Need a top-notch Caesar salad in your recipe arsenal? Look no further! This Caesar salad is made with fresh, garlicky homemade smashed croutons, zesty Caesar dressing, and tons of Parmesan cheese. This restaurant-worthy salad is easy to make in advance and take with you to BBQs, parties, or holiday gatherings.
Add some shrimp, steak, or chicken to make this a main course salad you and your guests or family will love!
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Caesar salad is classic and everyone loves it. It's perfect for casual weeknight dinners but elegant enough to serve for special occasions and holidays.
This was the Caesar salad I served at my pizza restaurant for 10 years. It was a very popular menu item and what made this salad so special was the zesty, unique homemade Caesar dressing and the flavorful garlicky, smashed homemade croutons.
This salad is easy to prepare once you have all the ingredients prepped and ready to go. I HIGHLY recommend you make the Caesar dressing from scratch and let it sit overnight for the best flavor possible.
If you love Caesar salad as much as I do, you are going to love this version!
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My Best Tips + Tricks
- Make the dressing in advance: Let the dressing sit for a LEAST 4 hours (overnight is best)to help all the flavors marry together and create a more flavorful dressing.
- Smash the croutons: This is one of the KEY secrets to making a good Caesar salad with lots of crunch! Smashing the croutons will create crunchy breadcrumbs that spread all over the salad so you'll have crunchy bits in every bite.
- Assemble right before serving: You can prepare all the parts of this salad in advance but make sure to assemble right before serving to prevent the croutons from getting soggy.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Romaine hearts: I like to use the hearts for the best crunch. Use kale instead, or add some to the romaine for a healthier version of this salad.
- Radicchio: This is a purple bitter green from the chicory family and it's one of my favorite salad greens. I like how it adds color and a little flavor to the salad. If you're not a fan of bitter greens you can leave it out.
- Parmesan cheese: Use a good parmesan from the cheese counter and grate or shave it fresh. The nutty texture is so good in this salad. You can also use Asiago, Pecorino, Grana Padano or Dry Jack cheese in place of the Parmesan.
- Sliced sourdough bread: Soft and fresh to make the croutons. Make sure the bread is fresh and not stale. Soft bread will make light and flaky croutons while stale bread makes them a bit harder.
- Extra virgin olive oil: to make the sauce for the croutons. I like to use the extra virgin for more flavor.
- Garlic: fresh cloves to add the garlic flavor to the croutons.
- Italian seasoning: adds an herbal note to the croutons.
- Salt and pepper: Use flaky sea salt and fresh cracked pepper for the best salad possible.
- Caesar dressing: Make this homemade version or use your favorite store-bought brand. I highly recommend making your dressing if it's a holiday, a special occasion or you are entertaining guests.
How to make this Caesar salad
Make the homemade Caesar dressing: and let the flavors combine for 4 hours to overnight.
Make the croutons:
- Preheat the oven to 425F.
- Slice the sourdough bread into ½" cubes and add to a baking sheet.
- Combine the garlic, olive oil, and Italian seasoning in a personal blender. Blend until smooth.
- Drizzle the croutons with the garlic olive oil blend. With clean hands, massage the oil and spices into the croutons. Take the time to cover all the bread pieces with the oil. Using your hands, gently smash up a third to half of the bread pieces into breadcrumbs, and spread in an even layer on the baking sheet.
- Bake the croutons for 5 minutes on the center rack.
- After 5 minutes, remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for another 5 minutes. Stir the croutons up and rearrange them in an even layer. (This process helps the croutons stay light and flaky without getting chewy and tough in the middle.)
- Repeat the last 2 steps 2-3 more times, or until the croutons are golden and crispy.
Prep the lettuce and cheese: Wash and chop the romaine hearts and radicchio into bite-sized pieces. Grate or shave the parmesan cheese.
TIP: Use a vegetable peeler to shave the parmesan cheese into strips. Gently break up the strips into larger chunks to get the same shaved look as the cheese in the photo below.
Combine and serve: Add the romaine and radicchio to a large mixing bowl. Top with the croutons and parmesan cheese, then, drizzle with the Caesar dressing and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Using tongs or serving spoons, toss well to combine and serve. Top with more fresh cracked pepper if desired.
Variations
If you love this Caesar salad but are looking for something for a fancy occasion, check out this steakhouse Caesar salad recipe.
What to serve with this salad
Serve this Caesar salad with garlic and olive spaghetti, lemon spaghetti, or blush sauce pasta. Add some protein with flat iron steak or crispy chicken thighs for a well-rounded meal. If you love bread, try this olive and gruyere bread for a rustic side dish.
Make Ahead + Storage Tips
Dressing: Make the dressing up to 3 days before using. Store covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Croutons: Make the croutons up to 7 days before using. Cool before adding to an air-tight container or plastic ziplock bag. Store at room temperature.
Salad greens: Chop, rinse, and dry the romaine and radicchio well. Add them to an airtight container and cover them with a clean damp paper towel before adding the container lid. Store refrigerated for up to 3 days.
If you tried this Caesar salad recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Recipe
Crunchy Caesar Salad with Smashed Croutons
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Ingredients
For the croutons
- 5 slices Sourdough Bread fresh, preferably not stale
- ½ cup Olive Oil extra virgin
- ½ teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 2-3 cloves Fresh Garlic
For the salad
- 6 cups Romaine Hearts 2-3 heads, chopped
- 1 cup Radicchio chopped
- ½ cup Parmesan Cheese grated or shaved
- ½ Caesar Dressing or more as desired. Make this dressing from scratch if you have the time or use store-bought.
- Flaky Sea Salt like Maldon, to taste
- Fresh Cracked Black Pepper to taste
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Instructions
Make the Caesar dressing
- Follow this recipe and refrigerate for 4 hours - overnight.
Make the croutons
- Preheat the oven to 425F. Slice the sourdough bread into ½" cubes and add to a baking sheet.
- Combine the garlic, olive oil, and Italian seasoning in a personal blender. Blend until smooth. Drizzle the croutons with the garlic olive oil blend. With clean hands, massage the oil and spices into the croutons. Take the time to cover all the bread pieces with the oil. Using your hands, gently smash up a third to half of the bread pieces into breadcrumbs, and spread in an even layer on the baking sheet.
- Bake the croutons for 5 minutes on the center rack. After 5 minutes, remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for another 5 minutes. Stir the croutons up and rearrange them in an even layer. Repeat the last 2 steps 2-3 more times, or until the croutons are golden and crispy. (This process helps the croutons stay light and flaky without getting chewy and tough in the middle.)
Make the salad
- Wash and chop the romaine hearts and radicchio into bite-sized pieces.
- Grate or shave the parmesan cheese.
- Add the romaine and radicchio to a large mixing bowl. Top with the croutons and parmesan cheese, then, drizzle with the Caesar dressing and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Using tongs or serving spoons, toss well to combine and serve.
Notes
Make Ahead + Storage Tips
Dressing: Make the dressing up to 3 days before using. Store covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Croutons: Make the croutons up to 7 days before using. Cool before adding to an air-tight container or plastic ziplock bag to store at room temperature. Salad greens: Chop, rinse, and dry the romaine and radicchio well. Add them to an airtight container and cover them with a clean damp paper towel before adding the container lid. Store refrigerated for up to 3 days. Make the dressing in advance: Let the dressing sit for a LEAST 4 hours to help all the flavors marry together and create a more flavorful dressing. Smash the croutons: This is one of the KEY secrets to making a good Caesar salad with lots of crunch! Smashing the croutons will create crunchy breadcrumbs that spread all over the salad so you'll have crunchy bits in every bite. Assemble right before serving: You can prepare all the parts of this salad in advance but make sure to assemble right before serving to prevent the croutons from getting soggy. TIP: Use a vegetable peeler to shave the parmesan cheese into strips. Gently break up the strips into larger chunks to get the same shaved look as the cheese in the photo.Nutrition
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