My vegetarian version of Caesar Salad with capers instead of anchovies gives the recipe an umami savory taste.
Why vegetarian? Two reasons: 1) I didn't have anchovies but capers has a similar salt and tang and 2) it makes it an option for vegetarians that never get to eat this amazing simple salad.
Homemade caesar salad dressing uses only the egg yolk. Reserve the egg white and add it to your scrambled eggs the next day.
Use water or milk instead of half and half if you are trying to save on calories.
We throw our bread in the freezer if it's gonna go bad. Defrost later and make panko bread crumbs or use for croutons. Trying to save time? Buy pre-made croutons.
Check out Eat Simple Food's video showing you how to make vegetarian Caesar Salad dressing from scratch.
Serving Suggestion
Serve this Caesar Salad recipe with complimentary dishes to round out your meal. For a fun addition, add fried green tomatoes or parmesan crisps to your salad, and serve it with pickled shrimp or pan fried chicken.
You May Also Like
If you like this Caesar Salad dish, then you may also like these salad recipes that are a bit less traditional / classic, but every bit as good:
Things In My Kitchen:
- Salad Spinner - Clean your greens. They dirty.
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Classic Caesar Salad
EatSimpleFood.com
My vegetarian version of Caesar Salad with capers instead of anchovies gives the recipe an umami savory taste.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6
- Category: Salad
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Ingredient List Salad:
- 2 small heads Romaine lettuce, torn apart or chopped
- 1 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 ½ tablespoon capers or anchovies, minced
- 1 egg yolk, mixed
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 ½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ - ⅔ cup safflower oil or vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
- ¾ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- salt
- black pepper
Ingredient List Croutons:
- ½ loaf baguette or old bread, cubed or torn into 1"
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- pinch salt
- pinch black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Make Croutons: Toss bread with olive oil and sprinkle a pinch of salt and black pepper. Bake on an aluminum lined sheet for ~ 7-8 minutes or until crunchy but not hard.
- Make Salad Dressing: Mince garlic, add a little salt to the minced garlic and smash down with edge of knife to make a paste (the salt makes it easier to get into paste form). Add minced capers, chop, and more salt and smash again to form a paste. See the video above.
- In bowl add egg yolk, lemon, and mustard. Stir and then slowly whisk in the safflower oil until mayonnaise is thick. Keep adding oil if mayo is not thick. Add in caper/garlic paste, black pepper, and heavy whipping cream. Caesar dressing has a lot of black pepper. Don't be shy - add more if your tastebuds want it!
- Toss romaine with desired amount of dressing and add Parmesan cheese and croutons. Add sea salt and black pepper to taste. Happy Eating! Beckie
Notes
- Trying to save time? Buy pre-made croutons.
- Reserve the egg white and add it to your scrambled eggs the next day.
- Use water or milk instead of half and half if you are trying to save on calories.
- We throw our bread in the freezer if it's gonna go bad. Defrost later and make panko bread crumbs or use for croutons.
Absolutely delicious!!!
Thanks Maria 🙂