Wedge Salad

This post may contain affiliate sales links. Please read my disclosure policy.

This Wedge Salad recipe is the perfect side dish or light main course. Made with iceberg lettuce, bacon, tomatoes, blue cheese, hard boiled egg, and drizzled with homemade blue cheese dressing and a balsamic reduction, you will fall in love with this traditional steakhouse salad. So delicious served with Steak and Baked Potatoes.

What is a Wedge Salad?

A Wedge Salad is probably one of the simplest salads you can make. It’s literally a head of iceberg lettuce cut into 4, drenched in some dressing, a bunch of toppings thrown on top, and a tasty balsamic reduction glaze drizzled over everything. And good grief it’s amazing. Traditionally, it has bacon, blue cheese dressing and tomatoes. I include all those delicious toppings plus a few extra to make it more filling and take it to next level. Perfect salad for lunch or side salad for dinner.

Never before have I felt this strongly about a salad. Well, that’s not exactly true…here are some other salads I LOVE: Kale Salad with White Balsamic Maple Dressing, Strawberry Spinach Salad with Bacon, Southwest Chicken Chopped Salad Recipe, and Corn, Peach & Basil Burrata Salad.

How to Make a Wedge Salad

Here are all of the nitty-gritty details on how to make this amazing wedge salad. For full recipe details, see the printable recipe card down below.

Clean and Cut Iceberg Lettuce

Take a whole head of lettuce and remove any wilting or brown leaves from the exterior. Hold the entire head of lettuce core side down and give it a few good bangs on the counter to loosen the core. Use your fingers to wiggle out and remove the center core. Fill the entire head of lettuce with cold water to rinse all the interior leaves. Since it grows like a cabbage or onion, all the layers will get rinsed! After it is filled with water, rinse the exterior. Dump out all the water you can and shake out any excess. Leave it facing down on a clean kitchen towel to drain for 5-10 minutes.

Cut the entire head in half then cut one half in half again, making 2 individual wedges. Place each wedge, curve side down on a plate.

Can I grill my lettuce?

Yes, you absolutely can! I love a good charred look and taste. To grill your lettuce cut and clean as usual. Drizzle on some olive oil then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill for a couple of minutes on each flat side until desired char is achieved.

Make the Blue Cheese Dressing

In a small bowl, whisk Greek yogurt, sour cream, mayonnaise, milk, Worcestershire, blue cheese crumbles, white balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper together. Set aside.

Can I use Store Bought Dressing?

Yes, you absolutely can! Try Bolthouse Blue Cheese or Ranch Dressing. Those are some of my favorites, found in the refrigerated section in the grocery store, by the produce and bagged salads.

Make Balsamic Reduction

In a small sauce pot, combine dark balsamic vinegar and honey. Simmer on low for about 5 minutes, swirling pan to prevent burning. Remove from heat once balsamic has reduced and become thick.

Assemble Your Salad

On two dinner plates, place wedges of iceberg lettuce, cut side up. Drizzle generously with dressing. Top with bacon, eggs, tomatoes, extra blue cheese and chives. Drizzle a small amount of the balsamic reduction on each salad. Serve.

Toppings

Here is a list of what I used for my wedge salad:

• Bacon – Glorious bacon! The perfect salty compliment to everything else on this salad. Plus here’s a helpful how-to on cooking bacon in the oven.
• Hard-Boiled Eggs – A classic addition to any salad recipe.
• Grape Tomatoes – Adds color with sweet juicy flavor.
• Blue Cheese Crumbles – Warning, if you don’t like blue cheese this recipe might not be for you. You can also use feta, goat cheese or grated cheddar.
• Chives & Black Pepper – for a nice garnish, but totally optional.

More Topping Ideas

You don’t have to just use the toppings I used! Feel free to customize this wedge salad to your liking. Here are a few ideas: nuts, candied nuts, carrots, olives, artichoke hearts, sesame seeds, red onion, roasted red peppers, fried onions, cucumber, sprouts, chickpeas, avocado, and whatever else your little heart desires!

How to Eat a Wedge Salad

I usually tackle a wedge salad with a steak knife and fork. Having a large enough (and sharp enough) knife is key. Cut off a small chunk, then stab away at the toppings you’d like in a bite. It’s kinda like making a chopped salad right on your plate.

What to Serve with a Wedge Salad

A good wedge salad is perfectly paired with a meaty main dish! It is more of a steakhouse recipe, so obviously served with steak and/or baked potatoes would be my first choice. Here are a few more ideas though:

• Garlic Steak
• Perfect Stovetop Steak and Baked Potatoes
• French Onion Chicken
• Smothered Baked Pork Chops
• Turkey Meatloaf
• Baked Salmon with Garlic Butter Breadcrumbs

How to Store Cut Lettuce + Keep it Crisp

Using fresh and cold iceberg lettuce is the best way to make and keep a crispy salad! After you have washed the entire head of lettuce, save it (or any leftover portion of it) by wrapping the cut side in paper towel and storing in a gallon size zip top bag. Remove as much water as possible before storage and keep it cut side (or core side) down so it can continue to drain. It should stay fresh for up to 1 week.

More Salad Recipes to Try!

• Pear Salad
• Strawberry Salad
• Cucumber Tomato Salad
• Classic Caesar Salad
• Caprese Salad

If you are obsessed with wedge salads as much as I am, then this recipe is going out to you! And if you think you don’t like a wedge salad, I’d ask you to give this one a try with all the goodies on top and see how you REALLY feel about it. I promise that it’s tastier than you think.

Have a lovely day, friends!!

PrintPrint Pin ItPin It

5 from 12 votes

Wedge Salad

A Wedge Salad with low fat blue cheese dressing and copious toppings is the perfect side that goes with almost any dinner.

servings 2 servings

Prep Time 15 mins

Total Time 15 mins

Ingredients

for the dressing-

• ▢ 1/4 cup greek yogurt plain, or low-fat
• ▢ 3 tablespoons sour cream or low-fat
• ▢ 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• ▢ 3 tablespoons milk
• ▢ dash Worcestershire
• ▢ 1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles
• ▢ 2 teaspoons white balsamic vinegar
• ▢ salt & pepper to taste

for the wedge salads-

• ▢ 1 head iceberg lettuce cut into 4 {but we’re only using 2)
• ▢ 1/3 cup bacon cooked and crumbled
• ▢ 4 hard boiled eggs chopped into pieces
• ▢ 10 grape tomatoes sliced in half
• ▢ extra blue cheese crumbles 1-2 tablespoons per salad
• ▢ chives for garnish

for the balsamic reduction drizzle-

• ▢ 1/4 cup dark balsamic vinegar
• ▢ 1 tbsp honey

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Take a whole head of lettuce and remove any wilting or brown leaves from the exterior. Hold the entire head of lettuce core side down and give it a few good bangs on the counter to loosen the core. Use your fingers to wiggle out the center core. Fill the entire head of lettuce with cold water to rinse all the interior leaves. Since it grows like a cabbage or onion, all the layers will get rinsed! After it is filled with water, rinse the exterior. Dump out all the water you can and shake out any excess. Leave it facing down on a clean kitchen towel to drain for 5-10 minutes.

  Cut the entire head in half then cut one half in half again, making 2 individual wedges. Place each wedge, curve side down on a plate. Save the other half head of lettuce by wrapping the cut side in paper towel and storing in a gallon size zip top bag.
• In a small bowl, whisk all ingredients for the dressing together. Set aside.
• In a small sauce pot, combine dark balsamic vinegar and honey. Simmer on low for about 5 minutes, swirling pan to prevent burning. Remove from heat once balsamic has reduced and become thick.
• On two dinner plates, place wedges of iceberg lettuce, cut side up. Drizzle generously with dressing. Top with bacon, eggs, tomatoes, extra blue cheese and chives. Drizzle a small amount of the balsamic reduction on each salad. Serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 201kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 202mg | Sodium: 250mg | Potassium: 420mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1430IU | Vitamin C: 9.6mg | Calcium: 134mg | Iron: 1.3mg

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Lettuce Wedge, Wedge Salad, Wedge Salad Recipe