Wedge Salad

This easy wedge salad is all about the toppings! Crisp iceberg lettuce covered with savory bacon, crunchy walnuts, tangy red onions and blue cheese crumbles, sweet dried cranberries, and creamy ranch dressing, with a maple balsamic glaze that takes it over the top. Don’t be surprised if your family starts requesting SALAD for dinner!

Fact: I big fat puffy heart love salads. Panzanella (with Homemade Caesar Dressing) is my go-to when we have bread about to go stale, and in early fall I like Spinach with Squash and Apples.

Even when we go out to eat, 9 times out of 10 I order a salad (and it drives my husband nuts).

This year I added a yummy wedge salad to our weekly salad rotation and the whole family is raving. Could it be the bacon crumbles? Or the blue cheese? Or perhaps it’s the maple balsamic glaze?

Let’s call it all of the above because really, that’s what a wedge salad is about: all the toppings.

WEDGE SALAD RECIPE INGREDIENTS

Without the toppings, a wedge salad is just plain iceberg lettuce. I don’t know if you’ve ever done a taste test with lettuce before, but I have and let me say this: iceberg normally loses.

It’s not buttery and silky like bibb lettuce. It’s not peppery like arugula and it lacks the mild yet classic taste of green leaf lettuce.

Iceberg lettuce, all by itself, is incredibly plain. However, it’s very crisp and super affordable, and because it doesn’t have an overpowering flavor, it’s the perfect lettuce for this wedge salad recipe, because iceberg wedge salad is all about the toppings.

WALNUTS

I used classic chopped walnuts for this salad because that’s what I have in my pantry right now. I opted not to toast them for the sake of time (and I’m assuming you don’t want to bother with toasting the walnuts either, right?), but I recommend giving them a quick chop with your knife if they’re not already in small pieces.

BACON

Whoever said bacon is only for breakfast was obviously just kidding, so we’re proudly cooking it up for dinner. I normally save my bacon grease for future cooking, but anytime I cook bacon for dinner I intentionally use my cast iron skillet for two reasons:

1. It’s a natural way (and my preferred method) to properly care for cast iron.
2. Leftover bacon grease in a cast iron skillet makes for amazing fried potatoes for breakfast the next morning.

You can also cook the bacon in the oven if you prefer and chop it up afterward.

BLUE CHEESE

I used to have this thing against eating blue cheese. Even though it’s safe, eating mold is still weird to me. But with this salad, I can get past that and eat it up, because blue cheese is gosh darn amazing.

I should admit though that I usually substitute Gorgonzola for blue cheese because it’s more affordable. Just one of my tricks for saving on cheese.

DRIED CRANBERRIES

Kind of sweet and definitely tart, dried cranberries complement the savory taste of bacon and blue cheese SO well that I cannot imagine serving this wedge salad without them. Plus, they’re red and festive and the kids love them (as do the parents).

RED ONION

Aside from the iceberg lettuce itself, the red onion is the only other “fresh” ingredient in the salad so again I don’t recommend skipping it. Red onion has a peppery hot flavor, and I like it both thinly sliced or finely diced, depending on my mood that day.

DRESSINGS

Let’s not forget about the dressings now either.

A classic wedge salad is served with creamy blue cheese dressing, but I found that on top of chunky pieces of blue cheese, it was just a bit too much for me. Instead, I really like Homemade Ranch Dressing on my wedge salads. It’s cool and refreshing with a nice tang from the dill, and it complements the existing flavors rather than covering them up. Buttermilk ranch would be exceptionally good too!

Note: If you’re dairy-free, try this easy Dairy-Free Ranch Dressing made with Homemade Mayonnaise!

Finally, we’re topping this wedge salad with a drizzle of maple balsamic glaze, and a serious hat tip goes to my assistant Heather for suggesting this idea.

This glaze is 2 parts balsamic vinegar and 1 part maple syrup, reduced to a thick, caramelly syrup that hides in the crevices of the lettuce. You haven’t tried a wedge salad unless you’ve had it with the glaze, my friends.

HOW TO MAKE WEDGE SALAD

Step 1: Roughly chop the bacon into small pieces and cook in a skillet over medium-low heat, turning and stirring now and then to ensure the bacon cooks evenly and doesn’t burn.

Step 2: Meanwhile, measure vinegar and maple syrup in a small saucepan and bring just to a simmer. Allow the glaze to cook while the bacon cooks. The glaze is done when it coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Step 3: Meanwhile, prepare your head of iceberg lettuce. Remove the outer leaves and cut out the core. Cut into 4 wedges, cutting each wedge in half. Divide between four dinner plates.

Step 4: Slice the red onion thinly or dice it.

Step 5: Top the lettuce wedges evenly with red onion, chopped walnuts, cheese, and dried cranberries.

Step 6: When the bacon is done, remove it from the skillet with a slotted spoon and top the salads.

Step 7: Drizzle the wedge salads with Homemade Ranch Dressing and glaze.

WEDGE SALAD RECIPE TIPS

You can prep and serve this wedge salad without making a mess or the toppings falling off the plate:

• Cut big lettuce wedges into smaller wedges. Part of the fun of a wedge salad is cutting the lettuce, but every time I try that with a big wedge, I make a huge mess. Simple workaround: cut the wedge into two smaller wedges for each plate.
• Keep the toppings small. This is part of the beauty of a wedge salad too, but it’s also for functionality. Big toppings will get flipped off the plate or tossed across the room by accident. Keep them small and they’ll stick to the dressing that’s on the plate. (The only exception is the slices of red onion, and you should put those on first so they’re underneath the other toppings).
• Prep the salad components ahead for a crazy fast dinner. The bacon and maple balsamic glaze can both be made ahead of time, reducing time in the kitchen. In fact, you can also cut the lettuce into wedges ahead of time. If you do all three, dinner prep will literally take 5 minutes, tops.
• Store toppings separately. For lunch the next day, pack the lettuce (pre-chopped) separately from the toppings. You can mix the dressing and glaze together to save a container. When you’re ready for lunch, just mix it all up and shake well (with the lid on, mind you).

WHAT TO SERVE WITH ICEBERG SALAD WEDGE

This iceberg salad wedge is delicious and filling on its own, but if your family members don’t believe a salad is a full meal, you can pair it with any of these:

• Have Light and Fluffy Hawaiian Rolls on the side
• Include Sourdough Bread or Rosemary Olive Oil Bread and a big slathering of butter
• Eat with a creamy soup, like Tomato Basil Soup or Butternut Squash Soup
• Pair with sandwiches, like this Mediterranean Grilled Cheese
• Add Crispy Baked Potato Wedges to your plate
• Serve alongside some delicious marinated and grilled chicken or steak

WEDGE SALAD RECIPE FAQS

YUMMY WEDGE SALAD

Adding one meatless meal to the weekly meal plan helps reduce the budget. (And this salad does have bacon, so maybe we’ll just count it as less meat rather than meatless…)

This recipe is featured in my FREE monthly meal plans! Take a peek at a few of them:

Clean Eating Meal Plan for March // Healthy Fall Dinner Ideas for October // 50+ No-Cook Meals for Summer

MORE DELICIOUS SALADS

• Easy Caprese Salad
• Kale Salad with Strawberries, Pecans, and Blue Cheese
• Sweet Kale Salad (Costco Copycat)
• Buffalo Chicken Salad
• Cranberry Apple Spinach Salad
• Crunchy Vegetable Quinoa Salad