The Wedge Salad is a classic American restaurant salad that is as easy to make at home as it is delicious! Crunchy iceberg lettuce, crispy bacon and the quintessential wedge salad dressing: creamy-tangy blue cheese. Make Wedge Salad for a couple or a crowd in minutes.
If you grew up in the United States and this Wedge Salad makes you feel nostalgic, it should. It's been on restaurant menus here since 1916. But why leave it to restaurants when you can make it at home in 15 minutes flat if you have cooked bacon, less than 30 minutes if you don't. Guests coming? What a fun way to begin a meal. Who doesn't want to slice in to their own big wedge of lettuce, scooping up tangy blue cheese crumbles and salty bits of bacon? And if you want to embellish these salads, halved cherry tomatoes and thinly sliced red onion are tasty additions.
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Ingredients You Need to Make Wedge Salad
- Sour Cream: ideally full-fat sour cream
- Garlic: fresh garlic clove
- Blue Cheese: gorgonzola, roquefort, or stilton are also great options. For those who don't like blue cheese, feta is a good substitute here.
- Lemon Juice: freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Fresh Chives: or finely chopped green onions for a stronger onion flavor
- Milk: or buttermilk
- Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Iceberg Lettuce: look for a large, firm, bright green head of iceberg lettuce - it's the star of the dish!
- Bacon: cooked and crumbled
Wedge Salad FAQ
Remove any brown or wilted leaves from the outside of the head and then cut it into 4 equal wedges top to bottom with the core intact. Rinse each wedge in cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Then carefully cut out core with a paring knife and place on a serving plate, cut side up. (See recipe video and step by step photos below.)
I think that the Wedge Salad is a steakhouse favorite not only because it pairs beautifully with a steak, but because you need a steak knife to eat it! I like to start at the pointed end of the wedge and cut one bite at a time with a knife and fork, making sure to get some blue cheese and bacon on every bite!
Iceberg lettuce may not have the vitamin and fiber content of other lettuce varieties, but it's crispy, delicious and filling at just one calorie per leaf! It makes sense to fill your diet with other more nutritious lettuce and vegetables, but iceberg can have it's place too!
A little bit of bacon goes a long way.
Bacon, that's the other thing I want to talk to you about. Have I told you that I love bacon for recipes? It's amazing how a tiny bit of bacon (or pork belly!) can transform salad, soup, pasta, breakfast frittata; shall I continue?
We buy bacon from a local farm and I don't want to admit what we pay per pound. But it's worth it to know that during the pig's lives they get to root around outside and do piggy things. Because of the expense and because it's probably not healthy to gorge ourselves on bacon, I use it sparingly. The best way I know to do this is to cook it up all at once, crumble it or cut it into lardons (thin crosswise slices), and keep it in the freezer.
How to Cook Bacon in the Oven
It's simple to cook bacon in the oven: place an oven safe rack in a baking sheet and arrange bacon slices in a single layer, giving each slice some room all the way around. Bake for 15 to 25 minutes at 400˚F, depending on how crispy you like your bacon.
If you've never cooked bacon in the oven, I recommend trying it. There are many benefits: the bacon cooks evenly; there's no splatter around your burners; you can work on something else while it cooks; it's a great way to cook bacon for a crowd.
What to Serve with Wedge Salads
Pair with a main like Carne Asada, Roasted Lamb Chops, or Pan-Fried Lamb Chops, or Meatloaf with Oatmeal and Tomato Bisque or, another restaurant classic, Twice Baked Potatoes (or Twice Baked Mashed Potatoes).
How to Make Wedge Salad
Make Blue Cheese Dressing: Add sour cream, minced fresh garlic, blue cheese crumbles (reserving some for garnish) and lemon juice to a small bowl, mash together with a fork. Add chives to dressing and milk to thin to desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
From a head of iceberg lettuce, remove any wilted or brown leaves. Cut into 4 equal wedges from top to bottom, leaving core intact. Rinse wedges with water and pat dry with paper towels. Carefully cut core from each and place on separate salad plates.
Spoon desired amount of blue cheese dressing over each wedge. Sprinkle each wedge with ¼ of the bacon crumbles and ¼ of the remaining blue cheese. Serve.
Recipe Video
Classic Wedge Salad
Ingredients
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 1 small garlic clove minced
- 3 ounces blue cheese crumbled and divided
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
- milk for thinning dressing
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 head iceberg lettuce
- 4 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
Instructions
For the Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing:
- To make the dressing, add sour cream, garlic, two ounces of the blue cheese, and lemon juice to a small bowl. Use a fork to combine the ingredients, smashing the blue cheese crumbles against the side of the bowl to infuse the sour cream with flavor.
- Add chives to dressing and stir to combine. Add milk a teaspoon at a time until the dressing reaches your desired consistency. Season dressing to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
To Assemble Wedge Salad:
- Remove any wilted or brown leaves from the head of lettuce.
- Cut the head in half starting from the top and slicing down through the core. Then cut each half in half again so that each wedge has ¼ of the core. Rinse each wedge and pat dry with paper towels. Carefully cut core from each keeping wedge intact and place on separate salad plates.
- Spoon desired amount of dressing over each wedge. Sprinkle each wedge with ¼ of the bacon crumbles and ¼ of the remaining blue cheese. Serve.
Notes
- Note that cook time doesn’t include bacon.
- If you'd like to cook your bacon in the oven: Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set an oven proof rack on top. Arrange bacon slices on the rack, giving them a bit of space between. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or to your desired crispness. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
I love this recipe! There's a reason why this salad is such a classic. I always order a wedge salad whenever I go to a steakhouse. In truth, I could make an entire meal out of this one. Well done!!
Easy to make a tastes delicious. I made it for my partner and 4 of our friends, nothing was left on anyones plate!
I love to hear that, Laura! Thank you for coming back to let me know.
Hi Marissa,
Let me start by saying that my favorite salad is a wedge salad, but I usually just get it when at restaurants (which I am usually eating out constantly for work).
That said, with our current stay-at-home situation, I decided to try it “on my own”. Thank you for your perfect wedge salad guidance!!!
1. I will no longer be buying store bought blue cheese dressing. THANK YOU! Yours was so delicious!!! I made extra and am now using it for veggie dip.
2. Omg. The bacon. I used peppered bacon, but I opted for no parchment paper because I have a bacon griddle where the fat drips off during cooking. Crispy perfection.
3. I also added some diced red and yellow cherry tomatoes as a garnish, which I thought added a nice little tang to the rest of the flavors.
4. Fresh cracked pepper, and voila!
All in all, your wedge salad stands up to ANY wedge I have ever had in a restaurant. Can’t wait to incorporate it into my next dinner party!!!
Thanks again
Wow, Cara! You made my day. Thank you for such a detailed comment on this salad - so happy that you are enjoying it and that you made it your own!
Very well explained. Looks so good and vibrant.
Thanks so much!!
I've always loved iceberg lettuce and eating chunks of it right from the refrigerator drawer when I was a kid. And this is one of my hubby's favorite salads---yours is picture perfect!
That's a fun childhood memory. Thank you, Liz!
Beautiful. And a great post. I never thought about the steak knife... It’s funny now that I love a wedge salad, because I spent most of my life looking down on iceberg lettuce! But it is a great salad, and I agree that the bacon makes the difference. I’ve started only buying bacon from D’Artagnan, and I buy uncured. It’s definitely worth every penny!
Thanks, Mimi! We've had some wonderful duck breasts from D’Artagnan - definitely top quality. 🙂
A good wedge salad is always right up there on my list! I enjoy a 'weed salad' too, but there's something so comforting about a really cold wedge salad. (I love when steak houses serve wedges on chilled plates. Strange, I know. But I love it!) And the toppings? I could eat those by themselves!
That's such a good point, David! A cold plate with salad is so important. I've had a few restaurant salads served on a plate straight from the dishwasher, not good!
My husband is like your friend and I'm like you. A wedge is one of his all time favorite salads and he would definitely approve of your version (so do I). 🙂
Thanks so much, Karen!
Oh my gosh, I've had the same iceberg lettuce transformation! I love it now! This might just be the prettiest wedge salad I've ever seen. So many goodies on top!
Thank you so much, Valentina!
Crunchy classic lettuce, but stepped up with those toppings and that bleu cheese dressing. yes, please!
Thanks, Kevin! ALL the good stuff!
Marissa, I used to look down on iceberg lettuce as well. Then I realized that sometimes it's cool crunchiness is so refreshing. Especially in this wedge salad. It looks delicious!
Well said. Thanks, Kelly!
LOL! I say the same thing about iceberg, but honestly despite its lack of nutritional value I still love it! It's just so crisp and refreshing! And I could eat a wedge salad every single day of my life! Yours is absolute perfection, Marissa! Pinned!
ha! I'm the same way, Cheyanne. Thank you so much!
I'm pretty sure you just described my ideal salad here, Marissa! I used to be wary of blue cheese, but I have totally embraced it now...and blue cheese + bacon over an iceberg wedge is pretty much my idea of heaven! I'm totally saving this one to make soon! 🙂
Love to hear that, David! Thank you!
This has to be my favorite kind of salad ever Marissa! Yours looks delicious!
Thank you, my friend! Have a wonderful weekend!
I do love iceberg lettuce for being so crunchy, juicy, and sweet. And what a fun way to serve this salad! These wages look spectacular. Besides, less chopping being involved - totally makes sense:)
Good point about the chopping, Ben! Have a great weekend!
I don't eat bacon a lot, but do really really enjoy it and cooking in the oven is definitely the way to cook - I agree that there's waaaaay less mess and I'm all about that, lol :D.
I also agree that iceberg lettuce does have its place and love how crunchy it is. This looks so good, Marissa! What a lovely addition to a summertime bbq! Extra blue cheese for me 😉 Have an awesome weekend! xo
Bacon is amazing, isn't it? Doesn't take much to really enhance a dish. You have an awesome weekend too, my friend! xo
I read that about iceberg, that it was basically like water but I do think it has its place like in this amazing salad Marissa! You've dressed it perfectly! 😀
Thank you so much, Lorraine!
Hi Marissa. We have wedge salads quite frequently and do enjoy them. I must admit that I used store bought blue cheese salad dressing, but I did add more blue cheese crumbles. Our local store does not carry Romaine anymore, it's been replaced by bags of pre-cut kale. I don't buy anything pre-cut. Anyway, that's what prompted me to buy iceberg lettuce and do the old school wedge salads. The bacon we buy is higher in price than most, but it very meaty and thick cut. I always do bacon in the oven because it is so much easier (and less messy). I keep in the frig, but I have to hide it from Gary. 🙂 Next one will be with your dressing
Dorothy you ALWAYS make me smile! I love it that you have to hide the bacon from Gary. I absolutely must meet the two of you in person some day. Have a wonderful 4th of July weekend!