As the temperatures rise we are all craving light but satisfying recipes to enjoy at meal time. This Caesar salad with croutons recipe is one of my favorite summer meals. The creamy dressing with a pop of salt from the anchovies and the clean crunch of the romaine lettuce combined with the zip of the garlic croutons makes this Caesar salad enjoyable on every level. In the instructions I break down the Caesar salad into two parts. The first is creating the croutons, and second is creating the creamy Caesar dressing. After that, it’s smooth sailing bringing all the wonderful fresh ingredients together to plate, serve, and enjoy.

Caesar Salad Ingredients

•  ½ cup  lemon juice 

• 3 Tablespoons Dijon mustard

• 1   egg

• ¼ cup  garlic cloves, micro planed for the dressing + 1 teaspoon minced garlic (approximately 2 small cloves) for the croutons

• 1 ½ oz  anchovy fillets, drained (no oil)

• 1 Tablespoon  water

• 1 teaspoon chili flakes

• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• ¾ cup  olive oil for the dressing + 3 Tablespoons for the croutons

• 1 ¾ cup  vegetable oil

• ½ cup parmesan cheese, grated + some extra to sprinkle on top of salad

• 1 head of romaine lettuce, washed and chopped

• 1/2 French Baguette, cut into cubes

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Caesar Salad Instructions

• Begin with the croutons. Preheat oven to 400F. Cover a baking tray with foil (this helps keep clean up simple).

• In a medium mixing bowl, combine olive oil for the croutons with minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Toss the baguette cubes into the garlic oil mixture. Spread the croutons on the baking sheet and drizzle with the remaining oil.

• Bake until golden brown and crisp.

• Next, tackle the Caesar dressing. Place lemon juice, Dijon mustard, egg, garlic, anchovy fillets, water, chili flakes, Worcestershire sauce and salt in a blender

• In a separate container, combine olive oil and vegetable oil together

• Turn blender on high and slowly drizzle the oil into the blender. After all the oil is added, blend in the parmesan cheese

• Place romaine into a large serving bowl, drizzle with desired amount of dressing, fresh parmesan, and croutons.