A wedge salad…it’s nothing fancy, right? WRONG! Just wait until you taste this salad with a bacon lemon drizzle on top!
This salad is refreshing, crispy, and topped with creamy blue cheese dressing and all your favorite toppings (hello bacon!). It is the perfect side dish for our garlic butter steak or roasted chicken. It also makes a fabulous lunch!
It’s hard to believe I ever hated salad considering how much I love it now. And I don’t just mean the fancy pants salads with all those candied nuts and homemade vinaigrettes, no I’m also a fan of the, hardly any nutritional value but oh my gosh it’s so good type. Which is why I love making a wedge salad at home.
I had my first wedge salad once I was married and when it was brought to the table in front of a friend of mine I actually scoffed at it thinking the restaurant was lame. I mean, say it out-loud: A hunk of iceberg lettuce topped with bacon and dressing. Sounds like an underachiever if you ask me.
Then I ate it.
And ate it.
And ate it.
Why didn’t I order that?! Restaurant envy has been my middle name many times before but this one was memorable. How could a chunk of flavorless lettuce taste so amazing? And how can I make it even more awesome? Oh I know, with a lemon bacon drizzle. Whhhhaaaaa… Read on, friends, I’m about to make your dreams come true.
What is a Wedge Salad?
A wedge salad is made from a wedge of iceberg lettuce and topped traditionally with blue cheese dressing, bacon, red onion, cherry tomatoes and chives. How you top it though is totally up to you!
My kids won’t do blue cheese dressing, so I make homemade ranch for them.
What Ingredients Do You Need for a Wedge Salad?
Like I said, you can top a wedge salad with whatever toppings you want, but these are the classic toppings that we love:
- Bacon – makes all things better
- Lemon Zest – for that bacon lemon drizzle
- Iceberg Lettuce – holds it’s shape with lots of layers to catch all the goodness
- Blue Cheese Dressing
- Cherry Tomatoes – halved
- Blue Cheese Crumbles
- Red Onion – diced small
- Chives – diced
I’ll include a section below on other topping ideas. The measurements for the ingredients listed above can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
How to Make a Wedge Salad
I always start by cooking the bacon in a cast iron skillet on the stove top. I like to cut the bacon into bits before cooking it. It cooks so quickly. Then remove the pieces to a plate lined with a paper towel.
Then it is time for that lemon bacon drizzle. Add the lemon zest to the leftover bacon grease and save it for later.
Take the head of lettuce, remove any shriveled or dirty leaves on the outside. Cut it in half leaving the core intact and then into quarters. Leaving the core will help hold the wedge together. You can rinse each quarter if desired or it if look particularly dirty. Each quarter will make one salad.
What Toppings Go on a Wedge Salad?
Because of the wedge shape of this salad, you want to keep your toppings minimal and cut small so that they will stick to the dressing and mostly stay on top of the wedge. Here are some other ideas for yummy toppings:
- avocado
- hard boiled eggs
- chopped pecans or walnuts
- shredded carrots
- shredded cheddar cheese
- sesame seeds
- peas
- olives
- celery
- bell peppers
It is so versatile! Make it exactly how you want. You could even do a wedge salad bar and put all the toppings in little bowls and let people make it how they want.
How Do I Eat a Wedge Salad?
The best way to eat this salad is to take a knife and fork to it and cut it just like you would a piece of steak. Cut it into bite size pieces and collect yummy toppings with each bite.
What to Eat with a Wedge Salad?
A wedge salad can be eaten as a main dish if you want, or it can be a side to just about any meal. Here are a few ideas:
- Best Steak at Home with a Crispy Oven Baked Potato (my trifecta of perfection…steak, potato, this salad…BOOM!)
- Meatloaf
- Braised Short Ribs
- Smoked Chicken Thighs
- Pot Roast
- Garlic Parmesan Chicken
- Garlic Butter Salmon
Those are just a few ideas. It really goes great with just about any protein!
It’s easy to make, easy on the budget, and it’s so fantastically delicious! A simple wedge salad is just what your next meal needs! You’ll never scoff at a wedge salad ever again!
More Crazy Delicious Salad Recipes You’ll Love:
- Broccoli Salad with Bacon
- Southern English Pea Salad
- Harvest Cobb Salad with Maple Poppy Seed Dressing
- Spinach Salad with Lemon Dressing and Brown Sugar Almonds
- Smoked Chicken Kale Salad with Cranberries
- Harvest Cobb Broccoli Salad
- Grilled Peach Avocado Caprese Salad
- All our SALAD RECIPES!
Wedge Salad
Ingredients
- 6 Slices Bacon, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon Lemon Zest
- 1 Head Iceberg Lettuce
- 1 Cup Blue Cheese Dressing
- 1 Cup Cherry Tomatoes, halved
- 1/4 Cup Blue Cheese Crumbles
- 1 Tablespoon Red Onion, minced
- 1 Tablespoon Chives
Instructions
- In a cast iron pan over medium heat add the bacon. Cook until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove the cooked bacon pieces with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with a paper towel.
- Stir the lemon zest into the bacon grease and reserve.
- Cut the lettuce in 4 wedges. Drizzle with a little bacon grease and lemon zest (just a tiny drizzle!!) over each wedge.
- Using our blue cheese dressing, pour it evenly over all four wedges and then top with all toppings and serve!
Nutrition
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lowandslow
Love the lemon bacon idea,we like to for go the wedge and cut the lettuce into a flat disc for a different look. All your toppings stay put,fun.
Sweet Basil
Ooooohhh…I like that idea! Thanks for taking time to leave a comment!