Chopped Wedge Salad Recipe (2024)

By Ali Slagle

Published March 12, 2024

Chopped Wedge Salad Recipe (1)

Total Time
25 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Rating
4(151)
Notes
Read community notes

About three-quarters of the way through eating a wedge salad, the toppings are gone and you’re often left with unseasoned, watery lettuce that you have little interest in finishing. If this sounds familiar, consider messing with tradition by skipping the wedge and chopping all of the ingredients. When the salad’s elements are the same size and tossed together in a bowl, the lettuce is thoroughly dressed, and every bite is an ideal one with a perfect mix of juicy tomatoes, smoky bacon, crunchy lettuce and creamy blue cheese. A chopped wedge salad can be a meal unto itself, or serve it alongside burgers, steak or garlic bread.

Learn: How to Make Salad

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings (about 10 cups)

  • 1pint cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1shallot, halved and thinly sliced
  • 2teaspoons lemon zest plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
  • ½teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • ¼cup well-shaken buttermilk
  • ¼cup plain, full-fat Greek yogurt
  • 2tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 6thick-cut bacon slices, thinly sliced crosswise
  • 1large head iceberg lettuce (about 1½ pounds), cored and coarsely chopped
  • 3ounces crumbled blue cheese
  • 1small bunch chives, sliced into ½-inch pieces

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

248 calories; 20 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 10 grams protein; 596 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Chopped Wedge Salad Recipe (2)

Preparation

  1. Step

    1

    In a large bowl, stir together the tomatoes, shallot, lemon zest and juice, Worcestershire sauce and a pinch of salt. Set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the buttermilk, yogurt and mayonnaise; season to taste with salt and pepper.

  2. Place the bacon in a large nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet set over medium-high. When sizzling, cook, stirring often, until golden, 4 to 6 minutes. Turn off the heat and use a slotted spoon or fish spatula to transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.

  3. Step

    3

    To the bowl of tomatoes and shallot, add the lettuce, blue cheese, chives, bacon and three-quarters of the dressing. Toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings with more salt, pepper and dressing. Eat right away.

Ratings

4

out of 5

151

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Carol

This is a reminder for those like me who never have use for a quart of buttermilk for a recipe that calls for a small amount. Make your own. 1T fresh lemon juice + 1C milk. You can make what you need. It only takes 5 minutes for the milk to sour. I've been doing this for many years when I make blue cheese dressing. I also tend to use full fat yogurt as recommended in this article to reduce the fat. It's really good.

dg

What exactly did you cook in your dark pan? Surely not all the ingredients?

kk

I had a large crowed so I doubled this and used a dark pan 11x13 because my cast iron was only the 9 inch.. Heated the pan, through some butter in it, swished to coat, put back in the oven till very hot. I made the recipe except I did substitute butter milk for the milk and maple syrup for sugar. Came out with a great brown crust bottom and top. My company went wild for it. I’ll make it again.

Helen

Sounds like cornbread to me! Might be good along with the salad recipe….

Merrill McNicholas

I think the note below is for another recipe but it does sound delicious

My Sous Chef Was Costco

This was a funny recipe title...a "chopped" wedge salad, tossed with dressing is just a salad...

CA

Lemon Juice / Worcestershire added to the salad ruined it; made it too sour. The buttermilk dressing is fine by itself.

maggie

This was very tasty and refreshing, easy to put together.

Char

I added the lemon juice and zest, shallots, and the Worcestershire sauce to the dressing mix, and stored it all in a container for adding separately instead of blending with the salad ingredients immediately. Great recipe!

old italian

Enjoyed this refreshing salad. Easy to throw together outside of frying bacon bits easy to clean up.

Anne

what does the author mean by "dressing"? Usually the term is defined in the recipe.

Claudia S.

The dressing is the buttermilk, yogurt and mayonnaise.

LLC

The buttermilk, yogurt, and mayo.

Jeff B

The dressing is what you assemble in the small bowl, step 1: buttermilk, yogurt and mayonnaise.

Wendelah

This looks to be a very ordinary salad. Not sure why it requires a recipe?

My Sous Chef Was Costco

This was a funny recipe title...a "chopped" wedge salad, tossed with dressing is just a salad...

Kathy G

I have accidentally posted notes to the wrong recipe too. It happens.

Charlene

Some of the notes don’t seem to be about the recipe.

Claudia S.

I'm confused by kk's post. There isn't sugar in this recipe, it already calls for buttermilk. Why would the salad have a brown crust? It does sound like perhaps this is a review for cornbread, as Helen suggests?

Note - Metro Philly

My Mom often served wedge salad; it's especially refreshing prepared with chilled lettuce on a hot day. But drizzling a good balsamic vinegar on top really makes it special.

Carol

This is a reminder for those like me who never have use for a quart of buttermilk for a recipe that calls for a small amount. Make your own. 1T fresh lemon juice + 1C milk. You can make what you need. It only takes 5 minutes for the milk to sour. I've been doing this for many years when I make blue cheese dressing. I also tend to use full fat yogurt as recommended in this article to reduce the fat. It's really good.

Antonia

What can I use instead of bacon? Especially for people who don’t like bacon.

Susanj

For people who dislike bacon, use crispy chicken skin. Or chopped smoked almonds. Or garlic croutons.

ms

I haven’t made this recipe yet, but I’ve often subbed smoked salmon (not lox), but the smoked almonds sound great, too!

Butterscotch

If the issue is not liking pork, there is turkey "bacon" which has a similar flavor to regular bacon but less fat. If you want something that doesn't have the smoky flavor of bacon, you could dry fry thin slices of Genoa salami or some other type of salami until they get brown and crispy.

Merrill McNicholas

I think the note below is for another recipe but it does sound delicious

kk

I had a large crowed so I doubled this and used a dark pan 11x13 because my cast iron was only the 9 inch.. Heated the pan, through some butter in it, swished to coat, put back in the oven till very hot. I made the recipe except I did substitute butter milk for the milk and maple syrup for sugar. Came out with a great brown crust bottom and top. My company went wild for it. I’ll make it again.

dg

What exactly did you cook in your dark pan? Surely not all the ingredients?

Helen

Sounds like cornbread to me! Might be good along with the salad recipe….

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Chopped Wedge Salad Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is a wedge salad made of? ›

Cut the iceberg lettuce in half. Cut each of the halves again in half or thirds (depending on how big the ice berg lettuce head is), to create "wedges". Place wedges on individual plates. To serve, spoon dressing over lettuce and then sprinkle the bacon crumbles, tomatoes, onion and blue cheese crumbles on top.

What is the proper way to eat a wedge salad? ›

While the fork secures the “wedge”, use the knife in your other hand to cut off one bite-size piece of salad from the tip of the wedge nearest you on the plate. (It's fine to turn the plate so one point of the salad wedge is near you to begin with.) Only cut one bite at a time.

Why is a wedge salad good? ›

In addition to its appealing mix of cooling and creamy elements, one of the hallmarks of a wedge salad is its total simplicity—overcomplicating it in an attempt to make a version that stands out from the crowd flies in the face of what this salad should be, which is dead easy.

How do restaurants make salads so crisp? ›

The Keys to Crisp Lettuce

Lettuce actually needs a good amount of airflow, in addition to a bit of moisture (but not too much!), in order to stay crisp. That's why restaurants store their lettuce in special perforated bins that allow for air circulation while it's held in the fridge.

Do you wash lettuce for wedge salad? ›

Carefully separate the leaves and rinse thoroughly. Pat dry with paper towels. Arrange one wedge on each of four plates. Drizzle dressing over each wedge.

How do you keep chopped lettuce crisp? ›

Proper air circulation and a small amount of moisture will keep your lettuce crisp and fresh. The easiest (and most effective) way to do this is to line a sturdy glass or plastic container with a few paper towels, then scatter your greens on top. Top with a matching lid and refrigerate.

Why are wedge salads expensive? ›

The surrounding ingredients of a wedge salad are very expensive,” says Couper. “We typically use two types of blue cheese that are not inexpensive. Plus, we use hand-cut Nueske's bacon that we fry to order, and that's not cheap.” You can find picture-perfect versions of the wedge at Kinzie Chophouse (400 N.

How can I jazz up my salad? ›

A great way of adding flavour is by loading up your salad with herbs such as mint, coriander, parsley, basil and micro herbs. You can either toss through whole leaves and microherbs, tear the leaves up by hand, or finely slice and stir the herbs through your dressing.

Why do you get a lettuce wedge? ›

According to the food chain, the wedge is 'a refreshing appetiser which perfectly complements the rich flavours of steak'. The wedge provides a cold crisp texture to accompany the steak.

Why do chopped salads taste better? ›

In a tossed salad, you may taste two or even several ingredients at a time, but rarely are all present in each mouthful, and the proportion of flavors varies widely from bite to bite. But a well-made chopped salad presents you with a harmonious, balanced combination of sweet, salty, sour, and bitter flavors every time.

Why are chopped salads so popular? ›

Alongside a recipe for “The viral chopped Italian salad sandwich”, Good Morning America writes: “the components of the trend fit the bill for everything we've seen that makes a recipe soar to viral status on TikTok: quick and easy to make, mostly ingredients you likely already have at home, minimal or zero cooking ...

What is a wedge of lettuce? ›

A salad made from a head of lettuce halved or quartered, with other ingredients on top.

What is a wedge at a restaurant? ›

Probably a cored, quartered, head of iceberg lettuce richly slathered in blue cheese dressing and decked out with lardons, bacon bits, halved cherry or grape tomatoes, and possibly an outcropping of croutons or fried onions for a little textural sass? Iceberg Wedges with Bacon and Buttermilk Dressing.

Do you wash iceberg lettuce for wedge salad? ›

Cut lettuce into quarters. Carefully separate the leaves and rinse thoroughly. Pat dry with paper towels. Arrange one wedge on each of four plates.

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