I have been a big fan of Caesar salad for a long time now, but this is my first time actually trying to make my own Caesar salad dressing. The salad dressing used in this salad was inspired by a recipe in the Comfort Food Diet Cookbook. Taste of Home has made several Comfort Food Diet Cookbooks over the years and I think they are all great! I have mentioned this before, but if you are looking for some new cookbooks you may want to check them out. They are PACKED with tons of great recipes. I get a lot of inspiration from their recipes, so if you like my recipes on MPM chances are good you will like theirs too.
Mmmm… Parmesan.
A common ingredient in Caesar salads is Parmesan cheese. Typically Caesar salads would include shredded or shaved Parmesan, but I used grated because I was trying to use ingredients I already had on hand. You know what tastes really good though? If you can get your hands on it, try getting a block of Parmesan cheese and use a vegetable shredder or peeler to make shaved/peeled Parmesan cheese. Eating fresh Parmesan is a whole different experience than eating the grated bottled Parmesan most of us are used to.
(picture credit: Once Upon A Chef)
Make it for lunch, for dinner or as a side salad.
This would make a great lunch, dinner, or side salad. If you prepare the salad as described below it is just 2 Weight Watcher FreeStyle smart points per salad. If you have some boneless, skinless cooked chicken on hand you could turn the salad into a Chicken Caesar Salad by adding 1/2 cooked chicken to each bowl and not add any more points. Of course, with the new FreeStyle program you can add as much chicken as you like, but I would suggest doing 1/4 to 1/2 cup cooked chicken to each salad. You’ve got to give this salad a try.
Here is what you need:
1/3 cup Fage Total 0% Nonfat Greek strained yogurt
1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
10 cups romaine lettuce
30 Fresh Gourmet Classic Caesar Premium Croutons
2-1/2 tablespoons shredded or grated Parmesan cheese, divided
chicken: optional
Here is what you do:
Prepare the salad dressing in a small bowl by mixing the yogurt, mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard and Worcestershire sauce.
Shred or tear romaine lettuce.
(sidenote: Have you ever used a nylon serrated knife? They are perfect for cutting heads of lettuce and cabbage, and other foods that would typically brown after they are cut. I don’t totally understand the science behind it. I just know it works.)
Put 2 cups lettuce into 5 bowls. Top each with 2 tablespoons prepared dressing and mix dressing into the lettuce. Top each bowl with 6 croutons, and 1/2 tablespoon Parmesan cheese.
That’s it. Easy peasy.
Makes 5 servings.
One serving is 2 cups lettuce, 2 tablespoons dressing, 6 croutons, and 1/2 tablespoon Parmesan cheese.
Each serving is 2 WW FreeStyle Smart Points.
Caesar Salad
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup Fage Total 0% Nonfat Greek strained yogurt
- 1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 10 cups romaine lettuce
- 30 Fresh Gourmet Classic Caesar Premium Croutons
- 2-1/2 tablespoons shredded or grated Parmesan cheese, divided
Instructions
- Prepare the salad dressing in a small bowl by mixing the yogurt, mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard and Worcestershire sauce.
- Shred or tear romaine lettuce.
- Put 2 cups lettuce into 5 bowls. Top each with 2 tablespoons prepared dressing and mix dressing into the lettuce. Top each bowl with 6 croutons, and 1/2 tablespoon Parmesan cheese.
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Karen Currie says
Looking forward to trying this! Have you tried storing this dressing and does it keep well for a few days? I’m the only salad lover in my household…
Alisha Hughes says
Hmm… I am not share Karen. I would think it would be okay for a few days, since each of the ingredients by themselves would be fine in the fridge for several days. I think as long as you mix it back up each time you use it you should be okay. Thanks for asking. Hope you like it! 🙂
Paula Brubaker says
Using the NI I come out with 6 SP for the Caeser salad. What am I doing wrong? Thanks!
Alisha Hughes says
Hi Paula, Great question. This is a question we get a lot. Weight Watchers has something called a “Recipe Builder”. The recipe builder allows you to plug in each ingredient, the amounts of each ingredient, and the number of servings the recipe is worth. Then it does the math for you so you have an accurate # of smart points per serving for the recipe. (It factors in zero point fruits/vegetables and lower smart point lean meat, etc.) It’s possible you are using the nutrition facts calculator on the app/website rather than the recipe builder. Hope this helps.