Romaine Caesar Bowl (Printable)

Fresh romaine with creamy Caesar dressing, crunchy croutons, and protein of choice.

# What You'll 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, or 1 can chickpeas drained and roasted, or 8 ounces grilled shrimp

→ Caesar Dressing

10 - 1/4 cup mayonnaise
11 - 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
12 - 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
13 - 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
14 - 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
15 - 1 garlic clove, minced
16 - 2 anchovy fillets, finely minced
17 - 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
18 - Salt and black pepper to taste

# How to Make It:

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. Remove from oven and 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 and creamy.
03 - Grill chicken breasts until cooked through and slice; or roast drained chickpeas at 400°F tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper for 20 minutes; or grill shrimp until pink and cooked through.
04 - In a large bowl, toss chopped romaine with half the Caesar dressing. Add cherry tomatoes and shaved Parmesan cheese and gently combine.
05 - Top salad with prepared croutons and cooked protein of choice. Drizzle remaining dressing over the top and serve immediately.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The homemade dressing tastes nothing like bottled versions—creamy, tangy, with a subtle anchovy depth that makes people ask what your secret is.
  • You can have dinner on the table in under thirty minutes, which means you'll actually make this on a Tuesday night instead of just dreaming about it.
  • Every component can be prepped ahead, so you're really just assembling when hunger strikes.
02 -
  • Don't dress the entire salad with all the dressing at once—reserving some to drizzle at the end keeps the croutons crunchy and the lettuce from getting limp.
  • The anchovies are the secret weapon that transforms this from regular to remarkable, but they need to be minced finely so they dissolve rather than leave fishy chunks.
03 -
  • Make the dressing up to a day ahead and refrigerate it—the flavors actually deepen and marry together overnight, making the salad taste even better.
  • If your romaine is a little sad looking, soak it in ice water for fifteen minutes before drying and chopping—it perks right back up and becomes crisp again.
Go Back