Grilled Greens: Grilled Romaine Caesar

There are a few dishes that automatically come to mind when I’m meal planning in the summertime – burgers, kebabs, thick, juicy steaks. You know, the foods that – in my mind – should definitely have grill marks.

Grilled Greens: Grilled Romaine Caesar

Author: Hamilton Beach Test Kitchen

Ingredients

Dressing:

3 anchovies
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup olive oil

Salad:

1 head romaine lettuce
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Crumbled cooked bacon
Croutons

Instructions

For dressing, place anchovies, garlic, lemon juice, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and black pepper in blender.
Blend until mixture is creamy.
Add mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese and oil to blender. Blend until smooth.
Preheat grill to medium-high.
Slice head of romaine lettuce in half lengthwise through root end. (Root end will help hold romaine together.) Use wooden skewers to hold lettuce leaves together, if necessary.
Spray romaine with nonstick cooking spray or brush lightly with olive oil. Place romaine halves on grill.
Grill 2 to 4 minutes each side until romaine is charred and slightly wilted.
Drizzle dressing over grilled romaine. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and croutons.

Notes

Serves: 4

Test Kitchen Tip: For thinner dressing add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached.

There really is nothing better than a hot burger that drops straight from the grill spatula onto your bun, but don’t forget about fruits and vegetables during grilling season. Grilled fruits like pineapple slices and peaches (maybe topped with a scoop of your favorite ice cream) make simple, seasonal desserts, while grilling a variety of vegetables like corn and lettuce can upgrade your summer side dish recipes instantly.

This grilled romaine caesar is a prime example of why veggies should absolutely go on the grill. We grilled sliced heads of romaine lettuce on the Hamilton Beach® Searing Grill to make a summer salad that doesn’t start with potato or macaroni.

Preheat the grill to medium-high and slice the romaine lengthwise through the root end. Leaving the root end in tact will help keep the leaves together as it grills.

Brush the romaine halves lightly with olive oil and grill for about 2 to 4 minutes until the lettuce is charred and slightly wilted.

We drizzled our grilled romaine with homemade Caesar dressing that we whipped up in no time in the Hamilton Beach® single serve blender. We finished the salad with crumbled bacon (you will never – and should never – eat a Caesar without bacon again) and cracked black pepper. A squeeze of lemon, shaved parmesan, or even a sprinkle of your favorite croutons would also pair wonderfully with these grilled greens.

If you’re already grilling burgers, throw romaine alongside for an easy side salad or serve this grilled salad alone for a light summer lunch – no salad spinner or tossers necessary.

With the Hamilton Beach® Indoor Searing Grill, you can enjoy outdoor grilled flavor anytime you want, regardless of the weather. Cooking with the Searing Grill is easy. Simply plug it in and turn the temperature dial all the way up to sear. When it reaches the high searing temperature of 450 degrees, the green preheat light will glow. Now you’re ready to sear steaks, burgers, pork chops or fish fillets to perfection.