Romaine Caesar Bowl (Printable)

Crisp romaine with creamy homemade dressing, golden croutons, and grilled chicken or vegetarian protein options.

# What You Need:

→ Salad Base

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

→ Croutons

04 - 3 cups day-old bread, cubed
05 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
06 - 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
07 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
08 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ Protein

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

→ Caesar Dressing

12 - 1/4 cup mayonnaise
13 - 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
14 - 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
15 - 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
16 - 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
17 - 1 garlic clove, minced
18 - 2 anchovy fillets, finely minced
19 - 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
20 - Salt and black pepper to taste

# How-To Steps:

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 to 10 minutes until golden and crisp. Cool completely.
02 - In a bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, minced garlic, anchovies, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper until well combined.
03 - Prepare your chosen protein: grill chicken breasts and slice, or roast chickpeas at 400°F tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper for 20 minutes, or grill shrimp until just cooked through.
04 - In a large bowl, toss chopped romaine with half the Caesar dressing. Add cherry tomatoes and shaved Parmesan cheese.
05 - Top salad with croutons and protein of choice. Drizzle remaining dressing over top and serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The dressing comes together in one bowl with ingredients you probably already have, no blender required.
  • Crispy, homemade croutons taste nothing like the stale ones from a bag and they're embarrassingly easy to make.
  • It's flexible enough to build around whatever protein you've got in the fridge—or skip it entirely if you're vegetarian.
02 -
  • Wet romaine makes the dressing slide off and the salad taste limp, so actually dry your lettuce—this is the move that changes everything.
  • Don't dress the entire salad and then wait around; Caesar is best eaten as soon as it's assembled, while the croutons still crunch and the lettuce is still cold.
03 -
  • Buy a salad spinner if you don't have one—truly dry lettuce changes the texture of every salad you'll ever make.
  • Taste your dressing before it goes on the salad and adjust the lemon juice and salt as you go; a Caesar is forgiving, but the dressing is where the whole thing lives.
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