Iceberg Wedge Salad Recipe - I Heart Naptime (2024)

This classic wedge salad recipe is topped with a creamy blue cheese dressing, crisp bacon and juicy tomatoes. This salad side dish pairs well with any meal!

Wedge salads not only pair well with sirloin steak, but enjoy them with braised short ribs and chicken piccata, too.

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A Fully Loaded Salad

You might consider a blue cheese wedge salad a lighter version of the loaded baked potato. Or maybe you’ll just think it’s an awesome chunky yet light steakhouse side salad. Either way easily customize it to add your favorite toppings and veggies and load it up!

The creaminess of the blue cheese dressing complements the cool refreshing crisp lettuce perfectly and although you can really use whichever dressing you prefer (ranch dressing or this easy tzatziki sauce are delicious too).

Why This Recipe Works

• Simple ingredients. Made with just 4 ingredients, this wedge salad recipe couldn’t be easier to make for any occasion.
• Quick. A fancy side salad that’s ready from start to finish in just 10 minutes.
• Textures. Crisp lettuce, crunchy bacon, juicy tomatoes and creamy blue cheese dressing. The textures in this dish give you a little bit of everything!

Main Ingredients

• Iceberg lettuce: The base of the salad is a crispy wedge of iceberg lettuce. There’s hardly any chopping required…just slice the head of iceberg lettuce into 4 wedges.
• Blue cheese dressing: This dish is way too easy not to try your hand at homemade blue cheese dressing to go along with it! A lighter more flavorful version than store-bought, it’s a nice addition to the crisp lettuce and perfectly cooked bacon crumbles!
• Bacon: Pieces of crispy chopped bacon are one of the best parts about a wedge salad! I recommend using fresh bacon (instead of bacon bits) for the best flavor. For an easy shortcut, learn how to cook bacon in the oven.
• Cherry tomatoes: Fresh and juicy chopped cherry tomatoes are the finishing touch on top. Look for fragrant tomatoes with a bold red color.

More Topping Ideas

You can definitely get creative with what toppings you put on it, but one rule of thumb to follow is to make sure you chop your toppings up into tiny pieces. This salad, because it’s a wedge, is already chunky in nature. You don’t want chunky toppings all over a chunky bite, it just might make it a little hard to eat!

• Blue cheese crumbles
• Chives
• Green or red onion
• Hard-boiled egg
• Croutons
• Black pepper
• Black olives
• Red bell pepper
• Shredded carrot
• Cucumber

How to Make a Wedge Salad

1. Prep. Before you do anything with the lettuce, make sure to peel back and discard any dirty or wilted leaves. Remove the stem and then cut the head of lettuce in half and then half again to create 4 wedges.
2. Toppings. Plate the wedges. If you’re serving individually, you’ll want to use individual plates. You can also serve on a big platter and share at the table. Drizzle 2-3 Tablespoons of blue cheese dressing on top of each wedge, adding more if you like it drenched! Sprinkle the bacon bits and tomatoes and any extra toppings if desired.
3. Serve. This is a salad that once prepared, you’ll want to serve immediately so it doesn’t get soggy. Enjoy all the loaded crunchy, creamy goodness.

Expert Tips

• Finely chop the toppings into small pieces so that they don’t fall off of the lettuce wedge. This way you’ll get the perfect amount of flavors and textures in every bite!
• Make a homemade wedge salad dressing to elevate the flavors of your salad. Blue cheese dressing or a buttermilk ranch dressing both taste fabulous!
• Serve immediately so that the lettuce stays nice and crispy.

What to Serve with an Iceberg Wedge Salad

This is the perfect side salad to serve with any of the below dishes.

• It doesn’t get more classic when served with a juicy oven baked steak.
• A tender and fluffy baked potato.
• Pan seared salmon is another perfect pairing.
• Alongside my favorite parmesan ranch chicken or chicken marsala.
• As a main dish with chopped grilled flank steak on top.
• A luncheon salad paired with cucumber tea sandwiches.

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