The Ultimate Wedge Salad Recipe
The Ultimate Wedge Salad Recipe – Crisp, cool iceberg lettuce that is loaded with bacon, tomatoes, and a tangy homemade blue cheese dressing.
Who doesn’t love a classic Wedge Salad? Loaded with crisp and cool lettuce, ripe tomatoes, smoky bacon, and thick blue cheese dressing, each bite bursts with a spectrum of flavors and textures.
This terrifically satisfying and simple salad is perfect to enjoy as a fresh and fun lunch or as a robust dinner side dish. It includes ingredients that are easy to find any time of the year and complement so many other fantastic recipes!
Today we’re sharing the ins and outs of how to make the Absolute Best Wedge Salad… And we’ll go ahead and share the secret with you now: the BEST Wedge Salad includes our homemade blue cheese dressing recipe that takes this dish to another level. It’s super easy to make and you’ll love enjoying it on all of your fresh salads!
The Ultimate Wedge Salad Recipe
To make the very best Wedge you have to start with THICK creamy dressing, heavy on the blue cheese. Then you need sweet tomatoes and freshly cooked bacon.
Nearly all of the salad components can be prepared in advance at your convenience, and then assemble the Wedge Salads when ready to enjoy. It’s a great recipe for adding to your weekly meal prep routine and can be customized with other extra goodies to change up the deliciousness a bit.
What Ingredients You Need
While you can use readymade blue cheese dressing from the store, I greatly urge you to try this easy recipe at least once. It takes only minutes to make and tastes way better than anything from a bottle.
Here is everything needed to make the best Blue Cheese Dressing from scratch:
- Sour cream
- Mayonaise
- Buttermilk – store-bought or see how to make buttermilk from scratch
- Apple cider vinegar – or lemon juice
- Seasonings – salt, cracked black pepper, and garlic powder
- Crumbled blue cheese – choose a strong variety, like Roquefort
For best results make the dressing a day ahead, so it has a strong perky blue cheese flavor.
Then, for the complete Iceberg Wedge Salad you need:
- Bacon – chopped
- Iceberg lettuce – cleaned and quartered
- Cherry tomatoes – or grape tomatoes, halved
- Blue cheese dressing – homemade is best but you can use store-bought in a pinch
- Scallions – chopped
- Crumbled blue cheese – again, use a nice strong cheese as suggested above
- Cracked black pepper – to taste
How to Make the Best Wedge Salad with Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing
Make the Dressing: Set out a medium mixing bowl. Add the sour cream, mayonnaise, buttermilk, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Stir well. Then mix in the crumbled blue cheese. Cover and chill until ready to use. If you can you’ll want to make it a day ahead, or early in the day, so the blue cheese has time to permeate the dressing.
Cook the Bacon: Set a skillet over medium heat. Place the chopped bacon in the skillet. Brown the bacon for 4-6 minutes until crispy, stirring regularly. Then scoop the bacon out of the skillet onto a paper towel-lined plate to drain off the grease.
Prep the Veggies: Slice the tomatoes in half and chop the scallions. Then set the head of lettuce on the cutting board. Trim the root/core end a little. Cut the head in half, through the core. (This helps hold the wedges together.) Then cut each half in two, through the core.
You can do all of the above prep work up to 3 days in advance of making the Wedge Salads. Place each individual component in individual airtight containers and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to put them together and enjoy.
How to Assemble Wedge Salads
Follow these 3 simple steps to put together Wedge Salad perfection:
- Set each lettuce wedge on a plate.
- Drizzle with a generous amount of blue cheese dressing. (At least ¼ cup per salad.) Then sprinkle the tops with halved tomatoes, chopped scallions, bacon crumbles, and more blue cheese crumbles.
- Finish each salad plate off with a bit of fresh cracked pepper.
Serve the Wedge Salad cold as a main dish for a light lunch, or alongside your favorite hearty dinner dishes. It pairs great with a simple, flavorful steak or grilled chicken breasts.
Ta-da!
Get the Complete (Printable) Ultimate Wedge Salad with Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing Recipe Below. Enjoy!
Other Possible Toppings
Enjoy Iceberg Wedge Salads with any extra toppings you like! Try them with:
- Sliced red onion, shallots, or chives
- Avocado slices
- Sliced radishes
- Prosciutto (in place of or addition to the bacon)
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Sweet pickled peppers
- Toasted pecans or walnuts
- Candied nuts
- Hard-boiled egg
- Corn nuts
- Cucumber
How Long Will Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing Last?
When made from scratch blue cheese dressing will keep well for up to a week in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Looking for More Satisfying Salad Recipes?
- The Best Steakhouse Caesar Salad Recipe
- Mexican Grilled Chicken Salad
- Apple Chopped Salad with Herb Vinaigrette
- Harvest Salad (Cobb Style)
- Steak Salad with A1 Vinaigrette
Check the printable recipe card below for the nutrition information including calories, carbohydrates, protein, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, potassium, vitamin c, and calcium percentages.
The Ultimate Wedge Salad Recipe
Ingredients
For the Blue Cheese Dressing:
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup crumbled blue cheese (Pick a strong variety like Roquefort)
For the Wedge Salad:
- 8 slices bacon chopped
- 1 head iceberg lettuce
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes halved
- 1 cup blue cheese dressing
- ½ cup chopped scallions
- ½ cup crumbled blue cheese
Instructions
Make the Dressing:
- Set out a medium mixing bowl. Add the sour cream, mayonnaise, buttermilk, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Stir well. Then mix in the crumbled blue cheese. Cover and chill until ready to use. (If possible, make a day ahead, or early in the day, so the blue cheese has time to permeate the dressing.)
- Cook the Bacon: Set a skillet over medium heat. Place the chopped bacon in the skillet. Brown the bacon for 4-6 minutes until crispy, stirring regularly. Then scoop the bacon out of the skillet onto a paper towel lined plate to drain off the grease.
Prep the Veggies:
- Slice the tomatoes in half and chop the scallions. Then set the head of lettuce on the cutting board. Trim the root/core end a little. Cut the head in half, through the core. (This helps hold the wedges together.) Then cut each half in two, through the core.
Stack the Wedges:
- Set each lettuce wedge on a plate. Drizzle with a generous amount of blue cheese dressing. (At least ¼ cup per salad.) Then sprinkle the tops with halved tomatoes, scallions, bacon, and more blue cheese crumbles. Finish each salad plate off with a bit of fresh cracked pepper. Serve cold.
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I love a great wedge salad and yours is amazing!
Such a beautiful presentation! Love the addition of bacon!
First off, this is such an easy recipe and above that, this is such a delicious recipe as well!