Wedge Salad
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Undeniably retro yet still fresh, the classic wedge salad with blue cheese dressing is a steakhouse mainstay.
I cut my teeth in the restaurant business at a fine dining steakhouse in Washington, DC, where the classic wedge salad was a permanent fixture on the menu. Composed of crisp wedges of iceberg lettuce lavishly drizzled with blue cheese dressing and topped with crumbled bacon, cherry tomatoes, and chives, the wedge has long been a steakhouse mainstay. The salad first gained popularity in the late 1950s and has enjoyed a comeback in recent years. Contemporary chefs often add their own unique spin on it, but the retro version stands the test of time.
Not only does the wedge salad make an effortless weeknight dinner, but it’s also easy to prepare for a crowd when hosting. Served family-style on a platter, it makes a truly impressive presentation. Pair the wedge salad with steaks, grilled chicken, or just good crusty bread.
Table of Contents
“Wonderful! My husband loves a wedge salad and often orders one when we go out for dinner. He was very happy with this one!”
What You’ll Need To Make Wedge Salad
- Bacon: Adds smoky flavor and crispy texture to the salad.
- Iceberg Lettuce: Classic base providing cool crispness and freshness.
- Grape or Cherry Tomatoes: Adds bursts of sweetness and color contrast.
- Fresh Minced Chives: Provides a fresh, mild onion flavor and a pop of green color to both the salad and the dressing.
- Buttermilk: Adds tanginess and a velvety creaminess to the dressing.
- Mayonnaise: Provides richness and helps emulsify the dressing.
- Sour Cream: Provides a tangy zing and enhances the dressing’s rich texture.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Adds acidity for balance and brightness.
- Garlic: Infuses the dressing with savory flavor.
- Salt and Pepper: Enhances overall seasoning of the dressing and brings out the flavor of the other ingredients
- Crumbled Blue Cheese: Signature flavor element, adding creamy, tangy richness to the dressing and the salad when sprinkled on top.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Cook the Bacon
I use the oven method to cook the bacon, which is the way to go when you’re cooking more than just a few slices. Simply lay the slices of bacon on a lined baking sheet (I use both foil and parchment for easy clean up and to prevent sticking).
Bake in a 400°F-oven for 14 to 18 minutes for regular bacon and 18 to 20 minutes for thick-cut bacon, rotating the baking sheet from front to back midway through cooking.
Remove the bacon from the oven and, using tongs, transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate.
Step 2: Make the Blue Cheese Dressing
Combine the buttermilk, mayonnaise, sour cream, apple cider vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.
Whisk to combine.
Stir in the blue cheese crumbles and chives. (Alternatively, if you’d prefer a smooth dressing with a more uniform blue cheese flavor, you can blend all of the ingredients except the chives in a food processor, and then stir in the chives.)
Step 3: Assemble the Salad
Cut the head of iceberg into wedges.
Slice the tomatoes and chives.
On a platter or individual plates, spoon the desired amount of dressing on each wedge (you may have some dressing leftover). Top with a quarter of the bacon pieces, tomatoes, chives, and crumbled blue cheese. The easiest way to eat a wedge salad is with a fork and knife.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. And if you have any left over after serving the salads, blue cheese dressing can also be used as a delicious dipping sauce for veggies, chicken wings, or as a flavorful spread on burgers or sandwiches.
While iceberg lettuce is the classic choice for a wedge salad, feel free to switch it up based on your preferences or what you have on hand. Romaine or even butter lettuce can work well, but keep in mind that iceberg will give you the crispiest texture.
You can definitely cook the bacon in advance! Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days and when you’re ready to serve the salad, simply briefly reheat the bacon in the oven or microwave to crisp it back up
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Wedge Salad
Undeniably retro yet still fresh, the classic wedge salad with blue cheese dressing is a steakhouse mainstay.
Ingredients
- 8 slices bacon
- 1 head chilled iceberg lettuce, cut into quarters, cored, and any limp outer leaves removed
- 2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, cut into halves
- 2 tablespoons fresh minced chives
For the Blue Cheese Dressing
- ⅔ cup buttermilk
- ¾ cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann’s or Duke’s
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¾ cup crumbled blue cheese plus more for sprinkling over the salad
- 2 tablespoons fresh minced chives
Instructions
- Cook the bacon: Preheat the oven to 400°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a 13 x 18-inch rimmed baking sheet with heavy-duty wide aluminum foil so that there is some overhang on all sides (this prevents the grease from getting onto the baking sheet), then cover with a sheet of parchment paper. Lay the slices of bacon on the baking sheet and bake for 14 to 18 minutes for regular bacon and 18 to 20 minutes for thick-cut bacon, rotating the baking sheet from front to back midway through cooking.
- Carefully remove the bacon from the oven and, using tongs, transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate or cutting board.
- Make the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk the buttermilk, mayonnaise, sour cream, apple cider vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper. Make sure your blue cheese is crumbled into small pieces. Add to the mixture along with the chives and stir to combine. To incorporate some of the blue cheese crumbles more thoroughly, use the back of a spoon to mash them against the sides of the bowl, and then stir again. (Alternatively, if you want the dressing completely smooth, blend all of the ingredients except for the chives in a food processor, then stir in the chives.)
- To serve, on a platter or individual plates, spoon the desired amount of dressing over each wedge (you will likely have some dressing leftover). Top with a quarter of the bacon crumbles, tomatoes, crumbled blue cheese, and chives. The easiest way to eat a wedge salad is with a fork and knife.
- Note: If you have additional dressing, will keep nicely, refrigerated in an airtight container, for up to a week.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 584
- Fat: 29 g
- Saturated fat: 11 g
- Carbohydrates: 3 g
- Sugar: 2 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Sodium: 558 mg
- Cholesterol: 42 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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The dressing makes this fantastic! Our local store was out of chives so I just added minced yellow onion and it was delicious. Another great recipe.
We had a wedge salad at an upscale restaurant for our anniversary and I’ve been trying to duplicate it for over a year. Your recipe was even better! So thick, creamy and amaaaazing blue cheese flavor. The dressing was enough for several meals so we used shredded lettuce for leftovers. Will be making this again and again.
This recipe has fulfilled a dream, to make a blue cheese dressing recipe in Australia with local ingredients that mirrors my American childhood memories of wedge salad. It’s perfect, my taste buds thank you, it’s a winner and a keeper.
This was the best bleu cheese dressing I have ever made. It was nice and thick and clung to the wedges of iceberg lettuce. I will make this again and again.
Wonderful! My husband loves a wedge salad and often orders one when we out for dinner. He as very happy with this one! Ended up with lots of extra dressing as I made the full recipe and only needed enough for two. I think next time I will add a bit more blue cheese to the dressing as I like a strong flavor. Looking forward to using it with some shrimp or chicken as a main course salad using romaine lettuce.
Jen, followed the dressing recipe exactly and it was perfect and so delicious. Did lettuce slices, much like larger disks and modified the toppings a bit. Still pretty much the same. This will become a recipe of the week for me and I’ll give you a shout on Instagram and the ROTW when I publish it.
Hi Jenn–I love this classic salad, but two aspects of prep that I couldn’t figure out (and which I hope you would generously share your technique as a master chef). First, how do you wash the lettuce but still keep it together as a wedge? Can I dry it in a salad spinner after washing? Second, do you cut off the hard stem or leave it in place? When I cut it off and when I had washed and dried the lettuce it lost the nice tight wedge which makes for a beautiful presentation. Any help and guidance you can provide is so greatly appreciated—Thank you for all of your wonderful recipes—this was truly delicious and the dressing is fantastic—but I would love to have a nice ‘old school’ presentation on a platter as you showed
Glad you like the salad! Regarding washing it, iceberg is usually wrapped in plastic and pretty clean. I simply rinse the outer leaves. and I don’t cut off the hard stem. I figure that it will be cut into 4 pieces and people will cut around it when they’re eating. Hope that helps!
I hold the whole head under cold running water. Drain it off and wrap in a paper towel, pop into a plastic bag, put into the vegetable drawer and cut it when ready to serve.
To allow better penetration of the dressing into the wedge, simply make a series of partial cuts across the wedge before adding the dressing.
I made the wedge salad yesterday, it was great! Tonight I’m trying your Cobb salad recipe! I want to say I love your recipes, I think the picture of ingredients you use is super helpful, I have tried other recipes as well and have added all to my favorites. Thank you for all the work you put into them.Mary
We had the Wedge Salad for dinner tonight and everyone loved every bite! I made shrimp and garlic bread to go with it but it would have been plenty all by itself. It was beautiful and delicious! Thank you for yet another fabulous recipe.