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This classic wedge salad is a cool, crisp, and refreshingly tasty dish. Topped with bacon and blue cheese, this salad is simple to whip up, and it goes with just about anything!

A wedge salad is a superb side dish. Or you can serve it with one of these fantastic soups like this cheeseburger soup or this yummy broccoli cheese soup and serve it with some homemade bread for a light dinner or lunch.

Classic wedge salad topped with tomatoes, bacon and blue cheese dressing on a plate.

Classic Wedge Salad

Wedge salads are the best! It is simple yet full of flavor and crisp and fresh. Just like a salad should be. No one knows where these delightful salads came from, but they seem to have come into major popularity ever since steak houses started putting them on the menu. Trust me. I’m not complaining! It has become my go-to salad over the years, and it can be switched up with different toppings and dressings every time! Such a simple salad, but with such huge flavor.

It can be served on its own or as an accompaniment to your favorite dishes. Its unique shape and color will draw attention, and the taste will pull them in. Serve wedge salad alongside beef, chicken, pork, or fish. This simple wedge of iceberg lettuce has been transformed into a fancy and delicious salad! Your whole family is going to love it!

What You Need For The Perfect Wedge Salad

Look for fresh lettuce and tomatoes to help this salad taste its best. Heads of lettuce can vary in size, so pick accordingly. Depending on how many you are serving then you may need to buy more than one. Some heads are so small that it will work best to cut them in half or just thirds instead of quarters. See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact measurements.

  • Iceberg Lettuce: Do not substitute for something else. Icebergs shape is what gives the classic wedge its name.
  • Tomato: I used a Roma tomato! Choose a firm, full flavored tomato. If you have homegrown tomatoes, use those instead! That flavor cannot be beat!
  • Bacon: Precook your bacon or get some real bacon bits at the store to make this really easy on yourself!
  • Red Onion: Finely chop up the onion so that you get some in every bite!
  • Blue Cheese Dressing: You can use store-bought but if you want an insanely delicious flavor then try this homemade blue cheese dressing.
  • Blue Cheese Crumbles: Use more or less depending on your taste.

Putting a Wedge Salad Together

This amazing wedge salad is so easy! The fact that it is so easy to make and yet so fancy to eat makes it a choice salad! You will love how fast it is to throw together, and voila! Your salad is done!

  1. Lettuce: Cut the lettuce wedge in half and cut off the stem. Then, cut into four equal wedges.
  2. Top it: Top with chopped tomato, bacon, onion, homemade blue cheese dressing and crumbles.
4 pictures showing how to cut iceberg lettuce into wedges.

Easy Tips

With this being one of the easiest salads to throw together, there isn’t much that can go wrong. But you can always do a few things to make it the easiest and best wedge salad ever.

  • Lettuce: You can prep your salad in advance. Then, you can cut the iceberg lettuce into wedges BUT leave the stem on. This will keep the leaves intact better. Wash the quarters carefully, allowing water to run in between the leaves. Drain it well and then store it in a plastic bag with a paper towel until ready to use. Lettuce will keep like this for up to 2 weeks. If the outside leaves start to turn brown then you can simply remove them. Cut off the stem right before serving.
  • Tomatoes: Use grape or cherry tomatoes halved or quartered for easy, flavorful tomato flavor.
  • Salt and Pepper:  Add some salt and pepper to taste.
Up close picture of a wedge salad on a plate with a fork.

Topping Ideas

The classic topping for a wedge salad is bacon, tomato, red onion, and more blue cheese along with blue cheese dressing. But that doesn’t mean you cannot take a wedge of iceberg lettuce and make it your own. Wedge salads are easily customizable and still will be absolutely delicious.

  • Add Different Vegetables: Try avocados, cucumbers, olives and chopped peppers or celery.
  • Add Crunch:  Use croutons to add a bit of crunch. If you want to go the extra mile then you can make your own croutons using this recipe.
  • Cheese: If you want to try a different cheese then try cheddar, feta, parmesan or gorgonzola.
  • Not a fan of Blue Cheese Dressing: Although blue cheese is the standard, you can substitute for ranch, caesar or creamy parmesan dressing.
  • Add Some Protein: Add chopped grilled chicken or steak. Or dice up hard boiled eggs.

What to Serve with Wedge Salad

Wedge salads can be a meal on their own or served as the ideal side. Served alongside a hearty meaty dish is exactly what a wedge salad was made for. They are the perfect beginning to your meal as the lettuce is cool and fresh and the toppings creamy and savory. When you need a great main dish to go with your wedge salad try one of these incredible favorites.

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Wedge Salad

5 from 1 vote
By: Alyssa Rivers
This classic wedge salad is a cool, crisp, and refreshingly tasty dish. Topped with bacon and blue cheese, this salad is simple to whip up, and it goes with just about anything! 
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 4 Wedges

Ingredients 

Instructions 

  • Cut the lettuce wedge in half and cut off the stem. Cut into four equal wedges.
  • Top with tomato, bacon, onion, homemade blue cheese dressing and crumbles.

Video

Notes

Originally Posted on March 17, 2021
Updated on February 26, 2022

Nutrition

Calories: 383kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 16gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 63mgSodium: 861mgPotassium: 445mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 1084IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 210mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course, Salad
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!
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About Alyssa Rivers

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Alyssa Rivers and the food blogger behind The Recipe Critic. The blog launched in 2012 as a place to share my passion for cooking. I love trying new things and testing them out with my family. Each recipe is tried and true, family-tested and approved.

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3 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Fantastic. Followed exactly but cut in half for the two of us. Made the recommended blue cheese dressing from scratch and much better than any from a bottle. Thanks Alyssa.

  2. This is always my favorite salad but when I order it at a restaurant, I always ask them to chop it because I can never figure out … what is an appropriate way to eat a wedge salad? I’m always worried I will try to cut it at the table and will have a huge mess.