Ultimate Caesar Salad
This Ultimate Caesar Salad recipe is loaded with all the goods. Roasted asparagus, grated egg, toasted panko and the most delicious lightened up caesar dressing make this caesar salad stand out from the rest. Perfect any day of the week, you’re going to love this simple salad recipe.
Simple enough for brunch but fancy enough for a holiday, this fresh salad recipe is a winning combo. Layered with flavor, your guests are guaranteed to enjoy. The crispy romaine lettuce is lightly coated in the creamy yet lightened up caesar dressing. Topped with golden brown, buttery panko, lightly charred asparagus, and freshly grated egg, this salad will have everyone coming back for more.
If you love this recipe, try my Caesar Salad Chicken Cutlets or my Chicken Caesar Salad Lettuce Wrap.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Loaded with flavor and texture. This fun take on a Caesar salad offers a lot of flavor and texture making it a delicious twist on the classic version.
Easy to make. In a few short steps you’ll have an impressive salad prepared and ready to go.
Easy yet elegant. This winning combination is sure to impress your friends and family. The layered presentation is not only beautiful but delicious.
The secret ingredient. Add the crispy browned panko breadcrumbs truly takes this salad to another level!
Recipe Ingredients
Caesar Salad and Vegetables
- Romaine Lettuce – You will need 2 heads of romaine lettuce for this recipe. Wash and dry it well, then chop it into small easy to eat pieces.
- Asparagus – This recipe calls for one bundle of asparagus. Remove the ends and place it on a baking tray.
- Oil – This recipe alls for olive oil or avocado oil for roasting the asparagus. Lightly spray the asparagus before roasting. Handy oil sprayer.
- Seasoning – Season the asparagus with kosher salt and crack black pepper before roasting.
- Lemon – Give the asparagus a squeeze of fresh lemon juice before roasting.
- Hard-Boiled Eggs – You will need two hard-boiled eggs for this recipe. Use a microplane grater to grate them over the salad. My favorite graters.
- Butter – You’ll need butter to toast the panko.
- Panko Breadcrumbs – This recipe calls for panko breadcrumbs they add texture and flavor to the salad.
Light Yogurt Caesar Dressing
- Lightened Up Caesar Dressing – Combine 0% Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, grated parmesan cheese, capers, anchovy paste, garlic cloves, and fresh squeezed lemon juice in a food processor. Mix until well combined. Season with a pinch of kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Option to add a touch of water if you like a thinner dressing. The thicker the yogurt the more water you will need to thin it out, unless you prefer a thick dressing.
Variations
Swap the asparagus. Option to add roasted broccoli, cauliflower or brussels sprouts instead.
Swap the panko. Not a fan of toasted panko, you can easily use croutons instead.
Add more protein. Add grilled salmon, chicken or my crispy tofu cutlets to this salad for extra protein. My chicken cutlets would also taste great!
How to Make the Ultimate Caesar Salad
Make the Dressing
- Combine 0% Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, grated parmesan cheese, capers, anchovy paste, garlic cloves, and lemon juice in a food processor. Mix until well combined. Season with a pinch of kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste.
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. **Option to add a touch of water if you like a thinner dressing. The thicker the yogurt the more water you will need to thin it out, unless you prefer a thick dressing.**
Roast the Asparagus
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Trim the bottom from the asparagus and place it on a baking tray. Spray it with a light coating of olive oil. Dust the asparagus with kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Hit it with a squeeze of fresh squeezed lemon juice. Roast for 10-12 minutes. Set aside. Cooking time varies on thickness.
Toast the Panko
- In a small nonstick skillet add butter over medium heat. Once melted, add the panko breadcrumbs. Once golden brown, remove the breadcrumbs from the pan. Set aside.
Assemble
- Wash, dry and roughly chop your romaine lettuce. Add it to a large bowl. Lightly coat the romaine lettuce with the caesar dressing. You can use as much or as little as you like. Any extra dressing can be stored covered in the refrigerator.
- Next, grab your serving plates, and add some of the lightly dressed lettuce to each plate. Next, add some of the cooled roasted asparagus. Then, grate the hard-boiled eggs over the asparagus. Top everything with the toasted panko and enjoy.
Storage
- Best enjoyed immediately once dressed. However, leftover dressing can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Best to store the dressing separately from the rest of the ingredients if possible. Any leftover breadcrumbs can also be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Expert Tips
- Use store-bought hard boiled eggs to save yourself some time in the kitchen. Plus, store-bought hard-boiled eggs tend to grate more easily.
- Make sure the eggs are cold before grating. Cold eggs grate more easily.
- Lightly coat the asparagus in oil. I LOVE using the oil sprayer because it adds such alight coating. Too much oil can make the asparagus heavy and greasy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, roasted broccoli or brussels sprouts would work well instead.
You can prep the components of the salad ahead of time. For example, toast the panko, make the dressing and chop the romain lettuce in advance. However, I would only combine everything once you’re ready to serve it.
Add grilled salmon, chicken or my crispy tofu cutlets to this salad for extra protein. My chicken cutlets would also taste great!
Other Salad Recipes to Consider Trying
Ultimate Caesar Salad
Equipment
- 1 baking tray for asparagus
- 1 large mixing bowl for lettuce
- 1 food processor for dressing
- 1 microplane paddle grater for eggs
- 1 oil sprayer for asparagus
- 1 nonstick skillet for panko
Ingredients
Caesar Salad
- 2 heads romaine, wash, dry and chop
- 1 bundle asparagus, trim bottoms
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, spray or drizzle over the asparagus before roasting
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, squeeze over the asparagus before roasting
- pinch kosher salt, season the asparagus before roasting
- few turns cracked black pepper, season the asparagus before roasting
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and grated
- ⅓ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1.5 tablespoons butter, to toast panko
Caesar Dressing
- ½ cup 0% Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 teaspoons capers, drained
- 2-3 cloves garlic, depending on size
- 1 teaspoon anchovy paste, or 2 anchovy fillets
- 1.5 – 2 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh squeezed
- pinch kosher salt, to taste
- few turns cracked black pepper, to taste
- 1-2 tablespoons water, to thin dressing – optional
Instructions
Make the Dressing
- Combine 0% Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, grated parmesan cheese, capers, anchovy paste, garlic cloves, and fresh squeezed lemon juice in a food processor. Buzz until well combined. Season with a pinch of kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. **Option to add a touch of water if you like a thinner dressing. The thicker the yogurt the more water you will need to thin it out, unless you prefer a thick dressing.**
Roast the Asparagus
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Trim the bottom from the asparagus and place it on a baking tray. Spray it with a light coating of olive oil. Dust the asparagus with kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Hit it with a squeeze of fresh squeezed lemon juice. Roast for 10-12 minutes. Set aside. Cooking time varies on thickness.
Toast the Panko
- In a small nonstick skillet add butter over medium heat. Once melted, add the panko breadcrumbs. Once golden brown, remove the breadcrumbs from the pan. Set aside.
Assemble
- Wash, dry and roughly chop your romaine lettuce. Add it to a large bowl. Lightly coat the romaine lettuce with the caesar dressing. You can use as much or as little as you like. Any extra dressing can be stored covered in the refrigerator. Next, grab your serving plates, and add some of the lightly dressed lettuce to each plate. Next, add some of the cooled roasted asparagus. Then, grate the hard-boiled eggs over the asparagus. Top everything with the toasted panko and enjoy.
9 Comments on “Ultimate Caesar Salad”
The ultimate salad is right!
This salad was SO good! We served it as a side salad. (Keeping the extra dressing and bread crumbs separate in the fridge for later use) so we omitted the asparagus so we don’t get too full. It was perfect! And so easy! Can’t wait to eat the rest with dinner tomorrow and make it again in the future.
Such a good recipe! I loved the end result 😁😁😁 I’ll definitely be trying more of the recipes on the site!
This was a great, healthy dish. I loved the grated eggs on top.
An amazing elevated Caesar salad! I subbed sour cream for greek yogurt since I didnt have any on hand but it was fabulous!
Probably the best salad I’ve had.. definitely in my top 3! Super easy, the toasted breadcrumbs on top, yessss!! And that Caesar.. I won’t be buying anymore store bought after trying this one.
Hi Sara, I would love to create this delicious salad, but I have to use vegan and gluten-free products. What would a good substitute be for Greek yogurt? Dairy does not agree with me so it is necessary to substitute when possible. I can use vegan recipe for the toasted panko. I would appreciate hearing from you. Thank You!
Jeanette
I would just use vegan mayonnaise!
This salad has too much salt to be healthy for most consumers , particularly the older folks like me on a 1500 mg/day regime. Reduce it by half to lower your sodium rating to 500mg.?