Crispy, creamy, cool, and colorful, this uncomplicated Easy Wedge Salad is the ultimate summer side dish or simple, scrumptious lunch!
It truly doesn’t get any easier than this crunchy, chilled Easy Wedge Salad recipe! It features a chunk of iceberg lettuce loaded with smoky bacon, tangy red onion, fresh tomatoes, bleu cheese crumbles, and a creamy homemade dressing—this is total simplicity with tasty toppings!
The Iceberg Wedge – An Easy Salad for Every Season!
The beauty of a classic wedge salad is its simplicity. Nothing complicated. Nothing fancy. That makes wedge salads the best basic lunch EVER, and, at the same time, they’re elegant enough to complement high-end entrees like luscious lobster or juicy Grilled Ribeye Steaks.
Wedge Salads are fool-proof. Simply quarter a head of fresh iceberg lettuce (or as many as you need!), choose your favorite flavorful toppings, from diced fruits and veggies to seeds and nuts to meats and cheeses, then add a creamy homemade dressing, and you’re good to go!
Other Recipes for the Perfect Wedge Salad
- Super Thick & Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing whips up in fewer than 10 minutes, and it’s far superior to store-bought!
- Here’s a simple tutorial for How to Cook Bacon Perfectly in the Oven Every Time!
Ingredients
Lettuce: A whole head of iceberg makes the perfect wedge salad – other lettuce types don’t have the same firm, crispy texture!
Bacon: Any kind of bacon will work here—thick cut, thin, maple-flavored, or turkey—as long as it’s cooked nice and crunchy so it crumbles beautifully!
Veggies: We’re going traditional here with diced red onion and fresh tomatoes for the best flavors!
Cheese: Blue cheese crumbles add a soft texture and sharp flavor that’s just right!
Dressing: This salad practically screams for blue cheese dressing – homemade or store-bought. Of course, any creamy salad dressing would work as well!
How to Make an Easy Wedge Salad
STEP ONE: Remove the protruding part of the stem from the head of lettuce, then slice the head into four equal-sized wedges. Lay each one on a plate, wide leaf side down (the small, white center should be facing up).
STEP TWO: Cook the bacon until extra crispy. When cool, crumble it. Chop the tomatoes and red onion into small bits.
STEP THREE: Assemble the salads by drizzling each wedge with the creamy dressing. (Doing this first helps the toppings to stick.) Then top each wedge with the tomato, red onion, blue cheese crumbles, and bacon. Serve immediately with knives to cut into the wedges. Enjoy!
Tips for Success
- The toppings for a wedge salad are classic but also versatile! Try variations like avocado, almonds, olives, beets, berries, cheese, cucumber, and croutons—the options are almost endless!
- Dice the tomatoes, then lightly salt them to absorb the excess moisture.
- The bacon should be cooked to a very crispy for a wedge salad!
- Blue Cheese dressing is traditional on a wedge salad, but Caesar, poppy seed, creamy avocado ranch, and others are all delicious!
- Always serve a wedge salad with a knife for cutting!
What’s the Best Way to Store Iceberg Lettuce?
Wash the lettuce (rinse thoroughly with cold water, gently pulling back the leaves, or soak the entire head in a large bowl of salted water for several minutes), shake off the excess water, then place in a plastic ziplock baggie with a folded paper towel. This will keep the lettuce fresh and crispy for at least a week!
How Do You Cut a Head of Lettuce for a Wedge Salad?
Because of its crispy texture and tightly layered leaves, iceberg lettuce is ideal for wedge salads! Make sure you choose a head that is a light, bright green with no soft or brown spots.
To cut a whole head into wedges, gently remove the outer layer of leaves and chop off just the very end of the stem where it’s brown. Next, slice the whole head in half from the stem to the top. Then flip each half sideways and cut again. This will give you four even-sized quarters. If the head is extra-large, you may be able to cut each half into three wedges, giving you six total. That’s it! Rinse the wedges thoroughly, gently shake out the water, then set them in the fridge on a paper towel to chill while you prep the toppings.
Other Scrumptious Simple Salad Recipes!
- Classic Cobb Salad
- BLT Salad
- 7 Layer Salad
- Italian Chop Salad
- Chipotle Tomato Wedge Salad
- Summer Bounty Salad
*This post originally posted on 08/04/2018.
Ingredients
- 1 head iceberg lettuce
- 8 slices bacon
- 1 tomato chopped
- ½ red onion peeled and chopped
- 1 cup blue cheese crumbled
- ½ cup blue cheese dressing
Instructions
- Remove the stem from the head of iceberg lettuce. Cut the lettuce head into four equal wedges. Lay each wedge on its "back" on the plate, so the light-colored center of the lettuce points up.
- Cook the bacon until crispy in a large skillet over medium heat, flipping as needed. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Crumble once cool enough to handle.
- Drizzle 3 tablespoons of creamy blue cheese dressing on top of each lettuce wedge. (If you do this first, it helps the toppings stick.)
- Top each wedge salad with tomato, red onion, crumbled bacon, and blue cheese crumbles. Serve immediately.
Norma-Jeanne says
My husband turned me onto this salad. He would have it at the outback several days a week. We went there and had the salad, mine no bacon or onions. It was delicious and I recognized the ingredients. I make it a lot during the summer. Also drizzle glaze on it too.
Barbara Lambert says
I made this salad twice already. This was one of the best salads I made. So yummy. Oh and so easy to make. I was a bit lazy and changed out the bacon with ‘real bacon’ in a pouch from the store. I was too lazy to make bacon so I just bought the stuff that’s already done. My goal for this year is to have one new salad each week for the entire summer. At least until I feel like not making them anymore. Already eyeing some of the other salads posted on here.
Jill Foley says
Best salad of all! It’s relatively easy and asking someone to bring this as a side dish when you are making surf and turf with 10 ounce lobster tails, this is a perfect side dish. Easy and under $10.
gmail sign in says
very good.thank youuuu
Aubrey Cota says
Thanks!
Amy @ Ninja Coffee Bar says
This salad is truly EASY to prepare and just perfect for what I wanted. I was looking for something light during lunch today and I gave your easy wedge salad a try and it was remarkable.
thanks
Amy
Virginia
Aubrey Cota says
Thank you so much, Amy. It’s usually my go to for the quick easy meal that it is, so glad you liked it!