Wedge Salad
This classic steakhouse wedge salad made with crispy, refreshing iceberg lettuce is smothered in creamy blue cheese dressing and sprinkled with bacon crumbles. Add a few cherry tomatoes and chives for a simple yet bold salad.
Elegant side dishes can turn a so-so entree into a work of art. Have you noticed that the simplest things in life make us the happiest? That’s what I think of when I see a wedge of iceberg lettuce decorated with bacon and tomatoes, then drizzled with blue cheese dressing. Simple, elegant, and oh-so-good.
Its Simplicity Is Key
This has to be the easiest salad out there. At one restaurant, they served just a wedge of lettuce drizzled with dressing. That was a little too simple for me. But when you turn it into a BLT without the bread, you know it’s going to be good.
How to Make a Wedge Salad
- Clean the head of lettuce, remove the core, and cut it into quarters.
- Place a wedge on each plate, then top with bacon, tomato, chives, blue cheese dressing, and crumbled blue cheese. Enjoy!
Recipe Tricks and Twists
- Going organic with iceberg lettuce is worth it.
- If you don’t have a salad spinner, wrap the quartered head of lettuce in a large kitchen towel, and swing it around like a spinner (maybe outside so the water doesn’t get on the wall).
- Feel free to switch out the salad dressing with your favorite creamy version.
Make Ahead and Storage
If making it ahead, keep the ingredients in separate containers in the fridge. The dressing will wilt the lettuce after an hour, so to keep it crisp, assemble just before serving it.
What to Pair With Wedge Salads
This side salad is perfect for steak, whether a tomahawk or a prime rib. Add a baked potato and some garlic bread, and you have a restaurant-quality and IG-worthy meal. Of course, a slice of carrot cake and a pumpkin spice latte is the perfect finish.
More Refreshing Salad Recipes to Try
This blog post was first published in July 2019 and has been updated with more information and beautiful pictures.
Wedge Salad
Ingredients
- 1 head iceberg lettuce
- 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1 cup (150g) cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1 tablespoon (3g) minced chives
- 1 cup (230g) blue cheese dressing
- ¼ cup (30g) crumbled blue cheese
Instructions
- Peel off the wilted and dirty outer leaves and discard them. Hit the core side on a hard surface, then push and twist it to remove it. If it still clings to the leaves, loosen it with a sharp knife.
- Rinse the head of lettuce upside down so cold water can flow through the leaves. Or you can submerge it in cold water with vinegar to disinfect it. Swish it around to get all the sand out if needed.
- Cut it into quarters, forming 4 wedges. A salad spinner works great to remove excess moisture if you have one. Otherwise, shake off the excess water.
- Place a wedge on each plate, and then top with the bacon crumbles, tomato, chives, blue cheese dressing, and crumbled blue cheese.
Tips & Notes:
- Smaller crumbles and quartered cherry tomatoes stay on top of the wedge better. But you could serve them to the side of the lettuce if you don’t feel like chopping.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the ingredients used.
How do you make your blue cheese dressing?
Hello Diana. Here is how I make my blue cheese dressing https://www.africanbites.com/blue-cheese-dressing/ .
Looks good. I will make with the dressing..there’s nothing like homemade dressing!!!
I completely agree with you Carolyn! Thanks for stopping by!