caesar on the lighter side

servings
4

method

I’ve made my own version of the classic Caesar salad, which is a little bit healthier on the dressing – it’s all about taking influences from the original dish and bigging up the flavors and textures where you can. If you have some leftover roasted chicken, then adding it to this salad is a great way of using it up.

JAMIE'S TOP TIP

You can buy all sorts of lettuce – there’s soft and buttery, red leaf or green leaf, bitter varieties like frisee and radicchio and then there’s crunchy such as romaine and iceberg—pick and mix different elements to keep your salads interesting.

In my opinion, a good dressing is the key to making a cracking salad – it’ll mean you want to eat it, rather than feel you have to.

This is a full-flavored dressing so add just enough dressing to lightly coat the lettuce leaves – don’t overdo it, or you’ll spoil a perfectly good salad.

If you want to ensure a really good even coating, use clean hands to quickly toss everything together.

METHOD

Snap off any wilty or dark green outer leaves from the head of romaine. Cut off the tips of the leaves, then cut the head in quarters lengthwise. Cut into chunks and get rid of the core. Wash the lettuce and dry it in a salad spinner.

Whisk the yogurt, olive oil, grated Parmesan, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, lemon, and anchovy together in a serving bowl. Season with the salt and pepper.

Toss the lettuce with the dressing and scoop the salad into serving bowls.

If you choose, coarsely grate your small chunk of Parmesan over the salad and toss again.

MORE INFORMATION

Serving suggestions: This is great as a starter or can accompany just about any meal. Turn this into a main course salad by adding sliced grilled chicken breast, grilled shrimp or broiled and flaked salmon fillets.

Tips from the dietitian: Greek yogurt (0% or 2%), is a healthy substitute for sour cream, crème fresh or heavy cream. Anchovies are high in sodium, but when you’re just using a few it doesn’t matter too much. They will add a powerful flavor to a dish. I bet you thought Caesar salad was calorie-laden and only meant for special occasions – that is sometimes the case, but the dressing in this modified version can serve as an everyday dressing. Double the quantities and store the leftovers in the fridge for a few days.

Food safety: It’s good to wash your lettuce thoroughly to get rid of any dirt or bugs before spinning, ready for dressing and eating.

ingredients

• 1 head romaine lettuce
• 1/3 cup 2% Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese, (plus 1-ounce for sprinkling over the top; optional)
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 2 chopped anchovy fillets
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
• freshly ground pepper, to taste

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