The best Caesar salad salad means: fresh crisp romaine, topped with homemade croutons, Parmesan shavings and a creamy Caesar dressing (minus the anchovies)!

Caesar Salad with Homemade Caesar Dressing and Croutons l www.SimplyScratch.com (28)

It’s no secret that I love garlic.

Luckily I’m not one of those people who eat garlic and then goes on to sweat it out of their pores for the next week. Unless I am and I don’t know it? I mean, these days I’m only around my kids and well, they haven’t said anything. Uh-um I think I would know, right? Suddenly I’m feeling a little self conscious.

Really though, is there such thing as too much garlic? I’m going to have to say ah-no. Overly-garlic garlic bread doesn’t exist. Too much garlic in spaghetti sauce… no.such.thing. So of course when I found a giant clove of garlic attached to the bulb I was riddled with excitement and an “oh-heck-yes” tore from my mouth. I swear it you guys this thing was as big as my palm, but you’ll see in a few scrolls of the mouse.

The only thing I like more than garlic… is bread. So you’re probably not shocked that I love a salad that consists of lettuce, toasted bread cubes topped shavings of Parmesan and smothered in a garlicky Caesar dressing. I mean FOR REAL!

This isn’t called the best Caesar salad for nothing.

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I’ve made a creamy Caesar dressing a few years ago (and put it on a BLT club sandwich – whaaat?!). It was a classic version that calls for anchovies. Wouldn’t you know my family would NOT eat it once they found out I made it with anchovies. So since I was making spaghetti to go along with my Caesar salad, I wanted to make a Caesar dressing without anchovies. Worcestershire sauce is a great way to substitute that anchovieness… probably because it’s made from anchovies, but whatever… just don’t tell my family.

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I stopped into Kroger just to pick up some strawberries and there was this bin FILLED with purple-veined garlic. Even though I just bought a sleeve of garlic bulbs the other day, I couldn’t ignore PURPLE VEINED GARLIC? I had to have it. I’m ridiculous.

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I mean look at this sucker. It’s probably equivalent to two maybe three garlic cloves.

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Throw 1 to 2  garlic cloves (or more for a super garlicky dressing) into a small food processor and pulse until minced.

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Add in a cup of mayo. Homemade or store bought, it’s all up to you.

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Throw in a half teaspoon of ground mustard…

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1 HEAPING teaspoon of grainy Dijon.

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Two tablespoons of red wine vinegar…

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Right on into the processor…

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Two teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce.

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And about a half cup of freshly grated Parmesan. You know it’s legit parm with it has that rind.

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Throw that right on in with everything else.

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Secure the lid, turn that baby on and slowly drizzle in the 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil.

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Season with a 1/4 teaspoon of coarse black pepper and process again until smooth, scrape down the sides so you don’t miss out on any extra garlic. 😉

The Parmesan, in my opinion, adds the perfect amount of saltiness… but feel free to add salt if you think it needs it.

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I may or may not dip my french fries in Caesar dressing.

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Secure a tight fitting lid and refrigerate until ready to serve.

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So I’m obsessed with the bread. It’s made in Traverse City, Michigan so unless you’re from the mitten… you are out of luck! It’s worth the six dollars a loaf because there’s no doubt I won’t find a good way to use up every single slice and crumb. Like croutons.

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This is a seven grain loaf, so it adds good chewy texture and well 7 grains means its super healthy, right? Grab about five or six slices of your favorite bread.

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Cut in half…

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Then cube into bread, um, cubes.

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Pre cubes of toasty goodness.

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Throw them onto a rimmed sheet pan.

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Drizzle them with a good amount of olive oil. Don’t be shy, load’em up.

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Toss and season with pinches of kosher salt and black pepper. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 10-12 minutes until golden, crispy and perfect.

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Rinse a head of romaine under the faucet.

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Pat dry with paper towel. Give it a good, rough chop and throw it into your largest, most favorite bowl in the whole universe.

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Top it with all those yummy toasty croutons.

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And then top it with copious amounts of Parmesan cheese shavings.

Caesar Salad with Homemade Caesar Dressing and Croutons l www.SimplyScratch.com salad

So totally unassuming.

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But the best Caesar salad is so totally awesome.

Caesar Salad with Homemade Caesar Dressing and Croutons l www.SimplyScratch.com #recipe

Truthfully this salad is all about the dressing.

And the healthy croutons.

Duh.

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#theperfectbite

Enjoy! And if you give this recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!

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Yield: 6 servings

Caesar Salad with Homemade Caesar Dressing

The best caesar salad salad means: fresh crisp romaine, topped with homemade croutons, Parmesan shavings and a creamy Caesar dressing (minus the anchovies)!

Ingredients

  • 1 to 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 cup mayonnaise, homemade or store bought
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
  • 1 heaping teaspoon grainy Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus two tablespoons, divided
  • 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper, plus two pinches, divided
  • 6 slices crusty bread, cut into cubes
  • kosher salt
  • 1 large head romaine lettuce
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese shavings, more or less

Instructions 

  • In a small food processor, pulse the garlic until minced.
  • Add in the mayo, ground mustard, Dijon, vinegar, Worcestershire and Parmesan. Secure the lid and slowly pour in the olive oil. Season with a 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper and pulse until combined. Pour in a container with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate until ready to serve.
  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Cut the bread into cubes, place on a rimmed sheet pan and toss with olive oil, two pinches of kosher salt and black pepper. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden and crispy. Remove and let cool.
  • Wash, dry and chop the romaine. Place the lettuce into a large bowl and top with the cooled croutons and Parmesan shavings.
  • Plate and serve with the homemade Caesar dressing and more black pepper if desired.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 593kcal, Carbohydrates: 41g, Protein: 14g, Fat: 42g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 18g, Monounsaturated Fat: 14g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 26mg, Sodium: 790mg, Potassium: 384mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 9219IU, Vitamin C: 5mg, Calcium: 212mg, Iron: 4mg