Our Romaine Wedge Salad recipe puts a modern spin on the traditional wedge salad, combining crisp textures, a smoky flavour from crispy bacon, and a creamy blue cheese dressing. Perfect as a side dish or a light full meal, it's a versatile crowd-pleaser that looks just as good as it tastes.
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What's So Special About Romaine Wedge Salad?
- Crisper & More Flavorsome: Unlike the classic wedge salad made with a head of iceberg lettuce, romaine offers a firmer, crisper bite and a more robust flavour.
- Versatility at its Best: Serve it as a fresh, light side dish or amp it up with extra protein for a filling full meal - it's your call.
- Gorgeous Presentation: Those perfect wedges with toppings make for an Instagram-worthy salad that's as impressive as it is delicious.
- Romaine Lettuce is perfect for grilling if you want to take your salad a step further!
Ingredients and Substitutes
Blue Cheese Dressing Ingredients
- Stilton: or other crumbly blue cheese.
- sour cream: or creme fraiche.
- mayonnaise: full-fat ideally.
- apple cider vinegar: or white wine vinegar.
- seasoning: garlic powder and black pepper is all you need. Taste your dressing after chilling for 30 minutes, and add a pinch of salt if needed.
- milk: to loosen the dressing.
Wedge Salad Ingredients
- Romaine lettuce: we used Romaine hearts, the inner part of heads of lettuce that are typically used for Caesar salads, and known for crisper texture and sweeter flavour.
- bacon: we used smoked streaky bacon, but unsmoked back bacon will work just fine. You can use turkey bacon too.
- cherry tomatoes: or any other fresh tomatoes. We typically use baby plum tomatoes.
- red onion.
- walnuts: or pecan nuts.
- Stilton: feta cheese works well too.
Find the ingredient quantities, detailed instructions and nutritional values in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step-By-Step Method
1. First, make the dressing by crumbling up Stilton into a medium bowl.
2. Add the sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar, garlic powder and black pepper and mix to combine.
3. Little by little start adding the milk until you have a salad dressing of drizzeable consistency.
4. Cover the dressing and leave it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to chill.
5. In the meantime, crisp up your bacon in a pan or under the grill until browned and crispy. Cut into small pieces.
6. Lightly toast the walnuts in a small dry pan and leave them to cool down.
7. Place half a Romaine lettuce on a large plate. Arrange the juicy cherry tomatoes and scatter sliced red onion on top.
8. Drizzle the lettuce with the creamy blue cheese dressing.
9. Scatter the crispy bacon bits, toasted walnuts and blue cheese crumbles on top. Serve immediately!
Recipe Tips
- Washing the Lettuce. When prepping your heads of romaine lettuce, rinse them thoroughly in cold water after cutting them in half to remove any dirt, then dry them gently with a paper towel and leave them to dry for 10-15 minutes at room temperature.
- Smooth Blue Cheese Dressing: Not a fan of chunky blue cheese dressing? No worries! You can easily blend it in a food processor to get a smooth, creamy texture that coats every leaf without those large chunks of cheese.
- Alternative Dressings: If blue cheese isn't your thing, try a tangy Caesar dressing without anchovies, a classic vinaigrette, or even a creamy Chipotle Yogurt dressing - they all complement the flavours of the Romaine Wedge Salad beautifully.
- Small Starter? If you're serving this as a starter or appetizer, swap out the romaine for baby gem lettuce.
- Too Much Dressing? Yes, the recipe makes a generous amount - some people love their greens swimming in indulgence (hint, Seb!). I personally think the amount of dressing is enough for 3-4 Raimaine halves. Leftover dressing can be stored in an airtight jar for up to 4 days.
- Too Faffy To Eat? Make a regular salad with the same ingredients - simply shred the romaine lettuce instead.
Take It To The Next Level
Want to turn a good wedge salad into great? A grilled romaine is the way to go! Brush the lettuce halves with a little bit of olive oil and place it on a hot grill over medium heat. After a few minutes, you'll get that nice char and smoky flavour that takes your salad to new heights. It's a great way to switch things up, especially in the warmer time of year when a bit of grilling just hits the spot!
Serving Suggestions
This delicious salad can easily be a good side salad, a starter, or even a main dish-just add your favourite protein! We love pairing it with grilled chicken (or the chicken from our Santa Fe Salad) or a juicy steak.
If you're feeling a bit more laid-back, serve it with a slice of crusty bread (like a sourdough baguette) to soak up all that irresistible blue cheese dressing. Perfect for any occasion!
More Salad Recipes To Try
Romaine Wedge Salad With Blue Cheese Dressing
Ingredients
For Blue Cheese Dressing:
- 50 g (1.75 oz) Stilton crumbled
- 100 g (½ cups) sour cream or creme fraiche
- 50 g (¼ cups) mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 2-3 tablespoon milk to loosen the dressing
For The Wedge Salad:
- 1 Romaine lettuce cut in half
- 4 rashers bacon we used smoked streaky bacon
- 8 cherry tomatoes halved
- ¼ red onion thinly sliced
- 20 g (a handful) toasted walnuts roughly chopped
- 40 g (1.5 oz) Stilton crumbled
Instructions
- First, make the dressing by crumbling up Stilton into a medium bowl.
- Add the sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar, garlic powder and black pepper and mix to combine.
- Little by little start adding the milk until you have a salad dressing of drizzeable consistency.
- Cover the dressing and leave it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to chill.
- In the meantime, crisp up your bacon in a pan or under the grill until browned and crispy. Cut into small pieces.
- Lightly toast the walnuts in a small dry pan and leave them to cool down.
- Place half a Romaine lettuce on a large plate. Arrange halved cherry tomatoes and scatter sliced red onion on top.
- Drizzle the lettuce with blue cheese dressing.
- Scatter the crispy bacon bits, toasted walnuts and crumbled stilton on top. Serve immediately!
Video
Nutrition
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