Caesar Salad with Homemade Dressing
A proper Caesar salad starts with crisp romaine lettuce, a bold, creamy dressing, and plenty of crunch. Using large romaine (cos) lettuce gives you that classic structure and bite that makes Caesar so good. This version keeps the traditional garlicky, parmesan-heavy dressing, but you can easily customise it with different toppings to make it a side dish or a full meal.
Simple, fresh, and honestly hard to beat.
For the salad
- 2 large romaine (cos) lettuces
- 1 cup crunchy croutons
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan
- Freshly cracked black pepper
For the dressing
- 1 cup good-quality mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 clove garlic, finely grated
- ½ cup finely grated parmesan
- 2–3 tablespoons water (to loosen)
- Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Method
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Wash and thoroughly dry the romaine lettuce. Tear into large bite-sized pieces and place in a large bowl.
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In a separate bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and parmesan.
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Add a little water at a time to loosen the dressing until it’s creamy and pourable but still thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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Pour enough dressing over the lettuce to lightly coat (you may not need all of it). Toss well to combine.
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Add the croutons and extra parmesan. Toss gently again.
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Finish with freshly cracked black pepper and serve immediately.
Want to level it up? Try adding:
- Grilled chicken
- Crispy bacon
- Soft boiled or poached egg
- Anchovies (for a more traditional flavour)
- Prawns
- Avocado slices
- Roasted chickpeas (great vegetarian option)
- Chargrilled corn
- Shaved fennel