… and brown butter croutons
Of course. Can’t leave those out. Only the most important part. Ever.
Well, almost the most important part. I think the actual important part here is the dressing. Never did I ever think I’d have the guts to make caesar dressing at home. Never did I ever think it would taste as good as some of my favorite restaurants’ caesars. [Sidebar: I had an extremely unfortunate experience with a caesar salad on vacation a few weeks ago. From now on… I’ll probably make my own dressing. whomp whomp.]
Never did I ever think I could replicate this dressing that I enjoy, one of the only store bought dressings I actually like but still get iffy on at times. Never did I ever think I’d type out all of these stupid sentences related to the never did I ever game, which I only know about because a mean girl in high school started a round to say something embarrassing about me.
Guess I’ve really let that go… 13 years later. #growup
So here’s the deal. Caesar salads are the salads that made me like salads. Yes – the crazy salads I make these days are the salads that keep me eating salads, but caesar salads are the reason I was physically able to start. And I say physically able because the way I would shy away from anything salad or vegetable-like a few years ago was downright ridiculous. Physically ridiculous.
Initially, I was skeptical of the caesar salad – in this little circle of trust I will tell you that I actually prefer crispy iceberg lettuce (oh the horror) and the word “anchovies” freaked me quite a bit since I wasn’t familiar with them aside from really bad 90s sitcom jokes. THEN.
Then I realized that caesar salads were basically just a front for loads of parmesan cheese and croutons. The romaine was just a vehicle for giving the most delicious, creamy dressing a way to catapult into your mouth. I learned that lesson and I learned it well. I was almost immediately sold.
The best part was that I probably had my first caesar salad in a dive bar. And if I thought that was good…
A gigantic deal about this salad for me is that it’s one salad that I enjoy PLAIN. Completely simple. Like how it’s meant to be. As in, no meat, no french fries, no chips or quesadillas or whatever else the heck I have the audacity to throw on top of a bed of greens. You know me.
So of course… I couldn’t keep it that way. But all I really added was some roasted corn – due to the serious addiction I have going on – and it was the best meal ever. At least until I make the next best meal ever. Which, you know, will probably be tomorrow or something.
Roasted Corn Caesar Salads with Parmesan Greek Yogurt Caesar Dressing
Ingredients
- 2 ears sweet corn
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup whole wheat bread cubes
- 2 tablespoons brown butter
- 6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 ounce parmesan cheese, shaved
- 3 tablespoons finely grated parmesan cheese
caesar dressing
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 4 anchovies, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Brush corn with olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until kernels are soft and golden. If you’d like them more charred, you can broil them for 1 to 2 minutes. While the corn is roasting, you can also add the bread cubes to a baking sheet and bake them for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are golden. As soon as removing the croutons from the oven, drizzle them with the brown butter. Cut the corn from the cob.
- To make the dressing, add the garlic, yogurt, parmesan, mustard, vinegar, anchovies, lemon juice, salt and pepper to a food processor and blend until pureed. With the processor still on, stream in the olive oil until a creamy dressing forms.
- Add the lettuce and corn to a large bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss with the dressing, then add the croutons and remaining cheese. Serve!
Notes
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I appreciate you so much!
I will cry when corn season is over.