Romaine Caesar Bowl (Printable)

Fresh romaine lettuce tossed with creamy Caesar dressing, topped with crispy croutons and grilled chicken or vegetarian protein.

# What Goes In:

→ Salad Base

01 - 2 large heads romaine lettuce, washed, dried, and chopped
02 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (optional)
03 - ½ cup shaved Parmesan cheese

→ Croutons

04 - 3 cups day-old bread, cubed
05 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
06 - ½ teaspoon garlic powder
07 - ¼ teaspoon salt
08 - ¼ teaspoon black pepper

→ Protein

09 - 2 grilled chicken breasts, sliced (or 1 can chickpeas, drained and roasted, or 8 ounces grilled shrimp)

→ Caesar Dressing

10 - ¼ cup mayonnaise
11 - 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
12 - 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
13 - 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
14 - 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
15 - 1 garlic clove, minced
16 - 2 anchovy fillets, finely minced (optional)
17 - ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
18 - Salt and black pepper to taste

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Toss bread cubes with olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes until golden and crisp. Remove from oven and cool completely.
02 - In a bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, anchovies if using, Parmesan, salt, and pepper until smooth and well combined.
03 - Prepare your chosen protein: grill chicken breasts until cooked through and slice, or roast drained chickpeas at 400°F tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper for 20 minutes, or grill shrimp until opaque and just cooked through.
04 - In a large bowl, toss chopped romaine with half the Caesar dressing. Add cherry tomatoes and shaved Parmesan cheese, mixing gently to combine.
05 - Top salad with prepared croutons and protein of choice. Drizzle remaining dressing over the top and serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Homemade Caesar dressing tastes like nothing you've bought in a bottle, creamy and bright in a way that makes you understand why people obsess over this salad.
  • You can throw it together in 30 minutes, which means it works for a weeknight dinner that doesn't feel rushed or compromise on real ingredients.
  • The flexibility to swap proteins means vegetarians don't feel like they're eating a side dish, and everyone at the table gets something substantial.
02 -
  • Soggy croutons are not a flavor profile, they're a failure, so add them right before you eat and never dress a salad more than a few minutes ahead of time.
  • The dressing is actually better if you make it a few hours early and let the flavors get to know each other, but the salad assembly itself must happen at the last second.
03 -
  • If your dressing breaks or gets weird, start over with fresh mayo and yogurt in a clean bowl and slowly whisk in the broken dressing, it usually comes back together.
  • Toast your croutons in a dry pan instead of the oven on nights when you don't want to heat up the whole kitchen, they get just as good that way.
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