Goodbye Lettuce — Caesar Salad Is 10X Crunchier With Cabbage

It's been proven time and again that lettuce doesn't have to be the foundation upon which to build a salad. While it's the most common, there actually are plenty of other options. Cabbage is one veggie perfect for the swap. Just a think about how many types of coleslaw exist; that should be enough to prove that cabbage works with both vinaigrettes and creamy dressings. And the creamy, crisp salad that cabbage will make even crunchier is a classic Caesar.

A Caesar salad has crunchy elements in its most basic form, with croutons and fresh romaine. However, where lettuce will get eventually soggy under that thick and creamy dressing, cabbage will hold up especially well. And there are more ways to make a cabbage Caesar than simply in the form of a slaw — namely, by grilling the cabbage instead of using it raw. On top of a crunchy upgrade, grilled cabbage will bring smoky, charred, caramelized flavors that complement the umami-rich notes of the dressing. In a recipe for grilled Caesar cabbage we adapted from chef Andrew Carmellini's restaurant Leuca, a head of green cabbage is quartered, seasoned with salt and pepper and grilled for 7 minutes per side before resting in a covered bowl to steam for 15 minutes. As the cabbage wedges steam, you'll make the Caesar salad dressing. When you're ready to serve the salad, remove the core from each salad wedge to effectively separate the leaves before tossing them in dressing and plating.

Our recipe for grilled cabbage Caesar puts a sophisticated twist on the Caesar dressing by adding golden raisins, chili paste, orange juice, and orange zest. However, a classic Caesar salad dressing would be just as good. For the sake of convenience, you can also try a premade option; Newman's Own won our ranking of the best store-bought Caesar salad dressings. If you're feeding a vegan crowd, you can swap anchovy paste for a blend of cashews, nutritional yeast, olive oil, caper brine, and a few teaspoons of white miso. If you're not a textural fan of large hunks of croutons, you can always top the salad with toasted breadcrumbs and shredded parmesan cheese. You can even skip croutons altogether for another crunchy element, like roasted crispy chickpeas or toasted pine nuts.

Since you've fired up the grill for your cabbage wedges, you might as well throw on more ingredients for a flavor and texture upgrade. Turn your cabbage Caesar salad into main course material by adding grilled chicken, shrimp, or tofu. Pile this loaded salad into a tortilla or fluffy pita to make a heartier Caesar salad wrap or sandwich. Toss the cabbage and dressing with bowtie or fusilli to make a delicious Caesar pasta salad to garnish with parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, and toasted pine nuts.