This Caesar salad is fun to eat because it requires a fork and knife, just like you would get at a fancy, high-end steakhouse! It is easy to prepare and makes a stunning presentation for any special occasion (or just a fancy date night).

I've been making this salad for years, and it's always a hit. I'm excited to share this dressed-up version (and how I styled the salad) with you so that you can easily impress your guests at your next dinner party.

What to serve with this salad

Serve this Caesar salad with steak, potatoes, and Brussels sprouts or loaded poblano and potato soup and focaccia bread for some delicious meals!

Ingredients You'll Need

• Romaine lettuce: use the hearts and not the leafy romaine lettuce.
• Radicchio: Radicchio is a type of leafy vegetable that is often used in salads and other dishes. It belongs to the chicory family and is known for its distinctive, slightly bitter taste and vibrant reddish-purple leaves. If you're not a fan of radicchio, you can substitute it with shredded purple cabbage.
• Carrots: get the long carrots, not the baby carrots so that you can shave them into long strips.
• Sliced sourdough bread, sandwich style.
• Olive oil
• Garlic powder
• Italian seasoning
• Parmesan Reggiano: get the wedge from the fancy cheese counter if available, it tastes much better! If you can't find that, and you want to style your salad like the photo, then use shaved parmesan, not grated or shredded.
• Flaky sea salt
• Fresh, cracked black pepper
• Homemade caesar dressing or store-bought dressing

Substitutions and Variations

• Parmesan Cheese: use asiago or grana padano cheese. Both cheeses are similar to parmesan and are available at Trader Joe's.
• Carrots: Add some good-quality olives or tomatoes instead of carrots. But I love how the strips of carrots look in this salad.
• Make it gluten-free or low-carb; replace the smashed croutons with crumbled parmesan cheese crisps.
• Spicy: sprinkle a pinch of cayenne or Calabrian chili powder over the salad to add a touch of heat.
• Steak or chicken Caesar: add strips of chicken or steak to make this salad a main dish.
• Shrimp Caesar: finish this salad with some pan-seared shrimp (my favorite).

How to make this Steakhouse Caesar Salad

Make the dressing

• Make the dressing 4 hours and up to 24 hours before serving this salad to get the best flavor.
• See the full Caesar dressing recipe here.

Make the smashed croutons

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
2. Slice the sourdough bread into ½" cubes and add them to a baking sheet.
3. Drizzle the croutons with olive oil, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.
4. With clean hands, massage the oil and spices into the croutons. Take the time to cover all the bread pieces with the oil.
5. Break up half of the bread pieces into breadcrumbs and spread them in an even layer on the baking sheet.
6. Bake the croutons for 5 minutes on the center rack.
7. After 5 minutes, remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for another 5 minutes.
8. Stir the croutons up and rearrange in an even layer.
9. Repeat steps 6–8, 2-3 more times, or until the croutons are golden and crispy.

Of course, you can use store-bought croutons and smash them up a bit, BUT if you want to take your salad to the next level, definitely make your own.

Prep the lettuce

Wash and dry the romaine hearts and radicchio.

Toss the lettuce with the dressing (optional)

Toss the romaine and radicchio with the Caesar dressing (if desired).

You can also drizzle the dressing over the romaine and radicchio (see next step).

Or, you can serve the dressing on the side.

Present this salad however you want! If you'd like to present this caesar salad how I did in the photo, then follow the steps below:

1. Using a large platter, lay the romaine hearts out in a decorative manner. Alternate to stems and the head of the romaine to create a balanced look. Place the smaller romaine hearts on top of the larger leaves.
2. Tear the radicchio into chunks and scatter them around the romaine. Tuck a few pieces underneath, but peaking out from the romaine to create some depth.
3. Using a vegetable peeler, shave the carrot lengthwise to create some carrot strips. Distribute the strips over the romaine and the radicchio.
4. If you want to drizzle the dressing over the salad, this is the layer to do it.
5. Add the smashed croutons. Be sure to get a good combo of both croutons and breadcrumbs on the salad.
6. Shave the parmesan cheese with a vegetable peeler and sprinkle it on top of the smashed croutons.
7. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and cracked black pepper, if desired.

Then your finished salad will look like this:

Storage

Store the wet ingredients (lettuce, radicchio, carrot) separately from the cheese in the fridge until ready for use for up to 3 days.

Store the dressing in an air-tight container, until ready to use for up to 5 days in the fridge.

The smashed croutons should be stored in an air-tight container, in the pantry for up to 1 week.

More Steakhouse-Inspired Recipes