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.
This is one of my favorite salads. So fresh and summery! Loved helping with this, Liz. You’re the best and so happy for you and Aggie both! xo
I am so glad we pulled off such a great surprise!!!! I hope we can all celebrate in person one of these days!! xoxo
I had my first bite of grilled romaine straight from Aggie’s plate, when we were out in Oregon together, and I can tell you that she LOVED it! What a perfect salad for her. Thank you SO MUCH for helping to organize this fabulous party, Liz! xo
Oh my gosh I had no idea!!! I love that story and I’m so glad to know she liked it!!! Thanks so much for participating Brenda!! :)
Thank you for hosting such a great shower. I love this salad!
Thank you again for participating Cassie!! I can’t wait to try your stir-fry!!
The Caesar dressing sounds amazing! I love lots and lots of anchovies in my Caesar and it sounds like this recipe is perfect
Same here!!! Gives it so much flavor!!
Don’t take away my Italian card *please*, but would you believe this Italian girl has *never* grilled romaine lettuce? I KNOW. I’ve eaten grilled radicchio though and I can’t get enough of that subtle smoky flavor and crisp-tender texture, so I know I would love grilled romaine. Great recipe, Liz! Caesar salads are one of my very favorites! Bravissima!
I live for “bravissimas” from you!!! :) You MUST try grilling romaine!!!
You and Aggie look so great in that photo from FBF! Wish I had been there too. I’ve never grilled lettuce before, but with all the practice I’ve been getting this summer, it’ll definitely be on my must-try list for the grill.
Oh, how I adore grilled romaine. This looks and sounds fantastic, Liz!
Thanks so much for organizing this shower for Aggie. She is truly an amazing person, and enjoys every bit of this.
I can’t believe you guys just met in May!! I swear she has been talking about you way longer than that! Thank you for being so such and helping organize this for Aggie!! You’re awesome!! xoxo
And this salad, so perfect for Aggie’s shower. I’m repeating what you said…why can’tttttt this be in person?
I know!!! When I met Aggie I felt like we had been friends for 20 years. :) Thanks for everything Julie!!!
Liz, I just love that you all did this for Aggie…. She is one of the biggest blessings blogging gave me. Love your salad. My husband is our home’s Grill Master ~~> Think I’ll have to put him to work on this one for us. :) Looks delish! PS ~ You and Aggie are two of the cutest pregnant gals I’ve ever seen!!!!
Thanks so much Kim!! It was a total Joy….Aggie is such a blessing to the entire blogging community, that’s for sure!!
How fun!!! Congrats to Aggie :)
Thanks Alyssa!!! :)
This salad sounds wonderful! I really like the idea of an eggless Caesar dressing. I’ve made the regular kind once or twice, but it fell off my map a long time ago. This is something I would make, which is good, because Caesar is my husbands favorite salad. Thank you for posting this.
Oh I’m so glad Susan – we really love this version of the dressing. I hope you enjoy it!
This is my all-time favorite salad!! Congrats to Aggie. Y’all are the best!!!
I should’ve used tots instead of croutons…
Grilled Salad? What a great idea. As a vegan I’m always looking for ideas to use our grill! ;-) Thanks SO much for the work you put into making this such a special day for Aggie…and for allowing us to be a part of that!
This is so sweet- Aggie is just a gem!! And I’ve never had a grill salad, which I have been DYING to try. Lovely on all counts Liz!
OH I love the idea of a grilled caesar salad! Thank you so much for helping to coordinate the virtual shower for Aggie!
Oh, and thank you so much for organizing today. You guys have done a spectacular job!
Of course!! My pleasure!!
I tried grilling romaine for the first time last week. It was amazing and I really was so surprised. The dressing without eggs is a great idea! I love the picture of you and Aggie!
Isn’t grilling romaine the best??? I don’t do it enough myself. Thanks for joining the shower Christine!!
I love this idea!! I need to try it!! Great job! I think Aggie was surprised!!
Thank you for participating friend!! So glad she was surprised!!
Looks great, Liz! Ben doesn’t like caesar salad (gasp!) but this looks perfect for a night when he works late. I’ve never grilled romaine! I need to get on that asap. Thanks for organizing this event! Aggie deserves it all and more! :) xo
Shocker – Rich doesn’t like it either – haha. Although he would like this version because there’s no creamy texture. Why are men so picky?? :) xoxoox
Dying right now. You guys rock. Beyond words!!!
And you made me a salad!!! On the grill! I want this for lunch!!
I’m so happy we are friends. You have made being pregnant just a little more fun, truly, I can’t believe there a million states between us. Love you friend! xo