Perhaps the best salad of all time, and we have lightened it up. A Caesar Salad is such a classic! Crisp lettuce, shredded chicken and crunchy croutons, all smothered in a creamy dressing. Our Healthy Caesar Salad uses a homemade lighter dressing (made with yogurt) and homemade baked croutons. Still all of the flavour, with less calories and fat.
We can never have enough salad recipes in our life. Easy to throw together for a quick lunch, they have plenty of texture and flavour, and this Healthy Caesar Salad is one of our favourites. This is traditionally probably one of the most calorific salads that you can have, but with a few small swaps you can save yourself some calories.
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What Is Caesar Salad?
The creation of the Caesar Salad is generally credited to Caesar Cardini, a Mexican based Italian restaurateur. On 4th July 1924, Caesar's restaurant in Tijuana was running low on supplies, so he invented the salad with what he had left. And it's been a popular dish worldwide ever since.
The Caesar salad is a base of romaine lettuce and croutons dressed with lemon juice, olive oil, egg, Worcestershire sauce, anchovies, garlic, Dijon mustard, Parmesan cheese, and black pepper. Often sliced chicken is added.
Why should you try it?
- Only 229 calories per portion
- Good source of protein
- Really simple to make
- Easy to adapt
What you will need
- Romaine lettuce - Also known as Cos lettuce. This gives the salad a nice crunch, but any salad leaves can be used.
- Bread - Used to make the croutons. Shop bought croutons can be used instead if you want to save yourself some time.
- Chicken - You don't have to add chicken, but it makes it a more filling meal. We used some leftover chicken we had from our Whole Roast Chicken recipe. You could use a store bought rotisserie chicken, or even grill a chicken breast and slice it.
- Yogurt - This is the base of our Caesar dressing and makes it nice and creamy, without all the calories.
- Lemon - This helps to balance out the creaminess.
- Worcestershire sauce - A must when it comes to a Caesar salad dressing, and it adds so much flavour, and a bit of colour too.
- Olive oil - This helps to thin the dressing out. Use the best quality you can, as you really will be able to taste the difference.
- Mustard - Dijon mustard is what we used and it adds a nice subtle flavour to the dressing.
- Parmesan - Good quality authentic parmesan is important for this recipe, as you really will be able to taste the difference.
- Anchovies - We used anchovy fillets and chopped them up, however you could use anchovy paste.
Step by step
One: Put the cut bread onto a baking tray, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with oregano (and grated cheese if you wish). Bake at 200°C/400°F/Gas 6 for 8 minutes, or until crunchy.
Two: Mix all the ingredients for the dressing.
Three: Add the lettuce, chicken, croutons, cheese and dressing to a bowl. Mix well and serve.
Healthy Caesar Dressing
The key to making this a lighter version of the classic salad is the dressing. Traditionally made with mayo (or oil and egg), it makes it heavy on the calories. We have swapped it for a yoghurt based dressing, with a little oil to loosen it up. Once the lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, parmesan and anchovies are added, you really can't tell the difference.
Yes, this dressing has anchovies in it! We finely chop anchovy fillets, however you could stir in anchovy paste if you want them to be less noticeable. It really does take this dressing to another level though.
How to adapt it
Traditionally, the only salad item used in a Caesar Salad is just Romaine lettuce, but any salad items can be used. The great thing about a salad is that they are so easy to adapt. Some other ingredients that we love to add are tomatoes, cucumber, spinach. You could even add some sweetcorn to it for some extra crunch.
What to serve it with
Traditionally a Caesar Salad has croutons and here is a great recipe for them. Not just any croutons though - cheesy, herby croutons. They are so easy to make, and a great way to use up bread that is going a little stale.
Just take a couple of slices of bread and cut in to 1 inch cubes and scatter on a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan (or grated cheddar) and sprinkle with dried oregano.
Put them in a preheated oven at 180°C/350°F/Gas 4 for around 8 minutes.
FAQs
No, not traditionally. But this one is much lighter than ones you would get in restaurants. We have made our own oven baked croutons, and then we have made a dressing made with Greek yoghurt for creaminess.
We have added chicken to ours, but you could leave it out. To make the dressing vegetarian, you would need to leave out the anchovies, and use a vegetarian alternative to Worcestershire sauce and parmesan.
A salad that has been dressed is nearly impossible to keep fresh in the fridge for more than a few hours. Usually, the dressing will contain an acid, either vinegar or a citrus juice (or both) and it is this acid that breaks down the cell structure of the salad leaves. This releases the water within the leaves, resulting in a wet and wilted leaf.
As with most dressed salads, it is always best to eat immediately. If you want to keep this salad until the next day, store each part (salad, chicken, dressing) separately, in airtight containers. This way, you can have a Caesar Salad up to 3 days later.
Extra tips
- To make this salad vegetarian, leave out the chicken and use vegetarian alternatives to parmesan and Worcestershire sauce.
- Add some extra flavour by topping with chopped cooked bacon or even some avocado.
- If you are skipping the chicken, you can give this healthy caesar salad a protein boost with some slices of boiled egg.
- You can save some more calories by leaving our the croutons. But we like the crunch that it gives.
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Recipe
Healthy Caesar Salad
Ingredients
Salad:
- 150 g cooked chicken
- 1 romaine lettuce
Croutons:
- 1 slice wholewheat bread - cut into 1 inch squares
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
Dressing:
- 5 tablespoon 0% Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoon grated parmesan
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 3 anchovy fillets - finely chopped
- 1 lemon - (juice only)
Instructions
- Put the cut bread onto a baking tray, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with oregano (and grated cheese if you wish). Bake at 200°C/400°F/Gas 6 for 8 minutes, or until crunchy.
- Mix all the ingredients for the dressing.
- Add the lettuce, chicken, croutons and dressing to a bowl. Mix well and serve.
Notes
- To make this salad vegetarian, leave out the chicken and use vegetarian alternatives to parmesan and Worcestershire sauce.
- Add some extra flavour by topping with chopped cooked bacon or even some avocado.
- If you are skipping the chicken, you can give this healthy caesar salad a protein boost with some slices of boiled egg.
- You can save some more calories by leaving our the croutons. But we like the crunch that it gives.
Michelle
I love a good Caesar Salad, this one looks delicious. I really love how healthy it is!
Jenn
I love this recipe - it's so indulgent nobody knew it was a healthier version! It's a winner!
Beth Sachs
My favourite salad of all time. I love the use of 0% Greek Yogurt to cut the calories from the dressing.
Shalini
Love the recipe of this classic salad. I think I have all the ingredients at home. I will definitely be trying it.
Sharon
This is a delicious salad that is perfect for lunch or dinner. I love the homemade croutons for the top.
Rachael
I love the idea of making your own croutons. I'll have to try it next time. Thanks for the ideas for a lighter version of the classic recipe. I love traditional homemade Caesar dressing, but it can be quite heavy. Can't wait to try this!
Michelle | Sift & Simmer
Love a delicious chicken caesar salad -- this version looks amazing!
Andrea Metlika
Wow, homemade croutons and dressing. This is such a classic salad and this version is amazing!
Angela
A surprisingly easy recipe with all homemade components. Tasty!