What I love about Winter Caesar Salad with Roasted Vegetables
We love a good Caesar salad, and this Winter Caesar Salad with Roasted Vegetables is easily one of my all-time favourites. In fact, we probably have some version of a Caesar salad for dinner at least four nights a week. It’s such an easy and delicious way to get more greens into your diet, and best of all, it’s incredibly versatile.
Recently, while cleaning out the fridge, I decided to chop up a bunch of leftover vegetables, toss them onto a sheet pan with some bacon, and roast everything together. We were planning on having Caesar salad for dinner, so I thought—why not add the roasted veggies on top? Let me tell you, it was so good.
The combination of salty, creamy Caesar dressing, sweet roasted root vegetables, and crispy bacon is truly a match made in heaven. To make it a complete meal, we add a little grilled chicken breast for protein, and just like that, dinner is done. With a loaded recipe like this, you are certainly getting your daily quota of vegetables, which I absolutely love. It’s balanced, wholesome, healthy, and full of flavour—perfect for any night of the week.
While there are a few ingredients involved, I promise it’s worth it. And if you make this salad, please don’t skip the homemade Caesar dressing—it really makes all the difference. Ever since I started making my own, I’ve never gone back to store-bought. The flavour is just unmatched. Plus, it’s surprisingly easier-than-you-think to make!
The Steps
Step 1: Roast the vegetables, bacon and chicken.
Preheat the oven to 400F and prepare a sheet pan with parchment paper. Add the chopped vegetables, bacon and chicken and toss with avocado oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 21-23 minutes. Remove the chicken and make sure the internal temperature is at least 165F. Return the vegetables and bacon to the oven for another 10-15 minutes until slightly charred.
Step 2: Make the dressing.
In a small bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, dijon mustard, anchovy paste, parmigiana cheese and black pepper until completely combined. Set aside.
Step 3: Toss the romaine.
In a large mixing bowl, toss the romaine with your desired amount of the prepared caesar dressing. Divide among two shallow bowls.
Step 4: Slice the chicken.
Remove the chicken from the oven and let rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes. Then, slice the chicken into 1/2″ – 3/4″ slices.
Step 5: Prepare the salads.
To the two shallow bowls already prepared with romaine, add the roasted vegetables and bacon on top and then the sliced chicken. Top with extra parmigiana cheese if desired and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
A few things to keep in mind:
- Mayonnaise – Make sure you use REAL mayonnaise for the dressing. It is the base of the dressing and it’s important that you use a good quality mayo for best results.
- Garlic – Be sure to use fresh garlic as it has a really nice zing and flavour to it. If you are in a pinch, you can use marinaded garlic, but I highly recommend using fresh! It makes all the difference!
- Anchovy paste – Anchovy paste is a key ingredient that really helps to give caesar dressing it’s unique flavour. You can find it in most grocery stores in the seafood section.
- Parmesan cheese – You can’t have caesar dressing without parmesan cheese! I love using fresh grated parmesan cheese. Grated parmigiana works best as opposed to powdered parmesan cheese.
- Greens – Romaine lettuce is best for caesar salads! Leafy greens are typically highly sprayed, so make sure you get organic!
- Purple onion – Roasted purple onions are so delicious! You can use white or yellow onions here too depending on your preference.
- Acorn Squash – I chose acorn squash as it is very high in potassium and other nutrients! You can also use butternut squash, red kuri squash, delicata squash or kabocha squash.
FAQ:
I highly recommend using the anchovy paste if you can. It’s one of the ingredients in caesar dressing that gives it its unique flavour.
Yes. I’ve also used roasted carrots and cabbage and they were both yummy as well!
Yes! To make the salad vegetarian, opt for crispy pan-fried tofu instead of chicken and omit the bacon. Further, to make it vegan, use vegan mayonnaise for the dressing and opt for a dairy-free parmesan-like cheese.
Yes, you could use kale instead of romaine. I like romaine because it’s not as aggressive and it’s easier to digest.
Winter Caesar Salad with Roasted Vegetables
Equipment
- 1 Baking Sheet
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 1/2 purple onion roughly chopped
- 1 small yam scrubbed and chopped into 1" chunks
- 1/2 cup acorn squash peeled and chopped into 1" chunks
- 1 small beet peeled and chopped into 1" chunks
- 1 cup brussel sprouts washed and halved
- 175g uncooked bacon diced
- 3 tbsp avocado oil divided
- 1 1/2 tsp sea salt divided
- 1/2 tsp black pepper divided
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 7-9 cups romaine or green kale washed and chopped
For the caesar dressing:
- 1/2 cup avocado mayonnaise
- 1 lemon juiced
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp anchovy paste
- 1/2 cup shredded parmigiana cheese plus more for topping
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- On half the baking sheet, spread out the onion, yam, squash, beet, brussel sprouts and bacon in an even layer. Drizzle with 2 tbsp avocado oil and season with 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Toss to coat.
- Add the chicken breasts to the other half of the baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tbsp avocado oil and season with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
- Roast in the preheated oven for 21-23 minutes. Remove the chicken to a cutting board to rest. The internal temperature should read 165F. Toss the vegetables and return them to the oven for an additional 10-15 minutes until the vegetables are slightly charred and bacon is crispy.
- Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, dijon mustard, garlic, anchovy paste, parmesan cheese and black pepper until fully combined. Set aside.
- Add the romaine to a large mixing bowl and toss with your desired amount of dressing. Divide into two shallow bowls.
- Top the romaine with roasted vegetables and bacon. Slice the chicken breasts and add them on top of the salads. Garnish with more black pepper and extra parmesan cheese if desired.
- Enjoy!
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