Lisa's Classic Vegetarian Caesar Salad

Since I started making my own salad dressings, I've not once purchased the bottled kind at the grocery store. The pre-prepared varieties are rather expensive in comparison, and tend to be full of preservatives and of inferior quality and taste. Besides, it's ridiculously easy to make up a cup or more of fresh dressing, like my famous Caesar dressing for example.

I was on the lookout for a really good creamy Caesar salad dressing for years, and my search came to an end while browsing through the food section of a newspaper. I modified it a bit and now it's a staple recipe, as it's the best Caesar salad dressing I've ever tasted. Many of my dinner guests have requested the recipe after tasting my Caesar salad. I've even tried vegetarian Caesar salads at restaurants, and again, the dressing is often not creamy enough and apart from sometimes sneaking anchovies somewhere into the dressing, rending it unappealing for vegetarians, they often lack the flair and freshness that comes from homemade versions. Besides, you can make easy adjustments to suit your own preferences.

Countless times I served this up for dinner guests and more often than not, I am asked to share my recipe. You may also want to consider this vegan-friendly version of Caesar salad that I made some years later.

Lisa's Classic Vegetarian Caesar Salad

Recipe by Lisa Turner Published on May 15, 2007 A zesty and incredibly flavorful vegetarian Caesar salad — this salad is always a popular request among my family and friends who never fail to say that it's the best Caesar salad they've ever had Preparation: 10 minutes Print this recipe Ingredients: 1/4 to 1/2 cup mayonnaise 2 to 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard lots of fresh cracked black pepper 1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil 1 cup of fresh grated or shaved Parmesan cheese 1 large head romaine lettuce, broken into pieces juice of 1 lemon (optional) Instructions: Combine mayonnaise, vinegar, garlic, mustard and black pepper in a bowl. Whisk until well blended. Taste and add more mayonnaise, red wine vinegar and/or black pepper as desired. Drizzle in the oil and add 1/2 cup of the grated or shaved Parmesan cheese. Pour the dressing over the lettuce and toss gently with the lemon juice if using. Scatter the remaining Parmesan cheese and crack more black pepper over top, and serve. Makes 4 to 6 servings

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