Bowl with avocado bacon Caesar salad topped with Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Avocado Bacon Caesar Salad

Almost a year ago, I shared our love story with Caesar salad in this post for Caesar dressing. This recipe is still my go to, and even though I’ve made it countless times, I still have to Google my own website to look up the “how much of what’s”. This is the exact same recipe I use in this salad, however, it gets an upgrade with two delicious ingredients – avocado, and bacon.

Why avocado and bacon? Why not! Avocado alone seems to blend in with the rest of the ingredients to the point where it tastes “lost” among them. But avocado AND bacon will make you believe they belong in Caesar salad.

You can obviously skip one or the other to adapt this salad to your needs and preferences. My husband and I have been on a keto diet for a few years now. I like to think of it is “modified keto”, since our main concern is “fresh and homemade“ first, ”high-fat and low-carb” second.

Notes

  • Bacon

The best bacon I have ever had is Peter Luger Steakhouse bacon. It is unbelievably thick and incredibly flavorful. This is a true “thick cut” bacon.

Package of extra thick cut bacon from Peter Luger steakhouse

You can order it on their website in bulk (6 packages are a minimum order), or use your favorite kind. Our local Wegman’s sells it and it is perfect for salad toppings since it’s so thick. If you use regular, thinner bacon, cut it in bigger pieces.

  • Prep-work

The assembly for this salad is quick and easy, but prep-work takes some time. Grating the cheese, washing and drying lettuce, making the dressing, cooking bacon… It is best to get those things out of the way ahead of time, unless you have time to spare right before dinner. But honestly, it is all very easy.

  • Lettuce

I prefer to use romaine for the classic look and flavor, but there are other options. Kale, arugula, or any other salad greens are acceptable choices. With romaine, though, you can never tell how much of it you are going to get out of the package, because sometimes you have to peel most of the leaves off until you get clean, fresh ones. So, I am leaving it up to you. If you use pre-cut lettuce in a bag, a 10 oz bag yields about 3 servings. If you buy a whole head of lettuce – there are usually 3 in 1 bag – I recommend rinsing, and cutting all of it. You can use leftovers the next day. I also prefer to cut out the center stalk part. They are usually too watery to be used.

Avocado Bacon Caesar Salad

Yana, babushkacooking.com
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 2

Ingredients
  

Salad

  • Romaine lettuce, cut into 2 inch strips
  • Avocado, 1/4 or 1/2 per person
  • Bacon, 1-2 pieces per person
  • Cherry tomatoes, 3-4 per person
  • Parmigiano Reggiano, grated

Caesar Salad Dressing

  • 3/4 C mayonnaise
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced or pressed
  • 2 small anchovy fillets (or 1 Tb anchovy paste)
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1/2-1 C Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
  • 1/5 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
 

To Make the Dressing:

  • In a small bowl of a food processor, combine all of the ingredients. If you don’t have a food processor, mix the ingredients by hand, just make sure everything is finely cut.
  • Process (or mix) until smooth. If it’s too thick, add a thin stream of olive oil until it reaches the desired consistency.

To Assemble the Salad:

  • Combine strips of romaine, cherry tomatoes, bacon, and avocado in a large bowl.
  • Add dressing, and mix well.
  • Serve topped with grated Parmigiano Reggiano And freshly ground black pepper. Enjoy!

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