Creative Meals for Today's Cook

Grilled Romaine Lettuce with Creamy Lemon Dressing

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Char grilled romaine hearts, tangy dressing, crispy bacon, and nutty parmesan cheese. You've got to give this Grilled Romaine Lettuce with Creamy Lemon Dressing a try!

Grilled lettuce? Seriously!? Is that even possible??  I don’t know, it sounds kind of ridiculous. Char grilled romaine hearts, tangy dressing, crispy bacon, and nutty parmesan cheese. You've got to give this Grilled Romaine Lettuce with Creamy Lemon Dressing a try! Those were my basic thoughts on the matter several years ago. I recently thought about the prospect of grilling lettuce again, and this time it totally made sense! Westerns generally enjoy lettuce raw, but various Asian cuisines wilt greens in their dishes all the time; is grilling really that much different than in a stir fry or steamed. Well, yes and no. Either way you cook it, the leaves will soften to some degree. However, by grilling the lettuce the core remains crunchy, the leaves become charred and smokey, and the overall dish becomes delicately sweet. It pairs perfectly with the tangy and creamy lemon dressing, and the salty bacon and shaved parmesan. Char grilled romaine hearts, tangy dressing, crispy bacon, and nutty parmesan cheese. You've got to give this Grilled Romaine Lettuce with Creamy Lemon Dressing a try! So now that I’ve hopefully piqued your interest, let me pass along some information that you may find helpful:

  • Make sure you use romaine hearts or another type of sturdy leafy green. The lettuce needs to hold up while on the grill.
  • You can cook these in a cast iron skillet, but grilling (in particular charcoal grilling) is the way to go! I’ve tried this dish both ways, and if you’re in a pinch, cast iron will work. However, the grill adds such a wonderful smokey flavor to the dish that the pan just can’t do.
  • Make sure you’ve allowed enough time for your grill to get plenty hot. You want to be able to lightly char the leaves fairly quickly, while the core remains crispy.
  • Be sure to brush the romaine hearts with oil to prevent them from sticking to the grill.
  • Grilled romaine hearts are best eaten warm, so be sure to enjoy them immediately.

Char grilled romaine hearts, tangy dressing, crispy bacon, and nutty parmesan cheese. You've got to give this Grilled Romaine Lettuce with Creamy Lemon Dressing a try! You’ve got to give this Grilled Romaine Lettuce with Creamy Lemon Dressing a try! The entire dish takes 10 -15 minutes from start to finish, it’s so easy to put together, it’s budget friendly, and it’s bursting with flavor! This is great as a main dish for lunch or as a side when you’re out grilling some steaks or burgers this summer. Char grilled romaine hearts, tangy dressing, crispy bacon, and nutty parmesan cheese. You've got to give this Grilled Romaine Lettuce with Creamy Lemon Dressing a try!

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Grilled Romaine Lettuce with Creamy Lemon Dressing
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4 people
 
Ingredients
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • 1 lemon, zested and juiced (2 tablespoons juice)
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper, a few cracks
  • 4 slices of bacon
  • 2 romaine hearts
  • extra virgin olive oil, for brushing
  • shaved parmesan (garnish)
Instructions
  1. Heat your grill to medium-high if using gas. If using charcoal, build a medium-hot fire. Alternatively, you can heat a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat.
  2. While the grill or cast-iron pan is heating, in a small bowl combine the mayonnaise, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.
  3. Add the bacon to a cold pan and heat over medium heat. Turning occasionally, cook to your desired crispiness. Once cooled, roughly chop and set aside.
  4. Cut the romaine hearts in half, length-wise and leave the ends intact so each half holds together. Brush the cut side with olive oil. Place the romaine lettuce, cut side down on the grill or cast-iron pan. Cook for 4-5 minutes, turning the halves occasionally (keeping the cut side down), until lightly charred. Remove from the grill and plate cut side up.
  5. Drizzle the grilled lettuce with the creamy lemon dressing, some bacon bits, and shaved parmesan. Serve immediately and enjoy!

PIN!!!!!!

 

You’ve got to give this Grilled Romaine Lettuce with Creamy Lemon Dressing a try! The entire dish takes 10 -15 minutes from start to finish and it's insanely delicious!!!

Comments

  3. made tonight on the grill. Delicious. The dressing was incredible. Will defiantly make again!!!

    • Hi Kate! I’m so glad you enjoyed the dish! This has quickly become one of my favorite salads! Who would have thought that grilled lettuce could be so good! 😉

    • I used to be in the camp of ‘grilling lettuce sounds ridiculous’. But it totally works! And it’s really freakin’ good! Give it a try – I know you’ll love it!

    • Thanks, Kristen! I love salads, eat them almost everyday. But even I get a little bored with them, which is why grilled lettuce was such a nice change of pace. Btw, everything tastes better with grill marks 😉

  6. I LOVE grilled romaine lettuce. . LOVE it!!! yours looks amazing and I’m all about that creamy lemon dressing and the bacon bits!!! Must make this this weekend!!!

    • I’m a new lover of grilled romaine – it’s like, where have you been my whole life!? 😉 I hope you enjoy the recipe and have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

  7. I have been low carbing so was really excited to see this post. I’ve been eating a lot of salads and I love how this takes salad to the next level. Adding it onto this weekend’s shopping list. 🙂

    • Awesome! This definitely puts a fresh spin on a salad 🙂 I hope you enjoy!

  8. I adore grilled romaine salads, I actually had one last weekend at my mother’s house 🙂 Yours looks spectacular, I love your photos!! And that creamy lemon dressing paired with it, YUMM! I could probably eat the dressing by the spoonful 🙂 I’m a dressing lush. lol Cheers and thanks so much for sharing!

    • Thank you so much! Funny you should mention eating the dressing by the spoonful, because that’s literally what I did! 😉

    • Yes! The char on the leaves pairs so well with the tangy lemon dressing… and of course the bacon is pretty tasty too 😉

  11. I only had grilled lettuce recently for the first time, Kathleen, and was pleasantly surprised because I’m not generally a big lettuce fan. Really keen to try this – easy but impressive, which is the kind of recipes I’m always drawn to!

    • Thanks, Helen! You definitely get a lot of bang for your buck on this one, so to speak 😉

  12. I have never thought of grilling lettuce before but the way you describe it and this combination of creamy lemon dressing and bacon on top sounds absolutely wonderful! I will have to try this recipe!
    And yes, charcoal grilling is the way to go – I love our charcoal grill because it gives such a deep smokey flavor to the veggies and meat that can’t be topped by a gas grill.

    • Hi there! Thanks so much for your kind words! I think you’re going to be pleasantly surprised by the depth of flavor in this dish – and the charcoal makes all the difference in the world… you just can’t beat it 🙂

  13. OK #1 these pictures are GORGEOUS! Probablly my favorite ones I have seen so far from you!!! #2… Hubs and i just went to a restaurant and we had a salad with a creamy dressing that had grilled romaine…UMM helllo yumminess! II could not believe how fantastic it was!!! You tots read my mind as I was planning on making it over Memorial Day!!!! YUM! Such YUM!

    • YES! Please do! I was so impressed with it, I’m making it my mission to get everyone to give it a try 😉

  15. Love the new design! And never had grilled lettuce, but would love to try this recipe! Gorgeous photos! Pinned of course!

    • Thanks, Mira! I’m still fine-tuning the design layout, but so far I’m loving it too 🙂 I hope you give it a try – it’s really so tasty and I imagine you can create all sorts of variations with it.

  16. It’s like caesar salad on steroids!! I’ve done this before, I loved it!! I don’t get the stir fry lettuce thing though. Tried it multiple times….just not a fan! So much prefer char grilling!! 🙂

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