| Level: | Easy |
| Yield: | 6 to 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 large heads romaine lettuce
- 1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature (see Cook’s Note)
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 8 to 10 anchovy fillets, optional
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups good mild olive oil (or 3/4 cup olive oil and 3/4 cup canola oil)
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Italian Parmesan cheese
- Parmesan Croutons, recipe follows
- 1 baguette
- 1/4 cup good olive oil, plain or flavored with basil or garlic
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3/4 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese (3 ounces)
Instructions
- Wash the lettuce leaves carefully and spin-dry them in a salad spinner. Stack the leaves on a cutting board and cut them crosswise into 1 1/2-inch slices. Place them in a large mixing bowl.
- For the dressing, place the egg yolk, mustard, garlic, anchovies, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process until smooth. With the food processor running, slowly pour the olive oil (and canola oil, if using) through the feed tube (as though you were making mayonnaise) and process until thick. Add the grated Parmesan cheese and pulse 3 times.
- Pour enough dressing on the lettuce to moisten and toss well. Add as many Parmesan Croutons as you like. Serve immediately.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Slice the baguette diagonally into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Depending on the size of the baguette, you should get about 20 to 25 slices.
- Lay the slices in one layer on a baking sheet and brush each with olive oil and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the shredded Parmesan. Bake the toasts for 15 to 20 minutes, until they are browned and crisp.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 600 |
| Total Fat | 48 g |
| Saturated Fat | 9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 30 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 6 g |
| Sugar | 5 g |
| Protein | 16 g |
| Cholesterol | 44 mg |
| Sodium | 753 mg |
Reviews
This is the BEST Caesar dressing ever. Ina never fails. Just the right consistency. I make it all the time.
I love this recipe. It doesn’t have mayonnaise! I always make mine from scratch but wanted to use this recipe to see how it compared. GREAT comparison. 1 add 1 tsp Worchestershire to the dressing and always use white pepper in place of black. I added a bit more grated cheese at the end and used the lemon zest, as well as the juice. Avocado oil in place of canola and local pressed olive oil. Bon Apetit!
I made this without the Dijon because I didn’t have any, but it still turned out delicious. Definitely can tell the difference between fresh and store bought Caesar dressing. The flavor is more fresh and bright
This is mine and my husband’s favorite recipe ever. Nothing needs to be changed. It’s excellent!!
Really good “mother” recipe. I’ll cut the lemon juice by half to 3/4 next time. Personal taste is all. It is a lot of dressing so be prepared to cut the recipe in half or convert to ranch at some point. Thanks Ina.
I loved the taste of the dressing however it’s a lot of dressing and I wouldn’t recommend it be stored for later use, the dressing broke after being refrigerated.
Unfortunately, the dressing was WAY too bitter with the 1/2 cup of lemon juice :-(. I would suggest doing what another person suggested, of just one lemon.
Not yet, but neither did the anonymous rater who gave this a 1 star with no comment as to why. It’s not fair!
Dressing was good, I love anchovies so I did put in 10 fillets and I only put juice of 1 lemon. I’m glad I did because I thought it was tangy enough. Overall, very good. I normally modify recipes based on my taste.
Please people…..your rating means nothing if you don’t explain it.