Caesar salads are a favorite in our house. They're crisp, flavorful, and super versatile. We love them as a side dish, but more often than not, I'll top ours with grilled chicken, shrimp, steak, or salmon and call it dinner. It's one of those meals that feels a little fancy, but takes almost no time at all.
Instead of making the traditional Caesar dressing with raw egg and anchovies, I've come up with a shortcut version that's just as delicious and way easier to throw together. It comes together in minutes, all in one Mason jar, and keeps in the fridge for up to a week-perfect for busy weeknights or RV travel.
To turn this into a quick and easy weeknight meal, you just need to do some preparation in advance.
What is a Caesar salad?
A classic Caesar salad usually includes romaine lettuce, croutons, and a creamy dressing made with olive oil, lemon juice, egg yolk, Parmesan cheese, and seasonings. It's a timeless recipe for a reason-and with just a few tweaks, it can easily become a weeknight staple.
Let's gather up the ingredients
Organizing all of your ingredients ahead of time not only streamlines the cooking process but also ensures you have everything required to complete the dish successfully. You can find the exact ingredient amounts in the recipe card below.
- Romaine Lettuce- I prefer Romaine hearts for their crunch. If you're using whole heads, save the outer leaves for sandwiches or burgers.
- Fresh Parmesan Cheese- Buy the wedge if you can. Grate some for the dressing and use a veggie peeler for those big, beautiful shavings on top.
- Fresh Garlic- Thinly sliced
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- French Baguette- Cut into cubes for homemade croutons. Sourdough works well too.
Make the croutons
Homemade croutons are a game-changer. They're golden, garlicky, and take this salad to the next level.
Cut your bread into ¾- to 1-inch cubes and place them in a large mixing bowl.
In a small saucepan over low heat, add ¼ cup olive oil and your sliced garlic. Let the garlic gently sizzle until just golden. Remove and discard the garlic slices-they've done their job.
Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan and melt into the garlic-infused oil.
Pour the mixture over the bread cubes and toss to coat evenly. Season with salt, pepper, and herbs like oregano or parsley if you like.
Spread the cubes out on a sheet pan and bake at 400°F for about 10 minutes, or until golden and slightly firm. For extra crispy croutons, bake a few minutes longer.
Let them cool completely before storing in a zip-top bag. (And yes, they're also amazing in tomato soup!)
Prep the lettuce
Trim the ends off your Romaine hearts.
Slice each heart lengthwise into quarters, then chop into bite-sized pieces.
Store the lettuce in a lidded bowl or zip-top bag in the fridge. This makes it easy to grab and toss together whenever you're ready to eat.
* If you're cooking in an RV with limited fridge space, the bag option is a lifesaver.
Assemble Your Easy Caesar Salad
When it's time to eat:
Add your homemade croutons and top with shaved Parmesan.
Add your prepped lettuce to a large mixing bowl.
Pour in your Shortcut Caesar Dressing (as much or as little as you like).
Toss well to coat-if your bowl has a lid, just give it a good shake.
Tip: Use a vegetable peeler to make big curls of cheese straight from the wedge. It looks great and adds a pop of flavor.
Make It a Full Meal
This salad is perfect alongside something cozy like:
- Or just top it with leftover grilled chicken, salmon, or shrimp for a satisfying all-in-one dinner.
Weeknight Dinner Made Easy
This Easy Caesar Salad comes together in minutes when you've done a little weekend prep. It's one of my favorite ways to pull together a quick meal. Whether you're at home or parked at a lakeside campground, it's a recipe you'll come back to again and again.
More Recipes To Try
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
I'd love to know how it turned out! Leave a review or snap a quick photo and tag me on Facebook.
Every time you share one of my recipes, it helps me grow this blog-and I'm so grateful for your support.
As always, I will be back next week with more delicious recipes from my RV kitchen to yours!
Simple Caesar Salad
Ingredients
- 2 Romaine Hearts
- Fresh Parmesan cheese shavings Use your vegetable peeler to peel the shavings directly from the wedge
- 1 Baguette, cut into 1-inch cubes Or whatever bread you prefer
- 2-3 cloves Garlic, sliced
- ¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup Prepared Caesar dressing Or as much as you like
- Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
Make the croutons
- Cut your bread into ¾- to 1-inch cubes and place them in a large mixing bowl.
- In a small saucepan over low heat, add ¼ cup olive oil and your sliced garlic. Let the garlic gently sizzle until just golden. Remove and discard the garlic slices-they've done their job.
- Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan and melt into the garlic-infused oil.
- Pour the mixture over the bread cubes and toss to coat evenly. Season with salt, pepper, and herbs like oregano or parsley if you like.
- Spread the cubes out on a sheet pan and bake at 400°F for about 10 minutes, or until golden and slightly firm. For extra crispy croutons, bake a few minutes longer.
Prep the lettuce
- Trim the ends off your Romaine hearts.
- Slice each heart lengthwise into quarters, then chop into bite-sized pieces.
- Store the lettuce in a lidded bowl or zip-top bag in the fridge. This makes it easy to grab and toss together whenever you're ready to eat.
Assemble Your Easy Caesar Salad
- Add your prepped lettuce to a large mixing bowl.
- Pour in your Shortcut Caesar Dressing (as much or as little as you like).
- Toss well to coat-if your bowl has a lid, just give it a good shake.
- Add your homemade croutons and top with shaved Parmesan.
Julia says
This salad was amazing! It had everything a good caesar salad should have and simply delicious!
Shelby says
Homemade croutons took this salad to the next level! So good!
Neha says
Sounds like an easy and yummy salad recipe! Love your spin on caesar dressing too, need to try it out.
justin says
Super easy directions for the dressing, will make again.
Glenda says
A delicious classic! I love how quick and easy this salad is to toss together.
Kerri says
Caesar salad is my favorite and this one is so classic and delicious!! Perfect for a side or as a main!
judy says
Oooh, those buttery croutons were just what I needed! Such a simple salad -- but hits just right! I too prefer to buy the whole head of lettuce and break down, rather than bagged -- just seems so much fresher and really doesn't take that long.
Jenna says
Now this is my kind of salad! Delicious and so much easier to prepare. I'm really glad I could easily turn this into a meal so I tried adding grilled chicken last night and I think I could eat this every day. So excited to try this with steak or salmon next time.
Elsie says
I've stopped buying salad dressing and make my own, but I haven't made a Caesar salad dressing yet. It took five minutes to make, and I did make the croutons. The whole salad we delicious.
Sky says
Simple and straightforward. Love the homemade croutons. They were delicious!
Riah says
Tried this Caesar Salad with some grilled shrimp and it turned out really really good. The dressing is easy to make and super flavorful! And the croutons? They were garlicky and added that crunch to the salad.
Lauren says
This salad was super easy to make. I really loved the addition of homemade croutons - SO much better than store bought!
Twin Peaks Menu says
Thank you for sharing the information about the Simple Caesar Salad. I really appreciate you passing along this classic recipe—it’s always great to have a go-to salad that's both easy to prepare and delicious. I’m looking forward to making it. Thanks again for the thoughtful suggestion!