Grilled Gluten-free Caesar Salad with Homemade Dressing

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Gluten-free salads don't have to be boring. Take your gluten-free caesar salad up a notch by taking it out to the grill. Your taste buds will thank you!

I know I have a lot of comfort foods on the site, but I am a huge fan of salads too. In fact, we have salads multiple times a week because when I ask my husband what he wants to go with dinner, it's usually his answer. Lol, mostly because he isn't a huge fan of cooked vegetables, but that's okay. He loves salads, and I don't like making boring gluten-free salads. This gluten-free grilled caesar salad is a vegetable he's okay with being cooked. It's a pretty regular dish, especially in the summer when we are grilling all the time.

Is caesar salad gluten-free?

Traditional caesar salad is not gluten-free. This simple salad usually consists of romaine lettuce, parmesan cheese, croutons, and caesar dressing. It's usually the croutons and the dressing parts of the caesar salad toppings that can make a caesar salad not gluten-free.

How do you make caesar salad gluten-free?

Since there aren't many caesar salad toppings we have to be specific on how we alter them to make the caesar salad gluten-free.

• Romaine Lettuce
• Parmesan Cheese - Freshly shredded parmesan cheese is best.
• Gluten-free Caesar Dressing
• Gluten-free Croutons - I am not actually a huge fan of croutons. I prefer to make a fresh batch of gluten-free bread like my gluten-free french bread to serve with this or some gluten-free cheese bread. Trust me, it's better than croutons.

How do you make caesar salad not boring?

Make this caesar salad way less boring by grilling the romaine lettuce. Why would you grill romaine lettuce for caesar salad? Grilling the romaine might sound strange, but trust me, it changes the flavor profile and takes this simple salad up several notches. If you've never done it, you need to!

How to grill hearts of romaine.

Don't worry; your romaine will not go up in flames, I promise. All you are doing is slightly charring it.

1. Cut and wash the romaine.
2. Brush the romaine hearts with avocado oil
3. Preheat the grill.
4. Grill the romaine on all sides.

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Is caesar dressing gluten-free?

There are several really good gluten-free caesar dressings available at the store these days. My favorite is the Primal Kitchen brand. But sometimes, I like to take this simple salad up a notch and make a homemade gluten-free caesar dressing instead.

How to make gluten-free caesar dressing.

Ingredients in gluten-free caesar salad dressing:

• 2 Egg Yolks or ¼ C Mayonnaise
• 3 TBS Lemon Juice - Grill the lemons with the romaine for an extra treat
• 1 TBS Anchovy Paste
• 4 Cloves of Garlic
• 2 TBS Dijon Mustard (I use 365 Everyday brand from Whole Foods)
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
• 1 ½ teaspoon Coconut Aminos or sub the anchovy paste by adding 3 teaspoon coconut aminos.
• ½ C Olive Oil
• 1 C Parmesan Cheese

How to gluten-free caesar salad dressing:

1. In a small food processor or the cut of an immersion blender, puree the egg yolk (or mayo), garlic, and anchovy paste until it looks like a thick paste.
2. Add the remaining ingredients except for the oil and puree till smooth.
3. Slowly add the olive oil and puree till combined.

How to make a grilled gluten-free caesar salad.

1. Prep the romaine.
2. Grill the romaine.
3. Chop the romaine.
4. Toss the chopped romaine in a gluten-free caesar dressing.
5. Sprinkle in freshly shredded parmesan cheese.
6. Add gluten-free croutons.

More caesar salad topping ideas.

• Take your grilled romaine and squeeze a freshly grilled lemon over the top with a sprinkle or two of more salt and pepper.
• I love making a simple marinated chicken for caesar salad.

You really can't go wrong with this easy gluten-free caesar salad. It makes the perfect side dish for bbq chicken that you probably already have on the grill.

More ideas for a gluten-free cookout.

Gluten-free Potato Salad

Gluten-free Coleslaw

Gluten-free Baked Beans

Gluten-free Mac and Cheese

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #grainfreetable or @grainfreetable on Instagram. I’d love to see what you come up with!