Caesar Salad is very popular. It has become a standard item on a lot of restaurant menus. It can be an appetizer, or, by adding chicken or shrimp, it can be turned into a complete meal.

The original recipe calls for a cooked dressing, and, in the original version, the salad was always served with anchovies! (I love the first three tiny bites of an anchovy. After that, it’s too much of a good thing!)

Today, Caesar Salad dressing is readily available on the grocery store shelves. Just add the dressing, some croutons and freshly grated parmesan cheese to Romaine lettuce and that’s the 2006 version of a “Classic Caesar Salad.”

Be sure to wash the Romaine lettuce and chop or tear it into bite-size pieces. Toss the greens with your favorite Caesar dressing. Sprinkle on some freshly grated parmesan cheese and top with some croutons.

There are several types of lettuce at the grocery store. Although lettuce doesn’t have a strong flavor, each type does have a different texture. Here are just a few types of lettuce you often see in the grocery store:

Crisphead/Ice Berg Lettuce is very crunchy. It is often shredded up and used as a topping on tacos. Or cut into wedges and served with blue cheese dressing.

Green leaf lettuce is my favorite. It’s bright green color and its curly ends look beautiful in a salad or sandwich. Red leaf looks just like green leaf but the edges are a deep burgundy color.

Bibb, Boston, or Butterhead lettuce is a very fragile lettuce. It has a lovely soft, delicate texture that is wonderful in salads.

Romaine/Cos lettuce has long leaves that just break off at the bottom. You wash and store it the same way you do all lettuce. Typically a Caesar salad is made with Romaine lettuce.

There are many, many more varieties of “greens” available at the grocery store!

Enjoy!

Vary proportions to your taste.

You can view and print this recipe here.

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