Classic Wedge Salad with Light Blue Cheese Dressing

This restaurant-quality Classic Wedge Salad with Light Blue Dressing is quick and easy to make at home! Filled with crunchy iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and bacon then drizzled with a homemade blue cheese dressing made with greek yogurt. It’s the perfect side dish!

Looking for more easy side salads to whip together? Try out my Go-to Everyday Salad or quick Spinach Salad with a Champagne Vinaigrette.

Easy Blue Cheese Wedge Salad

I like to play a little game in the kitchen that involves me recreating some of my favorite restaurant dishes with simple and healthy ingredients. Yes, there’s a time and place to splurge, go out, and enjoy a meal cooked by someone else! But some recipes, like this Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing, I want to eat over and over again!

So, I challenge myself to recreate these meals. And let me tell you, this one is a winner! And the best part is that I didn’t need to bend over backward trying to find unique ingredients. The ingredients are straightforward and accessible to just about everyone!

We’ll use iceberg for this recipe. It’s easy to find, affordable, and tastes perfect with bacon and blue cheese!

What Is a Wedge Salad

A wedge salad is simply a salad made up of one large chunk of lettuce. Iceberg lettuce is perfect for making wedge salads. The leaves are tightly packed (so it doesn’t fall apart) and the head is large enough to cut into equally sized wedges.

One head of iceberg lettuce will give you 4 servings. You could probably even get 5-6 servings if you’re serving this to your kids. Yep, I suggest you try serving this salad to your kids because I even think that they are going to love it!

Recipe Ingredients

Here is what you need to make this Classic Wedge Salad. Don’t forget that the exact amounts for each ingredient are in the recipe card below.

For the Salad:

• Iceberg Lettuce: Keep the lettuce in the fridge for as long as possible before serving this salad. It’s best when the lettuce is ice cold! (No pun intended!)
• Bacon: This is a classic ingredient for this recipe. I like to think it helps make the salad a full meal by adding a bit of protein (and deliciousness!).
• Cherry Tomatoes: I like to use cherry tomatoes for their sweetness and size. You could also use grape tomatoes or small diced Roma tomatoes.
• Red Onion: Adding the red onion gives the salad a fresh kick of flavor. They are bright, tangy, and crisp.
• Green Onions: This ingredient also adds more onion flavor but it’s milder. You could also use chives if you can’t find green onions.

For the Light Blue Cheese Dressing:

• Plain Greek Yogurt: This is how we cut back on calories for this dressing. Using greek yogurt instead of sour cream is a kitchen hack that I’ll never give up on!
• Blue Cheese: It’s creamy, tangy, and so delicious!
• 2% Milk: Again, we are going lighter here to save on calories. You can use whole milk but remember that it will have more fat.
• Lemon: Adding lemon adds more tanginess and helps elevate the flavor of the blue cheese.
• Garlic: Fresh garlic adds another pop of pungent flavor! I highly recommend sticking with fresh garlic instead of garlic powder. The flavor just won’t be the same.
• Worcestershire Sauce: This is a great way to add salt to the dressing. And it pairs well with blue cheese. If you’re in a pinch you can use soy sauce instead.
• Onion Powder: This is an easy way to add onion flavor to the dressing. For a bit of extra flavor, you could add minced onions or finely chopped chives to the dressing.
• Salt & Pepper

Additional Topping Ideas

• Shredded Chicken: Better yet, make it Shredded Buffalo or BBQ Chicken!
• Pickled Red Onions
• Diced Deli Meat
• Chopped Hard Boiled Eggs

How to Wash & Cut Lettuce for a Wedge Salad

There is one very important step that you don’t want to skip. You still need to watch the iceberg lettuce.

But it’s very simple to do! Just remove any brown or wilted leaves from the outside of the head of the lettuce. Then cut it into four wedges. After that, rinse the wedges under ice-cold water and then pat them dry with a paper towel. It’s that simple!

How to Make an Iceberg Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese

Here’s how to make this restaurant-quality Wedge Salad at home!

First, make the dressing. Simply put all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix them together.

Then cook the bacon. I like to cut my bacon into about 1/4″ pieces for quick and easy crisping.

Cut the iceberg wedges. And don’t forget to wash them.

Lastly, assemble the salads. It’s pretty straightforward! You plate the iceberg wedge and then put the dressing on first (this way the toppings have something to stick to). Then add your toppings. Make sure to serve the salads immediately!

Tips for Success

Here are some helpful tips to follow when making this salad.

• Use a large head of iceberg lettuce. You also want to use a head that seems to have tight leaves. Even if you have to cut the head into more than 4 slices, the larger heads hold together best.
• Add more milk if your dressing is too chunky. Or you also may need to break up any large chunks of blue cheese. You want the dressing to be pourable so that it covers the wedge.
• Don’t make this salad ahead of time. This is not one of those salads you can keep in the fridge for a few days. Yes, you CAN make the dressing ahead of time. But prep the salad portion right before serving.

Serving Suggestions

This salad makes a great first-course meal option! Here are some other recipes that will pair great with this salad.

• Soups: Balance out this cool and crisp wedge salad with a warm soup like Broccoli and Cheese Soup or Autumn Squash Soup.
• Chicken: You can keep it really simple and grab a rotisserie at the store or you can make your own Rotisserie Chicken.
• Shrimp: For the ultimate first course, serve this salad with my Garlic Herb Roasted Shrimp with Homemade Cocktail Sauce.
• Fresh Crusty Bread: Grab a loaf at your local bakery or make your own rolls to serve alongside this salad. If you’re feeling really fancy, try these Asparagus Roll-Ups.

How to Store

This salad is best served fresh. And I wouldn’t suggest keeping leftover built salads. However, you can store any leftover dressing in the fridge for up to 7 days.

Additionally, if you have extra toppings, you can store those, too. I recommend storing them in separate containers in the fridge and running to the store to grab another head of iceberg! (Or they make delicious toppings for any salad!)

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More Easy Salad Recipes:

• Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
• Broccoli Salad with Bacon
• Thai Quinoa Salad
• 10 Minute Creamy Cucumber Salad
• Easy Potato Salad with Bacon