Wedge Salad
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Undeniably retro yet still fresh, the classic wedge salad with blue cheese dressing is a steakhouse mainstay.
I cut my teeth in the restaurant business at a fine dining steakhouse in Washington, DC, where the classic wedge salad was a permanent fixture on the menu. Composed of crisp wedges of iceberg lettuce lavishly drizzled with blue cheese dressing and topped with crumbled bacon, cherry tomatoes, and chives, the wedge has long been a steakhouse mainstay. The salad first gained popularity in the late 1950s and has enjoyed a comeback in recent years. Contemporary chefs often add their own unique spin on it, but the retro version stands the test of time.
Not only does the wedge salad make an effortless weeknight dinner, but it’s also easy to prepare for a crowd when hosting. Served family-style on a platter, it makes a truly impressive presentation. Pair the wedge salad with steaks, grilled chicken, or just good crusty bread.
Table of Contents
“Wonderful! My husband loves a wedge salad and often orders one when we go out for dinner. He was very happy with this one!”
What You’ll Need To Make Wedge Salad
- Bacon: Adds smoky flavor and crispy texture to the salad.
- Iceberg Lettuce: Classic base providing cool crispness and freshness.
- Grape or Cherry Tomatoes: Adds bursts of sweetness and color contrast.
- Fresh Minced Chives: Provides a fresh, mild onion flavor and a pop of green color to both the salad and the dressing.
- Buttermilk: Adds tanginess and a velvety creaminess to the dressing.
- Mayonnaise: Provides richness and helps emulsify the dressing.
- Sour Cream: Provides a tangy zing and enhances the dressing’s rich texture.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Adds acidity for balance and brightness.
- Garlic: Infuses the dressing with savory flavor.
- Salt and Pepper: Enhances overall seasoning of the dressing and brings out the flavor of the other ingredients
- Crumbled Blue Cheese: Signature flavor element, adding creamy, tangy richness to the dressing and the salad when sprinkled on top.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Cook the Bacon
I use the oven method to cook the bacon, which is the way to go when you’re cooking more than just a few slices. Simply lay the slices of bacon on a lined baking sheet (I use both foil and parchment for easy clean up and to prevent sticking).
Bake in a 400°F-oven for 14 to 18 minutes for regular bacon and 18 to 20 minutes for thick-cut bacon, rotating the baking sheet from front to back midway through cooking.
Remove the bacon from the oven and, using tongs, transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate.
Step 2: Make the Blue Cheese Dressing
Combine the buttermilk, mayonnaise, sour cream, apple cider vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.
Whisk to combine.
Stir in the blue cheese crumbles and chives. (Alternatively, if you’d prefer a smooth dressing with a more uniform blue cheese flavor, you can blend all of the ingredients except the chives in a food processor, and then stir in the chives.)
Step 3: Assemble the Salad
Cut the head of iceberg into wedges.
Slice the tomatoes and chives.
On a platter or individual plates, spoon the desired amount of dressing on each wedge (you may have some dressing leftover). Top with a quarter of the bacon pieces, tomatoes, chives, and crumbled blue cheese. The easiest way to eat a wedge salad is with a fork and knife.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. And if you have any left over after serving the salads, blue cheese dressing can also be used as a delicious dipping sauce for veggies, chicken wings, or as a flavorful spread on burgers or sandwiches.
While iceberg lettuce is the classic choice for a wedge salad, feel free to switch it up based on your preferences or what you have on hand. Romaine or even butter lettuce can work well, but keep in mind that iceberg will give you the crispiest texture.
You can definitely cook the bacon in advance! Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days and when you’re ready to serve the salad, simply briefly reheat the bacon in the oven or microwave to crisp it back up
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Wedge Salad
Undeniably retro yet still fresh, the classic wedge salad with blue cheese dressing is a steakhouse mainstay.
Ingredients
- 8 slices bacon
- 1 head chilled iceberg lettuce, cut into quarters, cored, and any limp outer leaves removed
- 2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, cut into halves
- 2 tablespoons fresh minced chives
For the Blue Cheese Dressing
- ⅔ cup buttermilk
- ¾ cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann’s or Duke’s
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¾ cup crumbled blue cheese plus more for sprinkling over the salad
- 2 tablespoons fresh minced chives
Instructions
- Cook the bacon: Preheat the oven to 400°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a 13 x 18-inch rimmed baking sheet with heavy-duty wide aluminum foil so that there is some overhang on all sides (this prevents the grease from getting onto the baking sheet), then cover with a sheet of parchment paper. Lay the slices of bacon on the baking sheet and bake for 14 to 18 minutes for regular bacon and 18 to 20 minutes for thick-cut bacon, rotating the baking sheet from front to back midway through cooking.
- Carefully remove the bacon from the oven and, using tongs, transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate or cutting board.
- Make the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk the buttermilk, mayonnaise, sour cream, apple cider vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper. Make sure your blue cheese is crumbled into small pieces. Add to the mixture along with the chives and stir to combine. To incorporate some of the blue cheese crumbles more thoroughly, use the back of a spoon to mash them against the sides of the bowl, and then stir again. (Alternatively, if you want the dressing completely smooth, blend all of the ingredients except for the chives in a food processor, then stir in the chives.)
- To serve, on a platter or individual plates, spoon the desired amount of dressing over each wedge (you will likely have some dressing leftover). Top with a quarter of the bacon crumbles, tomatoes, crumbled blue cheese, and chives. The easiest way to eat a wedge salad is with a fork and knife.
- Note: If you have additional dressing, will keep nicely, refrigerated in an airtight container, for up to a week.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 584
- Fat: 29 g
- Saturated fat: 11 g
- Carbohydrates: 3 g
- Sugar: 2 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Sodium: 558 mg
- Cholesterol: 42 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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This recipe has fulfilled a dream, to make a blue cheese dressing recipe in Australia with local ingredients that mirrors my American childhood memories of wedge salad. It’s perfect, my taste buds thank you, it’s a winner and a keeper.
This was the best bleu cheese dressing I have ever made. It was nice and thick and clung to the wedges of iceberg lettuce. I will make this again and again.
Wonderful! My husband loves a wedge salad and often orders one when we out for dinner. He as very happy with this one! Ended up with lots of extra dressing as I made the full recipe and only needed enough for two. I think next time I will add a bit more blue cheese to the dressing as I like a strong flavor. Looking forward to using it with some shrimp or chicken as a main course salad using romaine lettuce.
Jen, followed the dressing recipe exactly and it was perfect and so delicious. Did lettuce slices, much like larger disks and modified the toppings a bit. Still pretty much the same. This will become a recipe of the week for me and I’ll give you a shout on Instagram and the ROTW when I publish it.
Hi Jenn–I love this classic salad, but two aspects of prep that I couldn’t figure out (and which I hope you would generously share your technique as a master chef). First, how do you wash the lettuce but still keep it together as a wedge? Can I dry it in a salad spinner after washing? Second, do you cut off the hard stem or leave it in place? When I cut it off and when I had washed and dried the lettuce it lost the nice tight wedge which makes for a beautiful presentation. Any help and guidance you can provide is so greatly appreciated—Thank you for all of your wonderful recipes—this was truly delicious and the dressing is fantastic—but I would love to have a nice ‘old school’ presentation on a platter as you showed
Glad you like the salad! Regarding washing it, iceberg is usually wrapped in plastic and pretty clean. I simply rinse the outer leaves. and I don’t cut off the hard stem. I figure that it will be cut into 4 pieces and people will cut around it when they’re eating. Hope that helps!
I hold the whole head under cold running water. Drain it off and wrap in a paper towel, pop into a plastic bag, put into the vegetable drawer and cut it when ready to serve.
To allow better penetration of the dressing into the wedge, simply make a series of partial cuts across the wedge before adding the dressing.
I made the wedge salad yesterday, it was great! Tonight I’m trying your Cobb salad recipe! I want to say I love your recipes, I think the picture of ingredients you use is super helpful, I have tried other recipes as well and have added all to my favorites. Thank you for all the work you put into them.Mary
We had the Wedge Salad for dinner tonight and everyone loved every bite! I made shrimp and garlic bread to go with it but it would have been plenty all by itself. It was beautiful and delicious! Thank you for yet another fabulous recipe.
The dressing is the BOMB! My boyfriend said the salad was restaurant quality, and I agree. Another great recipe from Jenn!! Highly recommend!!
I made this for lunch today and it was delicious! I took a shortcut and used Costco real bacon bits because I didn’t have any other bacon on hand. I also used lowfat mayo and sour cream and it still turned out great. This is a beautiful salad on the plate. I think the iceberg lettuce has a crisp, delicate, refreshing taste that is the perfect pairing with the rich, indulgent dressing and salty bacon. Can’t wait to have the leftover dressing on another salad tomorrow.
Oh Jenn!!!
This is absolutely gorgeous! It’s true, we do first eat with our eyes; I actually salivated! Will buy ingredients next time I’m at the grocery store – I can’t wait! Thank you for all of your wonderful recipes!
PS – Rating is for the “eye candy”, I have not made it yet.
Hey Jenn, I have no doubt this recipe is fantastic. However, both my husband and I are card-carrying Blue Cheese Dislikers. 😉 Would feta instead of the blue cheese work? Or do you have something else you’d recommend? Thanks in advance!
Hi Andrea, I think buttermilk ranch dressing and cheddar or avocado (or both!) would be delicious here. Green goddess with avocado would also be really good.
Do you wash the lettuce? If so, how do you do it?
Hi David, It usually comes wrapped in plastic, so I just rinse the outer layer before removing any wilted leaves and coring it.
I love this recipe. Brings back happy memories.
Jenn I am so confused why anyone would bring back this recipe without changing the lettuce.
Nutritionally speaking, romaine is deemed superior to iceberg. Romaine is packed with nutrients, including vitamins A and C, and good amounts of folic acid and magnesium. Head lettuce has never offered any nutritional value. So why stop at changing the dressing…change the lettuce and offer a more nutritional value. Romaine taste so much better.
Good morning Marlene,
If this recipe isn’t for you, you don’t need to bother to make it. But for many of us, we enjoy Jenn sharing her talent : baking & cooking experiences, including the recipes.
While iceberg may not reign superior regarding nutrition, there are worse things out there…..and sometimes nothing beats a classic.
It sounds like you have a handle on making this in a way you feel good about. In the meantime, I’m grateful for Jenn’s cookbooks,her website & sharing all her knowledge.
I gave this 5 Star because like everything else from Jenn, it’s outstanding.
Thanks,
Lisa
Respectfully Marlene, that is a fallacy that head lettuce has no nutritional value. In fact, scientists & dietician’s have completely debunked the idea of it having no nutritional value. This was delicious AND nutritious! Thanks again Jenn for such a delicious recipe!
we grow our own iceberg. along with kale, spinach, brussel sprouts and the dreaded kohlrabi to name a few extremely “healthy” veg. we also hunt our own bacon. lecturing someone on the merits of romaine while adding blue cheese and bacon to a rare indulgence comes across as high and mighty. don’t like the ingredient choice find another recipe. or sub without the negative comments.
Thank you. I was wondering how the restaurants get their wedges to be so crisp and cold? I think that’s really the main trick to a good wedge salad.
Hi Anne, the key to that is to keep the wedges of lettuce in the fridge right up until you’re ready to top them with the other ingredients. Hope you enjoy if you try it!
Hi Jenn!
I think your recipes and both cookbooks are fabulous! However…..I’m always reducing fat amounts or substituting healthier fats to make them much more healthy. Have you considered recipe development that is moderate with the saturated fat content? I’m not talking about no fat or low fat recipes, just healthy or more moderate amounts of fat! That includes your baking recipes – they are delicious but not necessarily healthy or moderate with saturated fat content.
Hi Diana, Thanks for your support of the cookbooks and nice words about the recipes – so glad you like them! I do try to achieve a balance when developing recipes and have some that are indulgent as well as some that are healthier with lower amounts of fat. I will keep your request in mind though, as I continue to develop new recipes – thanks for the feedback!
Hi Jenn,
I hope this doesn’t get sent twice…I started it & it disappeared 😬
Anyway! I’m writing w/a request:
Please refrain from turning your website into a “diet” one. I’ve read where some have asked you to “offer healthier” recipes. Overall, your recipes are fine as they are. And indulging occasionally is good for the soul! I have both your books, and I truly look forward to opening your emails and reading through the list of recipes being offered.
Making substitutions is INCREDIBLY EASY for those who feel they need to. But I’m asking you to please keep everything as is-I think there are many of us who recognize the balance you have achieved in your recipes. I also love when you provide your personal & professional experiences related to the variety of recipes. With the craziness of the last few years and I suppose where the world remains, your books & website is a comforting departure I look forward to.
Thanks!
Lisa
I agree with you Lisa! If you’re looking for healthy recipes, I suggest buying a weight watchers cookbook. Don’t change your ingredients Jenn!
Do you need to wash the lettuce? If so, how?
Hi David, Iceberg is usually wrapped in plastic and pretty clean. I simply rinse the outer leaves.