Romaine Caesar Bowl (Print Version)

Fresh romaine with homemade Caesar dressing, crunchy croutons, and protein of choice

# What You Need:

→ Salad

01 - 2 large heads romaine lettuce, washed, dried, and chopped
02 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (optional)
03 - ½ cup shaved Parmesan cheese

→ Croutons

04 - 3 cups day-old bread, cubed
05 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
06 - ½ teaspoon garlic powder
07 - ¼ teaspoon salt
08 - ¼ teaspoon black pepper

→ Protein

09 - 2 grilled chicken breasts, sliced, or 1 can chickpeas (drained and roasted), or 8 ounces grilled shrimp

→ Caesar Dressing

10 - ¼ cup mayonnaise
11 - 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
12 - 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
13 - 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
14 - 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
15 - 1 garlic clove, minced
16 - 2 anchovy fillets, finely minced (optional)
17 - ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
18 - Salt and black pepper to taste

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Toss bread cubes with olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes until golden and crisp. Cool completely before using.
02 - In a bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, minced garlic, anchovies if using, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper until smooth and well combined.
03 - Select your protein: grill chicken breasts until cooked through and slice, or roast drained chickpeas at 400°F with olive oil, salt, and pepper for 20 minutes, or grill shrimp until just cooked through.
04 - In a large bowl, toss chopped romaine lettuce with half the Caesar dressing. Add cherry tomatoes and shaved Parmesan cheese, mixing gently to combine.
05 - Top the dressed salad with croutons and your chosen protein. Drizzle with remaining dressing and serve immediately.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The dressing tastes like a restaurant Caesar but lives in your fridge without any pretension or mystery ingredients.
  • You can build this around whatever protein sounds good today—chicken, shrimp, or crispy chickpeas for a completely plant-forward meal.
  • Homemade croutons take ten minutes and make you feel like you've actually cooked something, even though the whole salad comes together faster than takeout.
02 -
  • If you're making this ahead, keep the dressing separate and add the croutons just before serving—soggy croutons are the only real failure here.
  • Taste the dressing before it touches the lettuce because once everything is mixed, you can't adjust without diluting it all over again.
03 -
  • Pat your lettuce completely dry after washing because water on the leaves dilutes the dressing and makes everything taste washed-out instead of bright.
  • If anchovies intimidate you, start with just one fillet minced fine—you're not looking for fishiness, just depth that makes people ask what's in the dressing.
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