You won’t want to miss this recipe: Garlic Lover’s Roasted Garlic Caesar Salad, with roasted garlic in the dressing and a whole head of roasted garlic to go on each serving! I added a bit of radicchio to the romaine and served it with a big crostini to spread the luscious roasted garlic on.

Roasted Garlic Caesar Salad in a serving bowl

I originally shared this recipe on August 29, 2014. I have updated the images and some of the text today.

Table of contents

Why We Love This Recipe For Roasted Garlic Caesar Salad

Calling all Garlic Lovers!! This recipe may not be for the faint of heart from a flavor perspective, and I am here for it!

It is delicious, it is easy to make! It’s one of the best recipes to make when you’re in the mood for a salad, but hungry enough for a real meal. Make it for a Sunday evening and top it with chicken, shrimp or salmon if you like. Or make it to serve family-style at your next dinner party!

  • No raw eggs: I am not a fan of the raw egg variety of Caesar dressing. Here’s my classic Casear dressing without eggs in case you are looking for a classic casear dressing recipe next time.
  • Capers: I love capers! They are salty and sour and are a great addition to Nicoise Dressing, Puttanesca Sauce and Salmon Puttanesca. They add a richer and balanced flavor to the banknotes of this dressing.
  • Radicchio: I added this because a little bitter makes everything else a little sweeter.
  • Chopping: Chopping the Radicchio and romaine lettuce is much faster and less fussy than tearing it by hand.
  • Crostintons: The croutons are actually like crostini, so you can pick them up and spread the roasted garlic on them, and then crunch them up… which brings me to…
  • Roasted Garlic: A whole head of roasted garlic all to yourself. That is reason enough to fall in love with this salad.

If you love roasted garlic try our Roasted Garlic Hummus, our Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes and this Potato Leek Soup with Roasted Garlic and Cheddar.

Whole garlic bulbs in a plate with olive oil

Key Ingredients for This Recipe

Garlic

You’ll need 8 whole heads of garlic. YES, you read that right. Your garlic should be fresh and firm (no soft or dry spots).

Baguette

I prefer to use multi-grain or whole-wheat baguette. If all you have is regular white baguette that is fine too.

Parmigiano-Reggiano

You’ll use this for the dressing and to top the salad with. You can also use Asiago instead.

Anchovy paste

It might seem weird, but anchovy paste is a classic in Caesar salads. Check out the FAQ section to see what else you could use!

Roasted Garlic Caesar Salad with crostini

Step-by-Step Instructions to Make This Roasted Garlic Caesar Salad

Step 1: Preheat oven

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Step 2: Roast garlic for dressing

Cut the ends of garlic heads off with a serrated knife exposing individual tips of garlic cloves. Place root-side down in a small baking dish and drizzle with 2 tablspoons oil over the exposed garlic clove ends. Cover with foil and transfer to the oven. Roast garlic until the garlic is soft and fragrant and starting to brown, 1 hour to 1 hour 25 minutes. Remove the foil and allow garlic to cool.

Step 3: Make croutons

Lay the baguette on a parchment lined baking sheet. Stir together 1 tablespoon oil, Italian seasoning and salt in a small dish. Brush the oil over the baguette slices. Bake until they’re browned and crisp, 14 to 16 minutes. Let them cool.

Step 4: Make dressing

Squeeze the cloves from two heads of garlic into a blender or food processor and discard papery skins. Add the roasted garlic oil from the baking dish, if there is any. Add the remaining ¼ cup oil, lemon juice, capers, anchovy paste, mustard and pepper and puree until smooth. Add the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and purée to combine.

Step 5: Assemble salad & serve

Combine the romaine, raddichio and grated Parmigiano or Asiago in a large salad bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Mound onto 6 plates and serve each with three croutons and a head of garlic.

Roasted Garlic for a Roasted Garlic Caesar Salad

FAQs and Expert Tips

How to make this recipe gluten-free

If you’re gluten free that is absolutely no problem. Just substitute the baguette for a gluten free baguette or gluten free bread. You can also use Whisps cheese crisps instead of croutons.

What can you use instead of anchovy paste

If you don’t like anchovy you can use Worcestershire sauce or an additional pinch or two of salt as a substitute.

Can this recipe be made vegan

Yes. Make the above substitution and use vegan/dairy free Parmesan instead and skip the anchovy.

How to store this roasted garlic caesar salad

If you’re planning on preparing the salad ahead of time or want to store leftovers, store the dressing, croutons, cheese, garlic and lettuce separately in airtight containers in the fridge. (Croutons don’t need to be refrigerated.)

Roasted Garlic Caesar Salad with crostini

Additional Recipes to Try

Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!

Happy Cooking! ~Katie

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Garlic Lover's Roasted Garlic Caesar Salad, with roasted garlic in the dressing and a whole head of roasted garlic to go on each serving! The dressing is egg-free and it has capers in it!! | Healthy Seasonal Recipes | Katie Webster

Roasted Garlic Caesar Salad

★★★★★

5 from 6 reviews
  • Author: Katie Webster
  • Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
Print Recipe

Description

Garlic Lover’s Roasted Garlic Caesar Salad, with roasted garlic in the dressing and a whole head of roasted garlic to go on each serving! The dressing is egg-free and it has capers in it!! I added a bit of raddichio to the romaine and served it with a big crostini to spread the luscious roasted garlic on. A super yummy entree salad!

Ingredients

Scale

Dressing

  • 8 whole heads garlic
  • 2 tablespoons plus ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons drained capers
  • 1 tablespoon anchovy paste
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 3 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Croutons

  • 18 slices baguette, preferably multi-grain or whole-wheat
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon dried Italian Seasonings
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

Salad

  • 3 hearts of Romaine, chopped and washed
  • ½ head raddichio lettuce, chopped
  • ½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Asiago

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Roast Garlic for Dressing: Cut ends of garlic heads off with a serrated knife exposing individual tips of garlic cloves. Place root-side down in a small baking dish and drizzle with 2 tablspoons oil over the exposed garlic clove ends. Cover with foil and transfer to the oven. Roast garlic until the garlic is soft and fragrant and starting to brown, 1 hour to 1 hour 25 minutes. Remove foil and allow garlic to cool.
  3. Make Croutons: Lay baguette on a parchment lined baking sheet. Stir 1 tablespoon oil, Italian seasoning and salt in a small dish. Brush oil over the baguette slices. Bake until browned and crisp, 14 to 16 minutes. Cool.
  4. While croutons cool, make dressing: Squeeze cloves from two heads of garlic into a blender or food processor and discard papery skins. Add roasted garlic oil from the baking dish, if there is any. Add the remaining ¼ cup oil, lemon juice, capers, anchovy paste, mustard and pepper and puree until smooth. Add grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and puree to combine.
  5. Make Salad: Combine romaine, raddichio and grated Parmigiano or Asiago in a large salad bowl. Pour dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Mound onto 6 plates and serve each with three croutons and a head of garlic.

Notes

How to Store:

If you’re planning on preparing the salad ahead of time or want to store leftovers, store the dressing, croutons, cheese, garlic and lettuce separately in airtight containers in the fridge. (Croutons don’t need to be refrigerated.)

  • Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
  • Category: Salad
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 2 1/2 cups salad plus 1 head garlic
  • Calories: 297
  • Sugar: 2 g
  • Sodium: 898 mg
  • Fat: 13 g
  • Saturated Fat: 3 g
  • Carbohydrates: 39 g
  • Fiber: 3 g
  • Protein: 10 g

Keywords: Caesar Salad,Roasted Garlic Caesar Salad

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Here are the original images associated with this blog post.