My fully loaded wedge salad is a salad even salad haters can’t resist! With hearts of iceberg lettuce piled high with goodies like bacon, eggs, croutons, black olives, creamy blue cheese dressing, it’s positively irresistible.
this is a ‘hearts of lettuce’ salad, 2.0!
The main attraction of hearts of lettuce salads, back in the day, was that they were easy, crunchy, and drenched in creamy Russian or Thousand Island dressing. I’ve swapped out a chunky blue cheese dressing for my version, and topped it with everything under the sun (or in the fridge.)
this fun wedge salad can be prepped ahead for a crowd
It’s the perfect salad for entertaining because you can set it and forget it ~ these crisp wedges will never wilt! Everybody gets excited when they see this platter of crunchy iceberg wedges loaded up with so many tempting toppings. It makes a vibrant centerpiece for a buffet, brunch, or barbecue, and even salad snubbers will race to grab a slice of this fresh veggie pie.
how to slice iceberg into wedges for salad
- Remove any loose or damaged outer leaves from a head of iceberg lettuce.
- Slice the head of lettuce in half, lengthwise, through the core.
- Slice each half into 3 equal wedges. Note: if your head is small, simply slice into quarters.
- I keep the core intact until after I’ve sliced the wedges, which keeps them from falling apart. You can trim the cores now, but make sure your wedges hold together.
- I’ll remove any more loose leaves before arranging the wedges, cut side up, in a circle around a jar of dressing, it makes a pretty presentation.
is iceberg lettuce healthy?
It’s got a bad rap, but all lettuce is good for you, and iceberg is no exception. Iceberg’s not as nutrient dense as darker leafy greens like kale and spinach, but it still contains important vitamins, and it’s definitely not junk food!.
- It’s low in calories, high in fiber and super hydrating.
- It’s a great choice if you’re trying to lose weight because it will fill you up without extra calories.
- It keeps longer than most salad greens, which is a boon.
- Recent studies suggest iceberg might contain an important cancer-fighting compound, so don’t give up on it just yet.
- Now as for the blue cheese dressing…that’s another story ๐
One of the fun things about this salad is that you don’t have to be neat, in fact, the more chaotic, the better. The colorful toppings tumbling down and around the wedges invite you to dig right in.
toppings for a loaded wedge salad
The key here is to make sure everything is small, or finely chopped.
- crisp crumbled bacon
- black olives
- red bell peppers
- seasoned croutons
- hard cooked eggs
- carrots
- cucumber
- red onion
- tomatoes
- garbanzo beans (canned)
are you a salad person too?
- Spring Salmon Salad Platter
- Great Island Curried Chicken Salad Plate
- Spring Salad with Eggs and Creamy Tarragon Dressing
- Chopped Chef Salad
- Mediterranean Bean Salad
- Tossed Salad Niรงoise with lemony tarragon dressing
- Salmon Cobb Salad
Fully Loaded Wedge Salad
Ingredients
- 1 head iceberg lettuce
dressing
- 1/2 cup sour cream, about 6 ounces
- 3 ounces soft Blue Cheese or Gorgonzola
- 1 Tbsp buttermilk, or regular milk
- juice of 1/2 lemon, more to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
toppings
- crumbled bacon
- minced red onion
- finely chopped bell pepper
- finely chopped cucumber
- finely chopped carrots
- chopped croutons
- chopped cherry tomatoes
- finely chopped hard cooked egg
- chopped or sliced black olives
- garbanzo beans
Instructions
- Put the dressing ingredients together in a small food processor and process briefly until combined, but still lumpy. Add salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste, and add more milk if you'd like a thinner dressing. Add more lemon juice if you like.
- Wash and dry your head of lettuce. Remove any loose or browned leaves. Slice the head in half, through the core. Slice each half into 3 wedges, so you have a total of 6 wedges. Remove any bit of core from the bottom of each wedge. Do this shortly before serving your salad, because the lettuce can start to turn brown once cut.
- Arrange your lettuce on a platter and drizzle each wedge with a little of the dressing. Scatter the toppings on top of the wedges and all around them.
- Serve immediately with extra dressing.
- Note: You can make individual salad plates instead of the platter if you like.
Notes
Make this fully loaded wedge salad your own ~
- I think I’ll try this with wedges of radicchio next time.
- Use heads of romaine lettuce, halved lengthwise and grilled, as the base for a summer loaded salad.ย Add some grilled corn, too ~ yum!
- Go traditional with a nice homemade Russian or Thousand Island dressing.
This recipe takes one of my favorites to a new high. Thanks for your beautiful and creative approach to simple, healthy food.
Thank you Jmo <3
Looks delish, I personally add candied pecans or walnuts to mine. The hint if sweetness is nice to counter balance the savory!
Love your presentation too!
The salad itself was delicious but I wasnโt a fan of the dressing. Any suggestions on how to jazz it Up?
Make sure you use good quality blue cheese, Julie, it has amazing flavor!
Such a perfect wedge salad, love the presentation!
I am always hungry after reading your blog and looking at these photos! I have yet to make anything mediocre off your recipes! All delish!!!!!
I so appreciate that Ann, I was just signing off for the night and saw this…thanks ๐
Wedge Salad is my fave and I always order it when I go out, I have no idea why I don’t make it at home. I can’t wait to make this.
So pretty and so hard to photograph for me at least, wedges, everything falls off of them. Clearly you’ve got it down because this is beautiful!
This is my kind of salad Sue! Love all the topping suggestions! Total Meatless Monday winner!
Wedge salads are my favorite! Loving all those extra toppings!
Wish I could slide a wedge right over to you, Jessica ๐
Sue, this wedge salad is unreal! Thanks for sharing!