A delicious, crisp, iceberg Wedge Salad recipe topped with bacon crumbles, onion, tomatoes and a creamy homemade blue cheese dressing.
You can serve wedge salads as a side with just about any meal, like Braised short Ribs, Penne alla Vodka, or Chicken Piccata.
Whenever I’m ordering a side salad from a restaurant I always scan the menu for a wedge salad; they’re my favorite! Kind of ironic considering they are probably the cheapest, simplest thing on the menu, but, for some reason they seem “fancy” to me and I love seeing how they’re presented (plus, they’re DELICIOUS!).
This is the perfect salad for impressing guests, with little effort.
How to Cut a Wedge Salad:
Iceberg lettuce is used to make wedge salads because the leaves are compact and layered tightly together. For wedge salads, grab a whole head of iceberg lettuce and cut it in half, from the top down to the stem. Cut each halve again, to make 4 quarters of lettuce.
Rinse each quart of lettuce and gently shake off any excess water. Place them on a paper towel lined plate, or in a large bag with a paper towel to catch excess water, and store in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks. If any outer edges of the lettuce start to brown you can simply cut them off.
How to make a Wedge Salad:
Make the Blue Cheese Dressing: Add all of the blue cheese dressing ingredients to a bowl then stir well to combine. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. The dressing can be made up to 1 week in advance.
Cut Lettuce: Cut the iceberg lettuce in half then cut each of the halves again in half or thirds (depending on how big the head of lettuce is) to create “wedges”.
Add Toppings: Place wedges on individual plates then spoon dressing over lettuce. Garnish the iceberg wedge salad with bacon crumbles, chopped tomatoes, onion and blue cheese crumbles on top then season with fresh crushed black pepper, to taste.
Additional Toppings Ideas:
- Avocado
- Cucumber
- Olives
- Beets
- Croutons
- Other cheese varieties: parmesan, mozzarella, feta, gorgonzola, goat cheese.
- Nuts
- Berries
- Creamy Parmesan, Caesar, or Ranch Dressing instead of Blue Cheese Dressing.
- Protein: grilled chicken or steak.
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Recipe
Classic Wedge Salad
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 1 head iceberg lettuce
- 8 slices bacon , cooked, cooled and crumbled
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes , halved
- 1/2 cup red onion , chopped
- pecans , or walnuts, toasted (optional)
Easy Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing:
- 1 cup sour cream , light
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 3 Tablespoons buttermilk
- 3 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper , or to taste
- 4 ounces blue cheese , reserve a few spoonfuls for garnish
Instructions
- Add all of the dressing ingredients to a medium bowl and stir well to combine. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or can be made several days in advance.
- Cut the bacon into pieces and cook the bacon in a skillet until crisp. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels.
- Cut the iceberg lettuce in half. Cut each of the halves again in half or thirds (depending on how big the ice berg lettuce head is), to create "wedges". Place wedges on individual plates.
- To serve, spoon dressing over lettuce and then sprinkle the bacon crumbles, tomatoes, onion and blue cheese crumbles on top. Season with fresh crushed black pepper, to taste.
Notes
- Avocado
- Cucumber
- Olives
- Beets
- Croutons
- Other cheese varieties: parmesan, mozzarella, feta, gorgonzola, goat cheese.
- Nuts: pine nuts, almonds, etc.
- Berries
- Creamy parmesan or Caesar Dressing instead of Blue Cheese Dressing.
- Protein: grilled chicken or steak.
Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe May 2017. Updated August 2020 and August 2023.
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Restaurant quality wedge salad!!!
We love this salad. I made homemade Thousand Island dressing this time and homemade Ranch a other time. I know Blue Cheese is traditional, however, my husband doesn’t care for it. It’s a great salad.
how far in advance can i make the dressing
You can make the dressing up to 3-4 days in advance! Just keep it in an airtight container in the fridge, and give it a good stir before serving.
Hi 🙂 Looks so tasty! I wonder if there is any alternative to blue cheese if you can’t eat it. 🙂
Great classic salad. I followed the recipe exactly and it was a delicious addition to our special occasion dinner. The only observation I can make is that the recipe for (superb!) salad dressing made much more than necessary.
Enjoy your recipes very much!
This is a wonderful recipe; we have made it over and over. Good for a lunch main serving with a roll also.
You can also substitute feta for the blue cheese if you prefer. Slightly different, but also very good!
I am looking forward to making the blue cheese dressing from scratch. Just curious though, the recipe lists 8 servings, but the video indicates only four. Are you cutting each quarter in half again to get 8 servings from one head of lettuce?
I have made this recipe several times. I go with quarters (not eights). Dressing is perfect amount for the quarters. I hope this helps.