Thanks to a quick-and-easy Whole30 Ranch Dressing, this Classic Wedge Salad is filling without weighing you down! It can be served as an appetizer, as is, or paired with a lean protein and enjoyed as an entrée!
I don’t know about you, but I love me a good Wedge Salad! First and foremost, I think iceberg lettuce is supremely underrated. Sure, it’s not as nutritionally dense as its dark, leafy green cousins, but what it lacks in vitamins it makes up for in crunch. I love that this Wedge Salad puts iceberg on a pedestal and pays it the proper respect it deserves!
Aside from the lettuce, Wedge Salad is all about the toppings. In this “Classic” version, I keep things simple with some chopped tomatoes, red onion, hard-boiled eggs, crispy bacon and fresh chives. However, the world is your oyster, friends. You can try topping it with grilled chicken, shrimp, flank steak, fried shallots, toasted walnuts, or even some lobster!
To be fair, the “Classic” pairing for a Wedge Salad is a thick and creamy, blue cheese and buttermilk dressing. But I think there’s something to be said for this Whole30 Ranch. Not only is it easy to make (it’s just a matter of whisking together some wet and dry ingredients), but it’s also very tasty! It’s creamy, tangy and flows through all of the folds in the iceberg wedge making each bite as delicious as the next. You would be hard-pressed to tell it was dairy-free!
I hope you’ll give this Classic Wedge Salad a try! If you do, let me know how it goes and be sure to share on social by tagging me, @primal_gourmet, so that I can see your creations!
Classic Wedge Salad with Whole30 Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 head iceberg lettuce – stem trimmed and cut into quarters
- 1 small red onion – finely chopped
- 2 medium-sized hot house or field tomatoes – diced
- ¼ cup fresh chives – finely chopped
- 4-6 strips bacon – sliced into ½” pieces
- 4 eggs
for Whole30 Ranch Dressing:
- ½ cup compliant mayonnaise
- ¼ cup full-fat coconut milk
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried basil
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly-cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Add all dressing ingredients to a small mixing bowl and whisk until smooth and combined. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.
- Bring a saucepan of water to a rolling boil. Slowly submerge eggs using a slotted spoon. Cook eggs exactly 12 minutes. Drain water and fill saucepan with very cold water to shock eggs and stop the cooking process. Let eggs cool 5 minutes before peeling and roughly chopping.
- Add sliced bacon to a cold, non-stick skillet. Set over medium-high heat and cook until bacon is crispy and golden brown (approximately 6-8 minutes). Transfer cooked bacon to a plate lined with paper towel to absorb excess fat. *Tip: Rendered fat can be transferred to a sealable container and refrigerated up to 5 days for other cooking purposes, like fried eggs.
- Arrange iceberg lettuce wedges, cut-side up, on a large board. Drizzle with Whole30 Ranch Dressing, top with tomatoes, onions, chopped eggs, bacon, and chives. Serve immediately.
