bacon is always a good idea.

Does a Caesar Salad have anchovies?

Many Caesar salads have anchovies which people say give it the classic flavor we know and love. The original recipe, however, had worcestershire sauce which is flavored with anchovies. This allows you to have that comforting flavor with a pantry staple that you have in your fridge.

Make the salad.

Homemade Croutons.

Use a day old Italian bread or heavier sourdough bread for great tasting croutons.

Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil with the minced garlic in a skillet over medium heat.
Add the bread cubes and sauté until they are lightly browned. Set aside on a paper towel lined plate until you are ready to add them to the salad. Or make baked croutons.

Homemade Dressing.

It’s easiest to use an immersion blender to make the dressing, but you can use another blender if you’d like.

Place the garlic cloves, egg, olive oil, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice in an immersion blender container (or in a standard blender).
Blend on low speed until a rich creamy dressing forms.

It’s amazing to watch egg based dressings come together. Yes, it has raw egg, and yes it is safe to eat!

Assemble the Salad.

Place the lettuce in a large bowl or on separate plates. Toss with dressing, then add the toppings. Easy as pie!

Chicken Caesar Salad

Want to make this easy salad into a complete dinner? Add chicken! We prefer grilled chicken, and this lemon lime grilled chicken pairs perfectly with the homemade dressing. You can also use shredded chicken if you’re like.

Is chicken caesar salad hot or cold? You can serve it either way. We prefer the chicken freshly grilled so it is warm, but the rest of the salad is cold.

If you’re taking it to work for a healthy lunch, it’s perfectly fine to eat it cold.

plate of lettuce with croutons, bacon and cheese

How long can you store this salad?

This dressing is safe to store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Once you put the dressing on the salad, it’s important to serve the salad right away.

If you want to make the salad in advance, prepare all the different parts and keep them in separate airtight containers until you are ready to serve.