Caesar Salad with Homemade Dressing
Crisp romaine, crunchy homemade croutons and Parmesan in a creamy, garlicky Caesar dressing made with mayo, so there are no raw eggs.
50% of it needs you at the counter
- Hands-on
- 15 min
- Cooking
- 15 min
- Serves
- 4
- Calories
- 500
- Protein
- 12 g
- Per serving
- $2.44
Why this recipe works
Restaurant Caesar dressing is almost always the creamy kind, and this version gets there in 5 minutes with a bowl and a whisk. Add grilled or rotisserie chicken and it's a full lunch.
- Mayonnaise gives the dressing the classic creamy body without raw egg yolks, and it won't break.
- Anchovies dissolve into the dressing and add savory depth rather than a fishy taste.
- Oven-baked croutons tossed in olive oil stay crunchy all the way through, unlike store-bought ones that turn stale or rock-hard.
Ingredients
For the croutons
For the dressing
For the salad
You will need
- Rimmed baking sheet
- Large salad bowl
- Small bowl
- Whisk
- Microplane or fine grater
Method
Tap a step number to mark it done.
Bake the croutons
Heat the oven to 375°F. Toss the bread with the olive oil and salt on the baking sheet and bake, stirring once, until golden and crisp, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on the pan.
Make the dressing
Whisk the mayonnaise, anchovies, garlic, lemon juice, Dijon, Worcestershire, ½ cup Parmesan, olive oil and pepper until smooth. Thin with 1 to 2 teaspoons water if it's too thick to drizzle.
Toss
Put the romaine in the bowl, add about three-quarters of the dressing and toss until every leaf is coated. Add more if you like.
Serve
Top with the croutons and remaining Parmesan and serve right away.
Cook's notes
- Dry the romaine completely in a salad spinner or towel. Water on the leaves dilutes the dressing and makes it slide off.
- Toss just before serving; dressed romaine wilts within 30 minutes.
- The dressing keeps for up to 5 days in the fridge, and the croutons for 3 days in an airtight container.
Nutrition per serving
500 calories
$2.44 estimated cost per serving
Where the calories come from
| Protein | 9% of calories | 12 g |
|---|---|---|
| Carbs | 19% of calories | 24 g |
| Fat | 72% of calories | 41 g |
| Fiber | 3 g | |
| Sodium | 960 mg |
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for the listed ingredients and amounts; not lab-tested. Cost estimated from average US retail prices.
Questions people ask
Is Caesar dressing made with raw egg?
The original was made with raw or coddled egg yolks. This version uses mayonnaise instead, which gives the same creaminess with no raw egg.
Can you make Caesar dressing without anchovies?
Yes. Leave them out and add an extra teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce. Note that Worcestershire itself usually contains anchovy, so check the label if you avoid fish.
Is Caesar salad vegetarian?
Usually not: anchovies and Worcestershire contain fish, and traditional Parmesan is made with animal rennet. Use vegetarian Worcestershire and Parmesan-style cheese and skip the anchovies.
