This wedge salad is just like your classic steakhouse salad favorite—but better! It’s crunchy, creamy, refreshing, and the ultimate starter salad to enjoy before the main course steak dinner.
Why You’ll Love My Wedge Salad
- The blue cheese dressing is the best I’ve ever had. My version is made from scratch which makes it 1000x better than any store-bought version. It’s perfectly creamy yet chunky, with just the right amount of savory and tangy flavors.
- It’s always a dinner party favorite. I recently made this for a group of friends and boy did they love it! It serves up peak steakhouse vibes in your own house.
- It looks fancy, but it’s super simple. The presentation of this dish far exceeds the level of effort required to make it. And who doesn’t love that?!
Whenever I’m planning a steak dinner for family or friends, I love serving up a refreshing steakhouse-style salad on the side. Sometimes that’s a Caesar salad or simple arugula salad, but lately it’s been this classic wedge salad. The crisp iceberg lettuce is perfect for cutting through the richness of the blue cheese dressing, and it really sets the stage for a main course of ribeye steak or filet mignon. Though in all honesty, I’ll often enjoy this wedge salad as a main course all on its own!
It’s topped with the classics like crispy bacon, cherry tomatoes, red onion, chives, and a creamy blue cheese dressing. But it’s the composition and presentation that I believe make my recipe extra special.
When I posted the behind-the-scenes of this wedge salad on Instagram stories, I was blown away by the positive response. Everyone clamored for it! So now that it’s here, I’m really excited for you all to make it. It’s the perfect starter salad for dinner parties, holidays like Christmas dinner, or any time you want to enjoy a steakhouse moment at home, without breaking the bank.
Classic Wedge Salad Ingredients
- Bacon: Just a few slices are needed for a crispy bacon topping. And let’s be honest, the bacon is one of my favorite parts about this salad. 😂
- Iceberg lettuce: Grab the largest size you can find since you’ll slice it into four wedges to make four servings. Also, if you can, make sure your iceberg is chilled before serving. It just tastes fresher that way!
- Cherry tomatoes and red onion: These are the classic toppings for a juicy, colorful, and crisp bite. I like to chop everything fairly small, so there’s a little topping in every bite.
- Blue cheese dressing and blue cheese crumbles: My homemade blue cheese dressing 100% makes this salad taste amazing! So I highly recommend making my recipe instead of using a store-bought version. Plus, you’ll then have leftover blue cheese crumbles to sprinkle on top.
- Fresh chives: I like to sprinkle a generous amount because I love chives, but add as much or as little as you want!
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
How To Make a Wedge Salad
First, cook the bacon. In a skillet over medium-low heat, cook the bacon until crispy. Then, transfer the slices onto a paper towel-lined plate. Let it cool before crumbling it with your hands.
Second, slice and prepare the lettuce. Before slicing, remove any wilted outer leaves from the iceberg lettuce. Then, slice the head in half through the core and cut each half into wedges. With each wedge sitting with the pointy end up, remove the top layer of the inner leaves to make a small cavity for the dressing and toppings. This allows your toppings to stay on top!
Lastly, assemble the salad. Place each wedge on a plate and spoon the blue cheese dressing generously (very generously!) over the top. Then, add a sprinkle of bacon, tomatoes, red onion, blue cheese crumbles, chives, and black pepper.
Lisa’s assembly tip: When pouring the dressing, I’ll gently peel back some of the top layers of the lettuce to make sure the dressing gets into some of those crevices. That way, you get even more dressing with every bite!
How to Prep Ahead
This is one salad that’s great for prepping up to one day in advance of a dinner party. Just cook and crumble the bacon, chop the tomatoes, red onion, and chives, and prepare the blue cheese dressing separately.
When you’re ready to serve, simply assemble the salad by topping each iceberg lettuce wedge with the dressing, bacon, tomatoes, blue cheese crumbles, and chives. It’s super easy and allows you to better entertain your guests rather than spend unnecessary time in the kitchen!
Serving Suggestions
I love that this wedge salad can be enjoyed year-round! Here are a few different options for main-course pairings:
- Classic steakhouse dinner: grilled ribeye steak, filet mignon, shrimp scampi, or braised short ribs.
- Summer cookout dinner: grilled salmon steaks, grilled chicken, or grilled shrimp.
- Christmas dinner: prime rib, beef tenderloin, or pork tenderloin.
Frequently Asked Questions
While blue cheese dressing is the classic pairing for a wedge salad, I’ve also tried this with ranch dressing, and it’s a wonderful alternative! If you’re not a fan of blue cheese in general, you can swap the crumbles on top with crumbled feta or goat cheese.
Absolutely! I do that all the time. I’ll enjoy this recipe as written as a main dish as a lighter lunch. And if I’d like a little extra protein, I’ll often add grilled chicken, grilled shrimp, or grilled salmon. It’s super satisfying served a variety of ways!
You sure can! I call those mini wedges. 😉 Once you’ve cut the iceberg lettuce into four wedges, just cut those in half across for eight smaller wedges. This is great when everyone wants a taste of the salad for an appetizer or side salad, but doesn’t want to fill up before the main course. Plus, they just look so cute on a small salad plate!
More Classic Salad Recipes
- Broccoli Salad: The perfect year-round salad.
- Cobb Salad: A classic, protein-packed salad.
- Cucumber salad: A summer cookout favorite.
If you try this classic wedge salad recipe, let me know how it turns out in the comments below! Your review will help other readers in the community. And if you’re looking for more healthy food inspiration, join my free newsletter here.
Description
Video
Ingredients
For the wedge salad
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon
- 1 large head iceberg lettuce
- 1 cup blue cheese dressing, or more as desired
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
- ¼ cup finely diced red onion
- ¼ cup blue cheese crumbles
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the bacon. In a skillet over medium-low heat, cook the bacon until crispy. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and crumble once cooled.
- Prepare the lettuce. Remove any wilted outer leaves from the iceberg lettuce. Slice the head in half through the core, then cut each half into wedges. With each wedge sitting with the pointy end up, remove the top layer of inner leaves, to make a small cavity for the dressing and toppings (this allows your toppings to stay on top!)
- Assemble the salad. Place each wedge on a plate and spoon the blue cheese dressing generously over the top. Pro tip: I love to get extra dressing under some of those top layers. Sprinkle it with bacon, tomatoes, red onion, blue cheese crumbles, chives, and black pepper.
Lisa’s Tips
- To prep it ahead: You can prep the components of this salad up to a day in advance (which is great for dinner parties!). Just cook and crumble the bacon, chop the tomatoes, red onion and chives, and prepare the blue cheese dressing separately. Then, assembly it all together when your guests arrive.Â
- A little dressing tip: I like to gently peel back some of the top layers of the lettuce to make sure the dressing gets into those lettuce crevices. That way, you get even more dressing with every bite!
- Make it a little extra: While I love the simplicity of diced red onion, if you want to get extra fancy you could always swap in a sprinkle of crispy shallots on top. So yum!Â
Nutrition
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When The Recipe Test Becomes The Lunch
Some recipes take me three or four tries to nail just right. But this wedge salad recipe was beautifully straight-forward (after I perfected my homemade blue cheese dressing, of course). Because really, it’s just lettuce, dressing, and toppings.
But sometimes the most delicious recipes are the most simple, and I couldn’t have been more pleased to film the video (watch it above) and then enjoy this salad on my outdoor patio for lunch. 😊
