Caesar the WFH Day
I’ve been fortunate enough to work from home over the past months, but I’ve really started to miss a lot of things I had working from the office. I miss seeing friends, getting dressed-up, the excitement of going to the Chicago Loop, but I also really miss the food options I could grab for lunch. One of those meals I miss inspired this salad. There was a restaurant incredibly close to my office that served up delicious (but expensive) salads. This time of year, their seasonal menu was particularly great, filled with apples, sweet potatoes, pears, kale, and cranberries. All of my favorite salad ingredients!
This recipe particularly has my top, top favs – apples and dried cranberries. To round it out, this Autumn caesar salad also has pears, chicken, crispy toasts, and a very simple Caesar dressing. To keep things simple, I recommend using either a leftover chicken breast or grabbing a rotisserie chicken that you can then use for the rest of the week.
If you prefer to eat vegetarian, this dish is as simple as removing the chicken from the equation. I’ve even used a recipe to make a vegetarian Caesar salad dressing (fun fact, a typical Caesar dressing has anchovy paste in it)!. This version of the dressing is really light, and a bit runny, which coats the ingredients perfectly! If you’re looking to add a protein substitute, I love adding roasted chickpeas to caesar salads. It’s an extra crunch to include with the toasts or croutons.
Recipe Details
Each component of this salad comes together so easily, but it’s going to feel like you’ve put together a fancy, restaurant quality salad. While the parmesan toasts are in the oven, you can whip up the caesar salad dressing, chop your fruits and veggies, and mix it together all before your toasts come out.
The recipe will come out as equally fresh and crisp as it is creamy. The combination of fruits and vegetables lean a bit on the sweet side, but if that’s not your style you can halve the fruit and lean more into the greens and chicken. No matter what, it’s hard to beat any combination of these ingredients together!
If you make this recipe, please let me know! I would love to see your photos and hear what you think!
Autumn Caesar Salad
Description
A delicious salad filled with Autumnal fruit and fresh Caesar dressing. This recipe makes for a great lunch or first course for your next Fall date-night in.
Ingredients
Parmesan Toasts
Caesar Salad Dressing
Salad Components
Instructions
Bake the Parmesan Toasts
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Preheat your oven to 250° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Brush each side of sliced bread with olive oil and place on the prepared baking sheet.
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Sprinkle the parmesan cheese across the top of each slice of bread.
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Bake the toasts for 10-15 minutes, until the toasts are crisp. Take out of the oven and set aside until the salad is complete
Make the Salad Dressing
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In a medium bowl, add the mayo, minced garlic, the lemon juice, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and salt. Whisk until all of the ingredients are fully combined.
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Add the grated parmesan cheese and black pepper and stir until evenly distributed.
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Taste and add more salt or black pepper to taste!
Assemble the Salad
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In a large bowl, add the romaine lettuce, kale, apple, pear, and dried cranberries. Toss the salad until everything is evenly distributed.
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Add a third of the salad dressing to the bowl and mix until all of the ingredients are coated in the dressing.
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Divide the salad to four bowls, top with the sliced chicken and parmesan toasts. Drizzle extra dressing over the salad to taste and enjoy!
