Wedge Salad
Crisp chilled iceberg lettuce wedges topped with rich homemade blue cheese dressing, smoky bacon crumbles, juicy cherry tomatoes, and red onion for a classic steakhouse favorite.
Equipment
- Medium bowl
- Skillet
- Paper towels
- Chef knife
Ingredients
For the salad
- 1 head iceberg lettuce
- 8 slices bacon cooked, cooled and crumbled
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/2 cup red onion chopped
- pecans, or walnuts toasted (optional)
Easy Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing
- 1 cup sour cream light
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 3 Tablespoons buttermilk
- 3 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
- 4 ounces blue cheese reserve a few spoonfuls for garnish
Instructions
- Combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, buttermilk, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, black pepper, and most of the blue cheese in a medium bowl, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. The chilled dressing should fall from a spoon in a thick ribbon rather than run like a thin sauce.
- Cut the bacon into pieces and cook it in a skillet over medium heat until the pieces are evenly browned and crisp, then transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate. Listen for the sizzle to quiet slightly as the bacon finishes rendering, and let the crumbles cool before topping the lettuce.
- Cut the iceberg lettuce head in half, then divide each half into halves or thirds, depending on the size of the head, to form intact wedges. Keep the core attached to each wedge so the inner layers stay together on the plate.
- Set the lettuce wedges on individual plates, spoon the chilled dressing over them, and finish with bacon, tomatoes, red onion, reserved blue cheese, and black pepper to taste. The toppings should settle into the lettuce folds while the dressing stays thick and neatly pooled around the base.
Notes
Texture tip: Dry the rinsed iceberg thoroughly and chill it before plating so trapped water does not pool on the plate and thin the dressing.
Prep tip: Let cooked bacon cool completely on paper towels before adding it so the crumbles stay crunchy against the cold dressing.
Make-ahead: The blue cheese dressing can be mixed and refrigerated several days in advance in an airtight container.
Nutrition information is an estimate based on common ingredients and serving sizes. Values may vary depending on brands, portions, and substitutions.