Grilled Caesar Salad.

March 30, 2010 · 69 comments

 When I went to Baltimore for Fitbloggin’, I had one of the most memorable salads ever.

Yes folks, I said salad.

I may not like veggies, and rarely order salad (unless slathered with bacon and cheese), but when it comes to a caesar salad, I jump on it.

I looooove caesar salad.

Granted, it is usually one the least heathiest salads on the menu, which is probably why I love it.

 

This may sound like a boring, old salad to you. But it was special. It was grilled. I knew I needed to make it at home.

 

 If you have never tried a grilled salad, I am telling you now that you must.

As is tonight – you must make this tonight!

 There is nothing like the smoky flavor from the grill.

The slightly charred lettuce stays crisp, and you can taste the grilled flavor throughout the entire salad.

 

I think Ashley and Kacy agreed that it was one of the best salads we had ever tasted. I talked about it for 3 solid days.

I can be a bit obsessive.

 

 The key is to keep the romaine hearts in one piece – they will grill better this way. You can chop them up right before you devour them.

 

Grilled Caesar Salad

inspired by Ryleighs in Baltimore

serves 2

2 full romaine hearts

sprinkle of salt & pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup caesar dressing (for everyday use, we love Bolthouse!)

2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

multigrain croutons

Preheat grill.

Brush each heart with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place on grill for 2-3 minutes. Fill 2 plates with romaine and drizzle with caesar dressing. Top with parmesan and croutons.

 

Garlic Multigrain Croutons

2-3 slices multigrain bread (I used Tuscany bread)

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt & pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 425.

Cup bread into bite-size chunks. Toss with oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Lay on baking sheet. Bake for 6-8 minutes, or until golden brown.

 

 

Mr. How Sweet and I love this salad so much that we have eaten it 2 nights in a row now.

I am not sure if I will ever be able to eat another salad if it isn’t grilled. Mr. How Sweet on the other hand, can’t even tell that it is grilled. He also can’t tell the difference between a chicken leg and a strip steak.

Hey, it all goes to the same place.

{ 66 comments… read them below or add one }

Nicole @ Geek Turned Athlete March 30, 2010 at 6:50 am

oooo, I wish that I had tasted a bite of your salad when we were at the restaurant! This looks great though! I can’t wait to try it!! And, you WERE being a bit obsessive about it at dinner, but I get that way too about certain things! ;)

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Jordan March 30, 2010 at 6:52 am

Ah memories :) :) :) I hope you’ll recreate that curry lentil dip as we all know what a hit that was at the table! This looks awesome!

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Jessica March 30, 2010 at 6:55 am

I would love to – do you happen to have the recipe for sweet ass? I am afraid to google that.

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ASHLEA March 30, 2010 at 6:53 am

This salad looks amazing! The croutons look especially yummy.

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Teri [a foodie stays fit] March 30, 2010 at 6:53 am

this sounds amazing!

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Jenny March 30, 2010 at 6:56 am

That’s such an interesting way to prepare a salad! I never would have thought about that:)

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Jil March 30, 2010 at 6:58 am

I was gonna say – wow, frequent veggies lately!! ;-) This looks absolutely delicious!! Mmmm – I love a salad with creamy dressing, it brings it to a whole other level.

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Nicci@NiftyEats March 30, 2010 at 6:59 am

I remember that ”one” salad that changed my life in high school. I had a strawberry spinach salad with almonds and walnuts. Changed my thinking about eating them. Now, I love all salads.

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Kristi Rimkus March 30, 2010 at 7:00 am

I’ve seen chefs grill lettuces on the Food Network, but have never tried it myself. Thanks for the reminder. It looks delicious!

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Cara March 30, 2010 at 7:02 am

I agree – grilled romaine is one of the best salads ever!

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Whitney @ Lettuce Love March 30, 2010 at 7:02 am

This is such a cool take on the traditional ceasar salad. You rock for making your own croutons :)

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Estela @ Weekly Bite March 30, 2010 at 7:03 am

I’ve never had grilled lettuce before! I have to admit… I’m afraid it’ll just wilt away!

This looks great though :)

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Ally @ Sweet & Savory March 30, 2010 at 7:03 am

I’ve seen grilled salads before, but never put much thought into them. This is something we should try!

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Sophie @ yumventures March 30, 2010 at 7:05 am

I never thought of grilling lettuce — awesome! I’ll have to try it since you are so anti veggie and raved about it :)

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Anna @ Newlywed, Newly Veg March 30, 2010 at 7:06 am

I love grilled lettuce!! That sounds so strange to say, but it’s true. Grilled raddichio is amazing!

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Erica March 30, 2010 at 7:11 am

There is a restaurant in Hilton Head that we go to every year that grills their salads- LOVE them! It has to be done JUST right though so its not soggy at all. Delicious :)

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Madeline - Greens and Jeans March 30, 2010 at 7:13 am

My dad used to grill salad all of the time! The flavor is way too good!

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Seth @ Boy Meets Food March 30, 2010 at 7:13 am

Have you ever had anchovies on a Caesar salad? They fit in very well!

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Jessica March 30, 2010 at 7:16 am

Yes! LOVE anchovies. I make a homemade Caesar dressing with them. Delish.

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Katharine March 30, 2010 at 7:21 am

That was the best dinner EVAH! And the food had very little to do with it. :) (Although it was SO GOOD.) I think you should definitely figure out the recipe for “sweet ass.” I’m sure Caitlin can help you with it. ;)

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kay (eating machine) March 30, 2010 at 7:22 am

caesar salad is my fav too. sooo good. especially with homemade croutons.

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Heather (Heather's Dish) March 30, 2010 at 7:34 am

mmmmmm…that sounds SO GOOD. i LOVE grilled stuff and Caesar salads…makes sense they should go together!

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Cristina @TeenieCakes March 30, 2010 at 7:35 am

This looks delicious! I never thought about grilling lettuce before, but I bet it’s delicious because roasted vegetables take on a whole other personality roasted! Love the idea of a roasted salad.

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Maria March 30, 2010 at 7:38 am

I can’t wait to try grilling the lettuce!

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Jessie (Vegan-minded) March 30, 2010 at 7:59 am

Mmm, I have always seen recipes for grilled romaine, but I have never thought of actually trying it. Your recipe looks awesome though, so I will definitely give it a shot soon. :)

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katie March 30, 2010 at 8:16 am

ahh i went thru a phase where i ordered this ALL the time! then i got sick of it-but this looks AWESOME :)

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Midgetkeeper March 30, 2010 at 8:32 am

Yum! It looks so good.

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Lazaro March 30, 2010 at 8:34 am

I love cooked greens…they really go to a different division when cooked or grilled.

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Anne March 30, 2010 at 8:46 am

There is no such thing as boring caesar salad :D I love it! the taste of caesar sauce, the smoky grilled chicked, the croutouns AND last but not least the parmesan cheese.

*drooling*

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Ashley March 30, 2010 at 8:58 am

hm this looks to die for. I say you come back to MD now so we can relive the greatness that is grilled ceasar. I went to one of my fav restaurants the other day and they had a grilled ceasar too. only i wanted it topped with a crabcake which was an extra $10. DANG. love and miss u!

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Blond Duck March 30, 2010 at 9:07 am

I’m not a salad girl either, but this looks so cool!

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brittany March 30, 2010 at 9:16 am

Could you share your Caesar dressing?? I’ve been looking for a good one!

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Catherine March 30, 2010 at 9:16 am

That looks so yummy! I always tend to have certain foods a bunch of times in a row when I discover a new dish I love. :)

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Sandy March 30, 2010 at 9:25 am

i LOVE caesar salad and sadly i have not made it myself before! i always order it at restaurants and think i am eating healthy b/c it is a salad, hahaha!!

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Jessica @ The Process of Healing March 30, 2010 at 9:29 am

That sounds awesome!!! I love caesar salad too but I’ve never had it grilled. Apparently, I’m missing out!

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Stephanie March 30, 2010 at 9:41 am

Yay for FitBloggin and yay for salads! This looks so yummy, I haven’t had a grilled salad before :)

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Shannon March 30, 2010 at 9:44 am

I think anything is better with grill marks on it! I never would have thought of grilling a salad, but why not?! Looks wonderful :)

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april March 30, 2010 at 9:53 am

What a neat idea! My mom loves “crunchies” in salads.. those croutons are much healthier than the ones you buy! Thanks!

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PippaPatchwork March 30, 2010 at 10:13 am

Oooo I love caesar salad, too! And the croutons recipe is awesome, thank you for that! I’ve always wanted to make my own croutons.

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Tracy March 30, 2010 at 10:40 am

Looks delicious!!

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Kelly @ Healthy Living With Kelly March 30, 2010 at 11:16 am

That looks fabulous Jessica! I love that you recreated something you ordered at a resturaunt…yours was porbably better!! :)

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Kacy March 30, 2010 at 11:48 am

So. Good!

I still can’t believe you only use a point and shoot camera.

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kate March 30, 2010 at 12:44 pm

Haha salads slathered in bacon & cheese!

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Aricka March 30, 2010 at 12:50 pm

That looks good! I love salads. I know…weird!

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Nicole, RD March 30, 2010 at 1:22 pm

Cooked lettuce is the one food I can’t stand…but it looks soooo good! I should try it, I’d probably like it!

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Megan (Best of Fates) March 30, 2010 at 1:28 pm

I’ve never even considered grilling a salad, but now you have me convinced.

That looks delicious!

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Lisa March 30, 2010 at 2:10 pm

I must say that I too love a good caesar salad!!!

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homecookedem March 30, 2010 at 2:55 pm

I really don’t care for Caesar salads, but Andrew looooooooooves them!! He orders them every chance he gets. I need to make this for him. He’d be a very happy man! Thanks Jess! :)

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Susan March 30, 2010 at 2:57 pm

I want to try a version of this! I’ve got the grill and I’ve got the lettuce. Now I’ve got the inspiration ;)

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Jolene (www.everydayfoodie.ca) March 30, 2010 at 4:01 pm

I loved grilled Caesar salad!! That recipe sounds great!

Your posts always make me laugh :-) It is cute how you make fun of Mr. How Sweet … ahhhh husbands!

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Shannon O | Confessions of a Loving Wife March 30, 2010 at 5:07 pm

The only thing it’s missing is bacon!

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julie March 30, 2010 at 6:13 pm

mmmm that’s an awesome way to make a boring old salad epic :)

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