Grilled romaine has a slightly charred flavor on the outside and a crunchy texture on the inside – perfect for drizzling with my garlicky, egg-free Caesar dressing.
SURPRISE!! It’s a Virtual Baby Shower for my dear friend Aggie of Aggie’s Kitchen! A fellow healthy food blogger who appreciates real food with tons of flavor, I have admired Aggie for years and am honored to consider her one of my closest friends today.
Aggie and I finally met in person this past May when we attended Food Blog Forum in Orlando. Due in September with her third child, we are just 6 weeks apart in our pregnancies and both happen to be having our second boys! In fact, I found out I was pregnant the day after Aggie shared her news with me. It has been so much fun going through this pregnancy with such a dear friend and fellow food blogger.
To celebrate Aggie’s Italian heritage and love of the cuisine, I am sharing a quick and easy Grilled Romaine Caesar Salad. If you’ve never grilled lettuce before, I urge you to give it a shot. The inside stays light and crunchy and the outside gets a subtle smoky flavor that is addictive. The best part is that it only takes 3 or 4 minutes and you’re done!
My Caesar dressing doesn’t contain any raw eggs so it is ideal for pregnant women but truthfully, I prepare it this way regardless. Grilled romaine would also work well with Avocado Green Goddess, Dill Ranch or Blue Cheese dressing.
You’re invited!! Be sure to check out all of the delicious recipes created in honor of Aggie. Below is a full list of bloggers participating in the festivities!
Your fork is waiting.
Grilled Romaine Caesar Salad
Ingredients
- 2 heads romaine lettuce
- 1 tablespoons olive oil – divided
- kosher salt and pepper
Caesar Dressing!
- 1 clove garlic (grated)
- 1 tablespoon anchovy paste
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- rosemary croutons (optional garnish)
- parmesan shavings (optional garnish)
Instructions
- Pre-heat grill on high heat and slice romaine head vertically exposing inner leaves.
- Lightly brush inside of romaine halves with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill 4-5 minutes, turning once, then set on a platter.
- In a small bowl, whisk together garlic, anchovy paste, parmesan cheese, lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- To serve, drizzle dressing over the romaine heads and sprinkle with rosemary croutons and shaved parmesan.
I made this dressing for dinner tonight as part of an experiment to recreate an unusual Caesar salad we had on our road trip this summer. The salad was a success, and my husband really liked the dressing. This recipe will now be my go-to Caesar salad dressing. I like the ingredients and the proportions, as well as the flavor. The thing that amazed me is that even with all that anchovy paste, it didn’t overwhelm the dressing. Well done!! (The unusual Caesar salad was a mix of raw kale & Brussels sprouts, sliced thin, topped with grilled chicken.)
This salad looks so amazing!! I have yet to grill romaine, I need to just do it!
LOVE this. Cant get much easier. the perfect salad for a shower!