Grilled Caesar Salad
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This Grilled Caesar Salad recipe is guaranteed to be the surprise hit of summer! Whether you prepare the salad for a backyard bbq or top it with grilled chicken for a weeknight meal, this grilled romaine caesar salad is incredibly flavorful and easy to make in just 15 minutes!
Table of contents
Around my house, summer 2024 is the summer of grilled salads! I’ve been grilling romaine lettuce for the last month to make caesar salads, wedge salads, and cobb salads. Basically, I’m using grilled romaine as the base for every salad I make lately!
Grilling romaine lettuce is so simple, it only takes 5 minutes and it adds a delicious chargrilled flavor to any salad. Topping the grilled romaine with crunchy toasted breadcrumbs, creamy caesar dressing, and plenty of fresh grated parmesan cheese, makes this the best grilled caesar salad!
It’s easy to turn this salad into a meal by tossing seasoned chicken on the grill right before the lettuce. Slice the grilled chicken up and toss it right on top of the salad for a winning meal!
This grilled caesar salad is a great side dish for any summer bbq, or a delicious weeknight meal. It’s so easy to make and I guarantee, you’ll want to save this recipe to make over and over again!
Ingredients
- Romaine lettuce – you’ll want 3 medium-to-small hearts of romaine for this recipe. Since we’re only grilling the lettuce on one side, I recommend trying to buy smaller romaine hearts for this recipe. I’ve found that the larger romaine hearts don’t get as much of the chargrilled flavor throughout, since they’re so much thicker.
- Extra-virgin olive oil + cooking spray – we’ll use olive oil to toast the breadcrumbs, and the cooking spray to coat the lettuce before it’s grilled. If you don’t have cooking spray, lightly brush the olive oil onto the lettuce, instead of using the spray.
- Panko breadcrumbs – instead of croutons, I topped this salad with seasoned, toasted breadcrumbs. It coats the salad evenly on top, so you get that delicious buttery, toasty crunch in every bite. To me, this is the secret ingredient in this salad that makes it oh-so-delicious!
- Italian seasoning – to season the breadcrumbs. Click the link for my homemade recipe, or purchase pre-made Italian seasoning on the spice aisle at the grocery store.
- Salt + black pepper – to season the romaine lettuce before it’s grilled. Plus we’ll use extra fresh cracked black pepper to finish the salad at the end.
- Caesar salad dressing – for this recipe I used Litehouse caesar dressing. Feel free to use your favorite brand of store-bought dressing, or make homemade caesar dressing.
- Parmesan cheese – I recommend fresh-grated parmesan for the best flavor, but any grated parmesan cheese will work.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this grilled caesar salad recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Preheat a charcoal or gas grill to medium-high heat, then prepare the toasted breadcrumbs.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet on the stove over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the breadcrumbs and toss them in the oil until they’re completely coated.
- Toast the breadcrumbs for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, and keeping an eye on them to make sure they don’t burn.
- Once golden brown and toasty, add Italian seasoning to the breadcrumbs, toss to combine and toast for 1 more minute.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and set it aside.
Grill the romaine lettuce.
- Slice off about ¼ inch of the tough end of each romaine heart.
- Slice the romaine hearts in half lengthwise through the middle. Discard any loose leaves that fall off when cutting the romaine.
- Spray the cut side of the romaine hearts with olive oil (or lightly brush with olive oil) then season with salt and pepper.
- Place the romaine hearts, cut side down, on the preheated grill and cook for 4-5 minutes, without ever moving or flipping the romaine lettuce.
Remove the romaine lettuce from the grill and place it on a large serving platter, with the cut, grilled side facing up.
Drizzle caesar salad dressing evenly over the romaine lettuce, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and fresh cracked black pepper. Evenly sprinkle the toasted breadcrumbs over the salad and serve immediately.
Add grilled chicken
If you’d like to top the salad with grilled chicken, follow these simple steps.
- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat, toast the breadcrumbs, and prepare the lettuce for grilling, per the instructions above.
- While the breadcrumbs are toasting, prepare the chicken for the grill. Grab one large chicken breast (approximately ¾ – 1 pound in size) and slice it in half, lengthwise through the middle. Rub olive oil on both pieces of chicken, then coat in cajun seasoning (recommended) or Italian seasoning.
- Place the seasoned chicken directly on the the hot grill. Grill the chicken for 4-5 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Remove the chicken and let it rest on a cutting board while grilling the romaine lettuce. Once the salad is prepared, thinly slice the chicken and add it on top of the salad.
More optional additions
- Grilled baguette – slice a baguette into ½ inch slices, coat with olive oil on one side, and grill the bread, oil side down, for 1-2 minutes. Serve the grilled bread slices on the side of the salad.
- Marinated salmon – instead of chicken, you can top this grilled caesar salad with grilled, or oven roasted, marinated salmon.
- Grilled shrimp – replace the chicken with grilled shrimp. Toss 1 pound of large peeled and deveined shrimp with olive oil, then cajun seasoning. Add the shrimp to the hot grill and cook for 2-3 minutes per side.
- Parmesan crusted chicken – if you want to top this salad with crispy chicken, this recipe is a great option!
- Roasted chickpeas – if you’re looking for a vegetarian protein to top this salad, try these roasted chickpeas. They’re great on top of a caesar salad.
- Avocado – add thinly sliced avocado on top of the salad at the end for a creamy finish.
How to make it without a grill
If you don’t have a grill, you can still make this salad on the stove. Use a grill pan, griddle, or cast iron skillet, if you have one available. If not, use the heaviest skillet you have.
Heat the skillet on the stove over medium high heat, add the romaine lettuce, cut side down and cook for 4-5 minutes. If using a skillet, you’ll have to do this in 2 or 3 batches.
Diet variations
To make this grilled caesar salad gluten free, replace the traditional panko breadcrumbs with gluten-free panko breadcrumbs. The Litehouse caesar dressing I used in this recipe is already gluten-free.
To make this salad vegetarian, do not add the optional grilled chicken, and use this recipe for cashew caesar dressing. Made with soaked cashews, fresh lemon juice, dijon mustard, garlic and Worcestershire sauce, this vegetarian caesar dressing is so delicious. Using this salad dressing and omitting the parmesan cheese will also make this recipe dairy-free.
What to serve it with
This grilled caesar salad is delicious as a main dish or side dish. If serving it as a side dish, pair it with any of these tasty grilled main dishes.
More salad recipes
Try these other delicious, filling salads, perfect for a healthy meal!
Grilled Caesar Salad
Ingredients
Toasted Breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ tablespoon Italian seasoning, click link for the recipe
Caesar Salad
- 3 hearts romaine lettuce
- olive oil cooking spray
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup caesar salad dressing
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
Grilled Chicken (optional addition)
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts , sliced in half lengthwise through the middle
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons cajun seasoning, click link for the recipe (or use Italian seasoning)
Instructions
- Preheat a grill over medium-high heat, between 400-450°F.
Toast the breadcrumbs.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet on the stove over medium heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add ¼ cup breadcrumbs, toss until they're fully coated in the oil, then toast for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add ½ tablespoon Italian seasoning and toast for 1 more minute. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Prepare the salad.
- Slice ¼ inch off the stem ends of each of the romaine hearts, then slice each romaine heart in half lengthwise. Spray the cut side of the lettuce with olive oil cooking spray, then season with salt and pepper.
- Place the romaine, cut side down, on the grill and cook for 4-5 minutes. Do not move or flip the romaine while it's on the grill.
- Remove the lettuce from the grill and onto a large serving platter, with the cut, grilled side facing up.
- Drizzle salad dressing over the lettuce, top with parmesan cheese, black pepper, and toasted breadcrumbs.
Add grilled chicken (optional).
- If you want to add grilled chicken to the salad, follow the steps below before grilling the lettuce for the salad.
- Slice one large chicken breast in half, lengthwise through the middle. Rub the two pieces of chicken with olive oil, then coat all sides in the cajun seasoning.
- Place the seasoned chicken directly on the the hot grill. Grill the chicken for 4-5 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Remove the chicken and let it rest on a cutting board while grilling the romaine lettuce.
- Thinly slice the chicken and add it on top of the salad before serving.
Notes
- This salad will serve 6 people as a side dish, or 2-3 people as a meal.
- The nutrition information provided is an estimate for one serving (one grilled romaine heart) without the grilled chicken topping.
- If you don’t have a grill, you can still make this salad on the stove. Use a grill pan, griddle, or cast iron skillet, if you have one available. If not, use the heaviest skillet you have. Heat the skillet on the stove over medium high heat, add the romaine lettuce, cut side down and cook for 4-5 minutes. If using a skillet, you’ll have to do this in 2 or 3 batches.
- To make this grilled caesar salad gluten free, replace the traditional panko breadcrumbs with gluten-free panko breadcrumbs. The Litehouse caesar dressing I used in this recipe is already gluten-free.
- To make this salad vegetarian, do not add the optional grilled chicken, and use this recipe for cashew caesar dressing. Using this salad dressing and omitting the parmesan cheese will also make this recipe dairy-free.
Nutrition Facts
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One Comment on “Grilled Caesar Salad”
The way you elevated a simple salad to a gourmet experience is truly inspiring. Your creativity in grilling romaine lettuce opens up a world of delicious possibilities for summer meals.