When an ordinary but dependable iceberg lettuce is cut into wedges and then covered with an incredibly rich, funky blue cheese dressing and crispy bacon crumbles, you’ve got the Classic Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing. The cool fresh flavors and diverse mix of textures give this undeniably eye-catching wedge salad a huge thumbs up.
The Classic Wedge Salad is one of the easiest salads to prepare. It’s literally an iceberg lettuce cut into 4 wedges (or more if you want to serve this salad as a side dish), homemade blue cheese dressing (very easy to make as all the ingredients go into a blender) drizzled over each wedge, and then crispy crumbled bacon (baked in the oven for a mess-free and evenly cooked bacon) garnished on top for the perfect amount of saltiness. Finishing it off with some cherry tomatoes, chopped chives and blue cheese crumbles completes the overall taste and presentation.
Although the iceberg lettuce lost its popularity when it started being compared to other leafy greens such as kale and spinach for having less nutritional value (iceberg does have nutritional benefits…just not as much as the other greens because of its high water content), it still remains one of my favorite types of lettuce. I love its crispy texture and the subtle sweet flavor that counterbalances many types of salad dressings so perfectly. No other type of lettuce is as versatile as the iceberg, and it certainly doesn’t disappoint when it’s paired with blue cheese dressing.
Recipe adapted from House of Yumm (with slight changes).
Classic Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing
The classic iceberg wedge salad is served with a creamy rich homemade blue cheese dressing and topped with crispy bacon crumbles for the perfect amount of saltiness.
Ingredients
- FOR THE BLUE CHEESE DRESSING:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 60g blue cheese
- 1.5 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley (optional)
- FOR THE SALAD:
- 1 head iceberg lettuce (keep in fridge until ready to use)
- 200g cherry tomatoes
- 150g uncooked bacon
- 60g blue cheese, crumbled (optional garnish)
- 10g chives, finely chopped (optional garnish)
Directions
- Step 1 THE DRESSING: Add all the dressing ingredients into a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Keep in the refrigerator and let chill while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
- Step 2 THE BACON: Preheat oven to 210°C/410°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay the bacon strips on baking sheet in a single layer. Cook in oven until desired crispiness (about 18-20 minutes). Remove bacon from the oven and transfer bacon strips onto a paper towel-lined plate. Once cooled crumble bacon into small pieces (best to use your hands). Set aside in a small bowl.
- Step 3 THE TOMATOES: Cut into halves or quarters. Set aside in a small bowl.
- Step 4 THE BLUE CHEESE (optional garnish): With a fork or with your fingers crumble your blue cheese. Set aside in a small bowl.
- Step 5 THE ICEBERG WEDGES: Remove any outer leaves that are limp. Then cut in half. Remove the core. Then cut each half into quartered wedges (or cut each half into 3 wedges for side dish servings).
- Step 6 ASSEMBLE THE SALAD: Place each wedge on individual plates, or all the wedges on one large serving platter. Add cherry tomatoes. Drizzle each wedge with blue cheese dressing. Add bacon crumbles. Add chopped chives and crumbled blue cheese, if using. Alternatively you can set the reserved crumbled blue cheese on the table for those who want to add more blue cheese to their wedge. Give a sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately.
- Step 7 TIP: Avocado chunks and chopped boiled eggs are also a great addition to the salad.