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Vegetarian Caesar Salad
This Vegetarian Caesar Salad recipe with crispy romaine lettuce and crunchy croutons tossed with creamy vegetarian caesar dressing made without anchovies, Worcestershire sauce,and eggs, makes a delicious healthy side dish or meal. It is easy, delicious, full of flavor, and can be made vegan too!
Ingredients
Caesar Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise see notes
- 2 tablespoons sour cream see notes
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2-3 tablespoon Parmesan cheese finely grated, or parmigiana reggiano
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar optional
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼-½ teaspoon black pepper freshly cracked, adjust to taste
- 2-3 tablespoons water or as required to adjust the consistency
Caesar Salad
- 2 heads romaine lettuce
- 1 cup croutons or as per preference
- Parmesan cheese shaved or grated
Instructions
Make Vegetarian Caesar Salad Dressing
- In a bowl, add all the ingredients mentioned for caesar dressing.
- Whisk until well combined. creamy caesar salad dressing is ready! Keep aside and store refrigerated until ready to use.
Prepare the Lettuce
- First, cut the top wilted part of the lettuce. Discard it. Throw away the outermost layer of lettuce if it looks spoiled or spotted.
- Now make 4-5 slits lengthwise all around the lettuce. Chop the lettuce into bite-sized pieces starting from the leafy end and moving towards the core end. Discard the core end.
- Place the chopped lettuce in a colander or a salad spinner. Fill with cold water and add salt to it. Leave the greens in cold salted water for 1-2 mins. It helps draw out many bugs. Rinse gently.
- Drain the water completely, and repeat the rinse cycle if needed depending on how dirty the lettuce is.
- Now dry the lettuce thoroughly using salad spinner. Alternately you can also spread the washed drained lettuce leaves on a paper towel and /or blot or pat dry with a paper towel.
- The lettuce is now ready to use or store.
Make Vegetarian Caesar Salad
- Add the clean, dry, chopped lettuce to a large serving bowl along with grated or shredded parmesan cheese and crunchy croutons.
- Drizzle in the veg caesar dressing. Toss gently until lettuce is evenly coated.
- Creamy Vegetarian Caesar Salad is ready! Serve immediately on its own or as a side dish with your favorite protein, pasta, soup, or sandwich.
Video
Notes
For crispy lettuce, wash, dry, and store in the fridge wrapped in a paper towel in an airtight container. Lettuce prepped and stored the right way can last up to a week or more. You can use store-bought prepped lettuce if you are in a pinch.
Ensure your lettuce leaves are completely dry before using as it would make the dressing runny.
Dressing can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for up to a week.
For the dressing base, I prefer to use a combination of mayonnaise and sour cream as I like the taste balance sour cream adds to mayo. But you can use all mayo too.
Use eggless mayo to make eggless caesar dressing and vegan mayo and cheese for vegan dressing. For a healthier and lighter Caeser salad dressing, use Greek yogurt.
For the dressing, use fresh lemon juice and garlic for the best flavor.
You can add as much or little dressing to your salad per preference.
In addition to the ingredients for the dressing, you can also blend in some capers to replace the anchovy's taste. I have skipped it as the dressing is good just as is.
Don't throw away the crumbs from croutons. Add it to the salad, it makes it even more delicious!
To make ahead, prep the lettuce, croutons, and dressing and store them separately. Mix just before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 219kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 337mg | Potassium: 806mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 27327IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 149mg | Iron: 3mg
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