It doesn’t get much better than a classic Wedge Salad with bacon, tomatoes and blue cheese dressing! Impress your friends and family when you serve this up!
Why Wedge Salad is Best
Some salads can be, well, wimpy, but not a wedge salad! This hunk of iceberg is hearty and hard to resist!
- The iceberg lettuce gives a crisp, crunchy base to the salad and holds its shape with all the yummy toppings.
- Blue cheese dressing is rich and creamy and the classic pairing for this salad. Our homemade blue cheese dressing is PERFECT.
- Juicy tomatoes, crunchy bits of bacon, red onion and blue cheese crumbles round out this stellar salad.
This salad is hearty enough to enjoy as a meal. Or impress your family and friends and serve it with million dollar spaghetti casserole and a side of garlic bread.
Ingredient Notes
- Iceberg Lettuce – This is traditional in a wedge salad and has great crunch and a mild flavor. Remove any outer layers, wash it well with cold water, shake off excess water, blot with paper towels and then cut into 4 quarters.
- Blue Cheese Dressing – Buy it from the store or make homemade blue cheese dressing. If you don’t like blue cheese, you could substitute Ranch dressing or Caesar dressing.
- Tomatoes – Halved cherry tomatoes work great here and are readily available year round. You could also use chopped Roma tomatoes.
- Bacon – The bacon needs to be cooked and crumbled. Be sure to make it crunchy (not chewy)! I opt to fry it up in a skillet until nice and crisp.
Easy Instructions
A wedge salad may grace many a fancy steakhouse menu, but it is really easy to make at home.
Prepare the lettuce. Cut the (washed and prepped) head of iceberg lettuce in half. Place the cut side down and cut in half again. You’ll have four quarters of lettuce to use for the wedges.
Assemble the salad. Place the iceberg wedges cut side up on a plate. Drizzle each with about 2 tablespoons of blue cheese dressing. Garnish each with tomatoes, red onion, bacon, blue cheese crumbles and chives. Top with freshly cracked black pepper and serve immediately!
Tips and Tricks
- Make your bacon extra crispy! Even if you like it more chewy at breakfast, it needs to be really crisp to use in this salad. You can even buy pre-cooked bacon at the store.
- If you are sensitive to the bite of raw onion, you can soak your chopped red onion pieces in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes. Drain, pat dry and then use. (You can also swap it out for sliced green onions if you prefer.)
- You can prep the ingredients ahead if needed. Store the washed iceberg wedges in an airtight container or bag and refrigerate. If you dice the tomatoes, drain them before adding them to the salad, as they produce a lot of juice. The bacon can be fried, crumbled and stored in the refrigerator until ready to add to the salad.
- Assemble and add the dressing when ready to serve to maintain the freshness and texture of the ingredients.
Recipe FAQs
Since the iceberg lettuce is served in a large hunk, you’ll need a knife and fork to cut and enjoy this salad.
Blue cheese dressing is traditional in a wedge salad. If you don’t like it, you could swap it out for our homemade Ranch or our homemade Caesar Dressing.
You can customize your salad with any of the following substitutions and add-ins: Cubed or shredded cheddar cheese instead of blue cheese crumbles, sliced green onion in place of the red onion, or additions like matchstick carrots, chopped cucumber, diced avocado, croutons or Parmesan crisps.
A steak is the classic pairing for this salad. It would also be a perfect side dish for our garlic herb roasted chicken or oven baked pork chops.
More Salads and Side Dishes
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Wedge Salad
Ingredients
- 1 head iceberg lettuce washed (outer leaves removed)
- ½ cup blue cheese dressing
- ¾ cup quartered cherry tomatoes about 1/2 pint
- ¼ cup red onion finely chopped
- 6 strips bacon cooked and crumbled
- ¼ cup blue cheese crumbles
- 2 Tablespoons chives chopped (for garnish, optional)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Cut a heat of iceberg lettuce in half. Place the cut side down and cut in half again. You'll have four quarters of lettuce now.
- Place wedge of salad on a plate, cut side up. Spoon blue cheese dressing over the top (about 2 Tablespoons per serving). Add tomatoes, onion, bacon, blue cheese crumbles and chives. Sprinkle with fresh ground black pepper.
Notes
- The lettuce wedges may be prepared ahead of time. Wash and drain them on paper towels. Place them in an airtight container or bag and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Prep the ingredients ahead to save time. If you dice the tomatoes, drain them before adding them to the salad, as they produce a lot of juice. The bacon can be fried, crumbled, and stored in the refrigerator until ready to add to the salad.
- We recommend waiting to add the dressing and all other ingredients until ready to serve.
- Use our homemade blue cheese dressing for delicious results!
- Why Do You Use Iceberg Lettuce for a Wedge Salad? When served cold, Iceberg lettuce remains crisp and crunchy. That makes it an excellent selection for the Wedge Salad because it holds its shape and supports all the added ingredients. It also cleanses your palate because it has a mild taste. Additionally, Iceberg’s neutral taste allows the flavors from the other ingredients to shine.
- How Do You Eat A Wedge Salad? Unlike many salads prepared in bite-sized pieces, a quarter of the head of lettuce is still intact. So to enjoy this delicious dish, you will need a knife and fork.
- What can be served with a Wedge Salad? The most common and popular option would be steak. The wedge salad has been offered in many high-end steakhouses. The salty and sharp taste of the blue cheese dressing complements the savory flavor profile of beef. However, it would also be a perfect side dish for our garlic herb roasted chicken or pork chops!
- Can I Use A Different Dressing? Traditionally, a wedge salad is served with Blue Cheese Dressing. But if you don’t like Blue Cheese, you can swap it out for our homemade Ranch or our homemade Caesar Dressing.
