I once gave a quote for an article that asked what my favorite unhealthy food was. There are so many, it really was hard to choose. I love potato chips, which is why we don’t often have them lingering in our pantry…it’s because they don’t linger long. I love a good donut, like a nice fresh and warm donut. I mean, come on, if you can honestly say you don’t like one of those, then I may not trust you.
So, what did I tell them? Caesar salad. Yep, that’s not a cop out. I LOVE Caesar dressing, can’t get enough. I consider myself a bit of a Caesar salad connoisseur. I love to order it when I go out – I feel like it’s always a safe bet. However, it’s not the healthiest of options, even though it has “salad” in the name.
No lie, I eat one at least once a week. I have my favorite Caesar dressings, but I never attempted to make my own because while I know there are anchovies in it, I could not bring myself to willingly make something with anchovies in it. Welcome to my revolution – I don’t need anchovies.
One Saturday morning, as I often do, I had the Food Network on and one of the hosts was making Caesar salad. I was hanging on every word, waiting for the disappointment of the addition of anchovies….She didn’t add them – WHAT? You can’t make Caesar dressing without anchovies, it’s not going to taste the same. I was 100% convinced that this was some sort of weird trick. What did she add? Capers! That is definitely on my “yes” list of ingredients.
I couldn’t believe it. I took that suggestion and put it with the other classic flavors of Caesar dressing, mainly a cream base, garlic, and lemon juice. My world turned upside down at that moment – in the best of ways.
It comes together in the flashiest of flashes with ingredients you probably already have at home. If you love Caesar as much as me, you have to try this!
Enjoy!
Classic Caesar Salad
Author: Sarah Pflugradt
Prep time: 20 mins
Total time: 20 mins
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 4 cups cubed french bread
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 16 ounces romaine lettuce
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- Dressing
- 1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
- 1/4 cup olive oil mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F
- Place bread cubes on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper
- Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until golden brown
- Remove from oven and let cool
- Wash and dry lettuce and add to a serving bowl
- In a blender add all of the dressing ingredients and blend until smooth
- Pour dressing onto lettuce and toss if desired
- Add croutons and parmesan cheese to the top
NotesDressing adapted from: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/damaris-phillips/kale-caesar-salad-2754195
