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Best Caesar Salad Recipe
5 from 24 votes

Best Caesar Salad Recipe

The Best Caesar Salad Recipe features homemade garlic croutons toasted with butter and olive oil, a creamy dressing made from Parmesan, anchovies, egg yolks, lemon juice, mustard, and oils, and crisp romaine lettuce. The salad balances crunchy, creamy, and tangy elements, enhanced by freshly ground black pepper and extra Parmesan cheese. The components come together to create a classic Caesar salad with rich flavors and fresh textures.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Assembly
5 mins
Total Time
35 mins
Servings: 6
Calories: 205 kcal
Course: Salad, Appetizer, Lunch
Cuisine: Italian, American, Mexican

Ingredients

Garlic Croutons:
  • 3 cups Italian bread with crusts and all, 1-inch pieces, or country bread
  • 2 tablespoons butter unsalted
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 garlic peeled and minced, cloves
  • kosher salt
Dressing:
  • 2 ounces Parmesan Cheese about 1/2 cup grated Parmesan-Reggiano, reggiano
  • 6 anchovy fillet drained, packet in oil
  • 3 garlic peeled, cloves
  • 2 egg large yolks
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice from about 1 1/2 lemons
  • 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons avocado oil (or other neutral oil)
  • black pepper freshly ground
  • kosher salt
Romaine:
  • 1 romaine lettuce outside leaves trimmed and/or discarded, large head
  • Topping:
  • black pepper freshly ground
  • 1 ounce Parmesan Cheese reggiano

Instructions

To Make the Croutons:
    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Tear your bread until you get 3 cups of torn bread pieces. Add them to a baking sheet.
  2. In a small saucepan, set over medium heat, add the butter, olive oil, garlic and a few pinches of salt. Cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
  3. Immediately pour over the torn bread and toss until the bread has been coated in the butter mixture. Transfer to the oven to bake until lightly golden brown, about 10 minutes.
  4. I don’t like my croutons too too hard. If you like them crunchy, you’re more than welcome to bake them an extra 5 minutes longer.
To Make the Dressing:
  1. In a food processor, add the Parmesan-Reggiano. Pulse until it’s grated and ground up. Then, add the anchovy fillets and garlic cloves; and blend. Next, pour in the egg yolks, lemon juice and Dijon mustard. With the food processor running, pour in the neutral oil and olive oil. Open up the food processor and scrape down the sides. Add about 5 turns of freshly ground pepper and blend one last time. Give it a taste and mix in salt to taste. I only needed a pinch. This will vary depending on your anchovies.
  2. At this point, you can store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
To Assemble the Salad:
  1. Prep your romaine lettuce. Trim off the root end. Discard any outer leaves that are witty and browned. And then using a knife, slice the romaine into 2-inch strips. Transfer it to a colander and wash. And then dry.
  2. Place romaine lettuce in a large bowl. Pour dressing on top, along with the reserved bread crumbs, Parmesan-Reggiano and toss until evenly coated. You really want to make sure the leaves are thoroughly coated in dressing.
  3. Serve immediately.

Notes

  • The dressing can be made up to one week ahead and stored in the refrigerator.
  • Croutons can be prepared up to two days in advance and stored in an airtight container for freshness.
  • Prepare and dry the lettuce just before serving to ensure crispness and better dressing adherence, using a salad spinner if possible.

Nutrition Information

Serving 6g Calories 205kcal (10%) Carbohydrates 2g (1%) Protein 1g (2%) Fat 22g (34%) Saturated Fat 5g (25%) Cholesterol 10mg (3%) Sodium 4mg (0%) Potassium 20mg (0%) Sugar 1g (2%) Vitamin A 117IU (2%) Vitamin C 4mg (4%) Calcium 5mg (1%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 205

% Daily Value*

Serving 6g
Calories 205kcal 10%
Carbohydrates 2g 1%
Protein 1g 2%
Fat 22g 34%
Saturated Fat 5g 25%
Cholesterol 10mg 3%
Sodium 4mg 0%
Potassium 20mg 0%
Sugar 1g 2%
Vitamin A 117IU 2%
Vitamin C 4mg 4%
Calcium 5mg 1%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.