7 Ways to Upgrade a Wedge Salad at Home, From Candied Bacon to Green Goddess Dressing

If you're always wooed by wedge salad at the steakhouse, you'll want to explore these tasty variations on the classic.

WEDGE SALAD WITH CANDIED BACON AND GORGONZOLA DRESSING, single serving
Photo:

Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

If ever there were a salad that's truly a vehicle for delivering thick, creamy dressing, it'd be the wedge salad. With its meandering nooks and crannies to accommodate all that saucy goodness, impossibly crunchy quarters of iceberg lettuce are uniquely suited for the job — perhaps even divinely created for the very purpose. While a classic wedge salad features not much more than said iceberg slathered in blue cheese dressing and dotted with cherry tomatoes and bacon pieces, this salad format offers an invitation to play. From the antipasti-laden Bad Roman Wedge Salad to appetizer-worthy Mini Wedge Salads with Anchovy Dressing, these are the wedge salad riffs to try at home now.

01 of 07

Wedge Salad with Tahini Green Goddess Dressing

Wedge Salad with Tahini Goddess Dressing

Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Shell Royster

This crispy and refreshing wedge salad swaps standard blue cheese dressing for a bold and thick herb-forward green goddess made from mayo and sour cream. The secret to Justin Chapple’s spin on the dressing is tahini, which adds depth, nuttiness, and a pleasantly bitter edge.

02 of 07

Bad Roman Wedge Salad

Wedge Salad Recipe

Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Barrett Washburne

Re-create the wedge salad from New York's Bad Roman at home with this recipe by chef Nick Gaube. His version leans toward Italian ingredients, with pickled peppers, soppressata, herbs, and a ranch dressing made spicy with Calabrian chiles.

03 of 07

Wedge Salad with Coconut Ranch and Furikake

Wedge Salad with Coconut Ranch and Furikake

Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Recipe developers Ann Taylor Pittman and Scott Mowbray meld buttermilk, coconut cream, and sour cream to make a luscious, chive-spiked, make-ahead dressing that's heaven on this wedge salad crisped up with the dried fish and seaweed mixture, furikake.

04 of 07

Wedge Salad with Candied Bacon and Gorgonzola Dressing

WEDGE SALAD WITH CANDIED BACON AND GORGONZOLA DRESSING, single serving

Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Crunchy iceberg lettuce, crispy candied bacon, and a creamy Gorgonzola dolce dressing combine to make this Food & Wine Test Kitchen recipe the ultimate version of the steakhouse classic.

05 of 07

Mini Wedge Salads with Anchovy Dressing

Mini Wedge Salads with Anchovy Dressing

Greg DuPree

A perfect appetizer, your guests will delight in these personal wedge salads. A clever panko crust lets everyone enjoy their handheld salad in just a bite or two — no forks required.

06 of 07

Shrimp Wedge Salad with Old Bay Breadcrumbs and Hot Sauce Dressing

Shrimp Wedge Salad Recipe
Greg DuPree

Somewhere between a shrimp po' boy sandwich and a traditional wedge salad is this satisfying number. You can use whatever hot sauce you have on hand for the dressing, but we like it best with Crystal.

07 of 07

Greek Wedge Salad with Creamy Feta Dressing

Greek Wedge Salad
© Sarah Bolla

Here, classic Greek salad has been given the wedge treatment with a creamy, herbed feta and Greek yogurt-based dressing. In addition to sliced Persian cucumber, small watermelon gherkins add an extra hint of tangy cucumber flavor.

Was this page helpful?

Related Articles