Caesar Salad with Balsamic Dressing
This Caesar Salad with Balsamic Dressing recipe is definitely a delicious twist on the classic caesar!
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 cups seasoned Italian bread cubes ((focaccia works great))
- 3 tablespoons balsamic Italian dressing ((above))
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 cups torn romaine lettuce
- 2 cups iceberg lettuce chunks
- 1 cup thinly sliced red onion
- ½ cup pitted black olives
- 2 large hard-boiled eggs, (finely chopped)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper, (or to taste)
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Combine the vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard, worcestershire sauce, basil and garlic in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake until mixed well.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Place the bread cubes in a bowl, add 2 tablespoons of the balsamic dressing and Parmesan cheese; toss to coat.
- Spread the bread cubes in a single layer on a shallow baking pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir occasionally while baking.
- In a large bowl, combine all the lettuce, onion, olives and eggs. Add about ½ cup of the balsamic dressing (or to taste), salt and pepper and toss to coat. Add the Parmesan cheese and croutons and toss gently.
I know I’m going to hear from the caesar purists on this one. There are no anchovies in this caesar salad, and it’s not made with caesar dressing. It’s a bit of a stretch to call this a caesar salad, but I love that it’s greatly twisted. Liberties have been taken to turn this into something completely non-classic and fabulous.
balsamic vinegar
extra virgin olive oil
Dijon mustard
Worcestershire sauce
fresh basil
minced garlic
Italian bread cubes
Parmesan cheese
Romaine and Iceberg lettuce
red onion
black olives
hard-boiled eggs
salt and pepper
How to make Caesar Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette:
The complete, printable recipe is at the end of this post.
ASSEMBLE THE SALAD:
Toss the salad, and serve on individual plates. Sprinkle a little more Parmesan on top, if you’d like– just to make it all looking pretty.
I hope you’ll give this caesar salad with balsamic dressing a chance. If you really want to use caesar dressing, you can certainly sub that for the balsamic. And you can leave out any ingredients that you don’t care for. Add some grilled chicken or salmon to make it a main dish salad. But I love it the way it’s written. It’s delicious. Enjoy!
