What I love about Caesar Salad with Bacon and Artichoke Hearts
Lately, we’ve really been on a Caesar salad kick, specifically this Caesar Salad with Bacon and Artichoke Hearts—and honestly, we’re not mad about it! We’ve been in full salad mode for a while now, rotating through favourites like Greek salad, garden salad, and most recently, this Caesar Salad with Bacon and Artichoke Hearts. It’s quickly become our go-to, and for good reason.
This version is absolutely loaded with flavour. It’s packed with the best toppings and tossed in a rich, creamy homemade Caesar dressing that brings everything together beautifully. What makes it even better is the mix of hearty greens I like to use. Instead of just romaine, I usually combine kale, spinach, spring greens, and romaine for an added boost of nutrition—and variety in texture. Of course, romaine on its own works just fine, too!
One of my favourite parts? The homemade croutons. They’re not only incredibly easy to make, but they’re also a great way to use up any old bread you have lying around. And as a bonus, this recipe makes a bit of extra dressing, which you can stash in the fridge for next time—making future salads even easier to throw together!
What you will need to make Caesar Salad with Bacon and Artichoke Hearts
Here’s a list of ingredients that you will need:
- Greens – First off, I like to use a combination of baby kale, romaine and spring greens but use whatever you like! You could do a straight kale caesar salad or straight romaine; totally your call!
- Green onions – Next, green onions add a ton of delicious flavour! I like to slice them thin so that they’re more tasteful.
- Bacon – Plus, you can’t have a caesar salad without bacon! Of course, if you’re vegetarian you can omit this from the recipe; no problem!
- Artichoke hearts – I love artichoke hearts, they’re delicious in dips, on pizzas and in salads! They add a bit of tanginess to this salad.
- Hard ripened cheese – Moreover, what’s a caesar salad without parmigiana cheese! For this, you can use either Grand Padano, Parmigiana or Asiago.
- Day old bread – For the croutons it’s best to use day old, stale bread but if you don’t have any then fresh is fine too.
For the Homemade Caesar Dressing:
- Real mayonnaise – I recommend using real mayonnaise for best results as it is the base and main ingredient of the dressing. Bonus points if you use all avocado oil mayo with no seed oils!
- Lemon juice – Lemon juice is an important ingredient in the dressing as it adds that element of acid.
- Dijon mustard – Love a little dijon mustard! I would not recommend substituting for any other type of mustard as the flavour is unique in dijon mustard.
- Anchovy paste – Anchovy paste is what gives caesar dressing its unique and distinct flavour! You can find this at any grocery store. It’s usually near the seafood counter.
- Worcestershire sauce – The sauce that no one can pronounce but adds important flavour to the overall taste of the dressing!
- Garlic – Garlic is an important ingredient as well! I recommend using fresh minced garlic for this.
- Capers – Capers are delicious in this dressing as well. Make sure you chop them super fine before adding to the dressing.
- Parmigiana cheese – Parmigiana cheese is the real deal and the BEST from Italy if you can find it. Otherwise parmesan cheese works too.
Pantry basics:
- Olive oil spray – or avocado oil spray
- Spices – Garlic powder, salt and pepper
Caesar Salad with Bacon and Artichoke Hearts
Equipment
- 1 Baking Sheet
Ingredients
For the caesar dressing:
- 3/4 cup avocado mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp anchovy paste
- 3/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp capers (minced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1/2 cup shredded parmigiana cheese
- 1/8 tsp each sea salt and black pepper
For the salad:
- 1 medium-sized head romaine lettuce (or two romaine hearts)
- 2 green onions (thinly sliced)
- 10-12 strips organic bacon (cooked and chopped)
- 1 cup marinated artichoke hearts (quartered)
- 1 cup shredded parmigiana cheese (or grana podano or asiago)
- 6 cups cubed gluten-free bread (or sourdough)
- olive oil spray
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Make the dressing by adding all of the ingredients to a small bowl and whisk until fully combined.
- Make the croutons: preheat the oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the cubed bread to a large bowl and spray with olive oil. Toss once and then spray again to evenly coat the bread pieces. Add garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste and toss again to coat.
- Lay the bread pieces in a single layer on the baking sheet and bake for 13-15 minutes or until crisp and golden.
- Wash, chop and spin the romaine and add it to a large bowl. Add your desired amount of dressing and toss until all of the leaves are coated.
- Add the artichoke hearts, green onions, bacon and parmigiana cheese on top.
- Garnish with homemade croutons and enjoy!
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