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Overhead view of grilled romaine Caesar salad on a serving platter.
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Grilled Romaine Caesar Salad

This Grilled Romaine Caesar Salad is smoky, crunchy, and topped with a creamy homemade vegetarian Caesar dressing for the perfect summer side.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Total Cost: $6.24 recipe / $1.56 serving
Servings: 4 servings (½ head lettuce and ¼ cup dressing per person)
Calories: 388kcal
Author: Jess Rice

Equipment

  • Grill
  • Skillet
  • Small Blender

Ingredients

Salad Ingredients

  • 2 heads romaine lettuce rinsed and cut in half, $2.28
  • 2 tsp olive oil divided, $0.12
  • ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs $0.23
  • 1 Tbsp salted butter $0.12
  • 1 Tbsp Everything Bagel Seasoning $0.40
  • ½ package seaweed sheets half a 0.14 oz (4g) pack, $0.34*
  • ½ cup Parmesan cheese shredded, $1.08

Fish-Free Vegetarian (or Vegan) Caesar Dressing Ingredients

  • 1 cup mayonnaise regular or vegan mayo work great, $0.90
  • ¼ cup lemon juice $0.25
  • 2 garlic cloves large cloves, (minced) $0.06
  • 1 Tbsp mellow white miso $0.53**
  • 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard $0.08
  • 1½ tsp black pepper freshly cracked, $0.15
  • ½ tsp sea salt $0.01
  • 2 tsp granulated sugar $0.01
  • ½ cup water $0.00
  • ¼ cup olive oil $1.44
  • ½ package seaweed sheets crumbled and folded in, (half a 0.14oz (4g) pack) $0.34*

Instructions

  • Gather ingredients and preheat the grill.
  • Cut romaine hearts in half, leaving the root intact but trimmed. Make sure your lettuce is completely dry. Brush with 1 tsp olive oil on the cut sides.
  • Sear lettuce on all sides to get some color, about 3 minutes total on a very hot grill.
  • Transfer lettuce to the fridge to cool while preparing dressing and sides.
  • Toast panko in a dry pan with salted butter and remaining 1 tsp olive oil. Once the panko is toasty brown, remove it from the heat. This is my fun substitute for basic croutons! The panko clings to the wedges of lettuce so every bit is a texture party.
  • Add all dressing ingredients *except for the seaweed* to a blender and blend until completely smooth.
  • Break apart the seaweed and stir it into the dressing mixture.
  • Drizzle dressing over the top of each romaine heart and top them with plenty of panko, Everything Bagel mix, and additional seaweed. Shred fresh Parmesan on top and enjoy!

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Notes

*You need one snack-sized pack of seaweed sheets (also known as nori) total. You will use half the package in the dressing and half to garnish the salad with at the end. The pack I use is 0.14oz (4g).
**You can find miso paste in many grocery stores; it just takes a little hunting. My Kroger keeps it where they stock the tofu. If you can’t find it at your usual spot, you can usually find it even cheaper at an International Grocery Store.
To make this recipe vegan: Use a vegan mayo to make the dressing, use vegan salted butter to toast the panko, and leave off the Parmesan.
The dressing in this recipe yields 2 ¼ cups total. I use ¼ cup per serving, meaning the total amount is enough for 9 servings. As I only use 4 servings in this recipe, I costed this recipe out using enough for 4 servings total. Store the remaining dressing in the fridge for 5-7 days!

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving (½ head lettuce and ¼ cup dressing per person) | Calories: 388kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 33g | Sodium: 880mg | Fiber: 7g