I have a confession to make. My favorite lettuce is Iceberg lettuce. I love it’s crunch and light, fresh flavor. What about you? Are you a fan too? In my humble opinion, it’s the absolute best on hamburgers; it holds it’s crunchiness well when sandwiched next to a hot burger patty. Can we all agree, there’s nothing more unappetizing than biting into a burger with a limp piece of lettuce! Ugh!
It also stays perfectly crisp when shredded and added on tacos too. Unfortunately, Iceberg lettuce has fallen out of favor over the years. I remember my mom always stayed away from it, she said it had absolutely no nutritional value; she said it’s the equivalent to eating water. The only good things she could say about it was that it contains loads of fiber and it’s low calorie. Growing up we ate loads of endive, butter lettuce and dark leafy greens, which are all delicious in their own right. And over the the years Kale, Arugula, Spinach and micro greens have taken the trendy spotlight and Iceberg has steadily moved down the list in popularity. What a crying shame!!!
Hands down, my absolute all time favorite salad is the classic Wedge Salad! I love the crunch in every bite from the Iceberg lettuce, the crispy bacon, paired with the creamy dressing! I love, love, love all of it!!! It’s refreshingly crisp and cool during the hot days of summer.
One of the biggest issues I have with a wedge salad is the iconic wedge shape. Granted, it provides an absolutely lovely presentation on the plate, and it’s all good, until you try to eat it. As you cut into it, all the delicious toppings slide right off and end up on the plate instead of staying on top of the lettuce. Let’s face it, ain’t nobody that wants a big bite of just lettuce. So how can you serve a wedge salad that ensures you get bite after bite with everything on your fork, and it’s still pretty to look at?
The first issue was figuring out how to improve on the classic shape. My solution? Cutting the head of lettuce into thick 1 inch “steaks”. The “steaks” serve as a much better platform for all the toppings.
The second issue? How to keep the height on the plate that gives a classic Wedge Salad it’s iconic “OHHH” factor. Stacking those “steaks” and adding a small wedge on top gives you the height on your plate that’s customary with a classic Wedge Salad.
The third issue? How to get dressing in every bite. Not only does slicing the lettuce into thick steaks serve as a better base for all the toppings, but it solved the third problem of how to get dressing in each and every bite. When you drizzle the dressing on top of the “steak”, it works it’s way down in-between all those layers of lettuce. You not only get lettuce and all the yummy toppings on your fork, but you also get that yummy dressing in every single delicious bite.
Make the dressing:
Yes you could easily substitute Ranch dressing instead of making your own, but it’s so very easy to make this dressing from scratch and will only take about 5 minutes to whip it together. Plus you know that it’s made with only wholesome ingredients; no preservatives, or artificial preservatives, flavorings or colors in this dressing. You can feel good about serving this to your family.
Just place mayonnaise, buttermilk, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, minced garlic, salt and pepper in a jar with a tight fitting lid.
Make Ahead Tip: Dressing can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator up to two days in advance.
Shake, shake, shake until contents are well combined. Place dressing in the refrigerator until ready to use. See? I told you it was easy peasy to make this dressing.
Hint: If there is any leftover dressing, dip French fries in this delicious, easy to make, home made dressing instead of ketchup.
Make the salad:
Cut the bacon slices into one inch size pieces. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until it’s golden brown and crispy.
Remove the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel lined plate. Set aside.
Slice the head of iceberg lettuce into six 1 inch thick slices. Cut the two end pieces in half, into four wedges. You will end up with four center slice “steaks” and 4 small wedges.
TIP: For best results, make sure the lettuce is served ice cold! It can be sliced and placed in the freezer for 10 minutes so that it’s icy cold.
Place a “steak” slice of lettuce on a plate. Top with a drizzle of dressing, making sure it works it’s way in between the layers of the lettuce.
Top with some cooked bacon.
Top with diced tomato.
Top with some blue cheese crumbles.
Instead of using stale croutons, add slices of fresh radishes and chopped red onions. Not only do they add more crunch to this salad they also add a little zippy heat and keep this salad low carb so everyone can enjoy this delicious salad, guilt free!
Drizzle with some more dressing.
TIP: Assembling this salad in layers ensures you get lettuce, bacon, blue cheese, crunchy veggies, and creamy dressing in each and every delightful bite.
Top with one of the small wedges of lettuce and repeat layers, ending with a drizzle of dressing and any remaining chopped veggies.
Serve with a couple Pepperoncini peppers on the side if desired and a generous grind of coarse black pepper on top.
This is now my all time favorite salad! It’s not only a beautiful salad on the plate, it’s packed with crunchy, creamy, tangy and zippy flavors and texture in every single bite. It’s a literal explosion of fresh flavors in your mouth with every forkful. Give this salad a try, I guarantee…cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye…you will love it!!! This salad will be served at our house all summer long!!! Once you try it, I bet you will be making it all summer long too!
Classic Stacked Wedge Salad
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 1 head Iceberg lettuce
- ¼ lb bacon
- 1 roma tomato, seeded and diced
- ¼ cup radishes, sliced
- ¼ cup red onion, diced
- ½ cup blue cheese, crumbled
- pepperoncini peppers, optional
For the dressing:
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
Instructions
Make the dressing:
- Place mayonnaise, buttermilk, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper in a jar with a tight fitting lid.
- Shake contents until well combined. Place dressing in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Make the salad:
- Cut bacon into one inch size pieces. Cook in a large skillet until golden brown and crispy.
- Remove the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel lined plate. Set aside.
- Slice iceberg lettuce into four 1 inch thick slices. Cut the two end pieces into four wedges.
- Place a slice of lettuce on a plate.
- Top with a drizzle of dressing, making sure it works it's way in between the layers of the lettuce.
- Top with some cooked bacon.
- Top with diced tomato.
- Top with blue cheese crumbles.
- Top with sliced radishes and chopped red onion.
- Drizzle with more dressing.
- Top with one of the small wedges of lettuce and repeat layers, ending with a drizzle of dressing.
- Serve with a couple Pepperoncini peppers on the side and a generous grind of coarse black pepper on top.
Did You Make This?
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Ephesians 2:8-9
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