My Classic Wedge Salad recipe with Homemade Buttermilk Dressing & Steak is an easy dinner idea that is fresh and delicious. I’ve included a steak recipe in this salad too to make it a full meal that is bright, colorful and full of nutrients. Save it to Pinterest now!
The night I was making this for dinner, a storm rolled through. For, me, that is a problem because I photograph all my food in natural light. Most of the time, I am really making all the food you see here for us to eat for dinner. I like to work with as little equipment as possible in the kitchen too because it can be rather clunky and gets in the way. Changing light conditions causes issues for me though. The house went from light and bright to dark and dreary to light and bright again in the 30 minutes it took to whip this together. Luckily, it did become light and bright again so I was able to photograph my Classic Wedge Salad recipe to get it up to share with you. And it is a good thing too because this simple salad recipe with its creamy homemade dressing is just so dang good!
The lazy chef’s salad
So if you are not familiar with Wedge Salad recipes, then you should know a wedge salad is literally a corner wedge of a head of iceberg lettuce. There are no fancy greens, no spinach or arugula. There’s just 1/4 of a head of iceberg lettuce on the plate. Kevin called this the “lazy chef’s salad”. Roman asked me if I forgot to cut his salad. Sometimes, my two boys think they are funny. 🙂
Because the Classic Wedge Salad is just a section of lettuce, it is really the dressing and the toppings that makes it unique.
Topping a Classic Wedge Salad recipe
When it comes to jazzing up this dish, I like to load up my Wedge Salad recipe with red onions, carrot slivers, tomatoes, cucumbers, bacon and fresh chives. Sometimes people might also add in a hardboiled egg or croutons too. Really, you can top it with whatever vegetables you love.
But the real thing that makes a wedge salad recipe standout is the dressing.
Buttermilk Dressing
Wedge Salad recipes are classically topped off with a blue cheese or buttermilk ranch type dressing. My dressing is really more of a Garlic Buttermilk Ranch type but if you love a good thick dressing, you can make that too.
The main ingredients in my dressing are buttermilk, mayonnaise, greek yogurt, grated garlic and some fresh herbs. Depending on ho wmuch of a garlic flavor you want, you can use 1-2 fresh cloves and grate it straight in. This dressing is rather thin so it will not be like the thicker dressing you might get from a bottle. It is a more traditional wedge salad recipe dressing though.
However, if you would like to make it thicker, and you love a good cheese like blue cheese or gorgonzola (I do. Kevin does not.) you can thicken this one up and make it more of that cheesy ranch dressing that just pairs so well with a Classic Wedge Salad recipe. To do this, you will want to use a food processor. I’ll explain how to make my thinner version or the thicker version in the directions below.
Making the bacon
I make the bacon for my Classic Wedge Salad recipe in the oven while I’m prepping everything else. It just gives me back some time and it goes faster. Lay the bacon out on a baking sheet lined with foil paper. Make sure it does not overlap. Turn the oven to 350 degrees and stick the bacon in. There is no need to preheat. Our’s is usually done 18-20 minutes later. Sometimes I will get a piece with more fat and it needs a little more time. You can check it at 18 and if it does not look crispy enough, stick it in for a few more minutes.
When it is done to your liking, immediately move the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels to help soak up the grease. The longer it sits in grease, the less crispy it will be.
Making the steak
While the bacon cooks, prep the steak seasoning. Pat the steak dry and then rub the seasoning into both side. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
The steaks we used we 10 oz. New York Strip Steaks, but you can use whatever steak you prefer. Filet Mignon would be wonderful with this too.
Since we are in the middle of spring, I made this inside on my Lodge Cast Iron Griddle/Grill. {HERE} I always use the grill side and very carefully, wipe it with a thin coat of extra virgin olive oil wherever my steaks will be placed. Do not do this near the edge or you might catch the grill and the steaks on fire. To get a medium rare steak, I cook these 4-5 minutes per side.
You can also make this on the grill and follow the same cooking instructions.
The USDA recommends meat be cooked to 145 and then rested for three minutes. This would get you medium to medium well steak.
Here’s the degrees of doneness:
- Rare: 125 degrees with a red, cool center
- Medium Rare: 135 degrees with a red, warm center
- Medium: 145 degrees with a pink, warm center
- Medium well: 150 degrees with a slightly pink center
- Well done: 160 degrees with no pink center
Tips for making my wedge salad recipe
- You can make the dressing a day or two ahead of time. Just keep it in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep for about 4-5 days total.
- Remember, if you want that dressing thicker, I recommend using cheese. You could thicken it more with more greek yogurt or sour cream too but then you might have to wing it on determining the seasoning amounts. The more creaminess added with sour crea, greek yogurt or mayo, the more seasoning you will need.
- You can also make the bacon ahead of time if you like and reserve it until you are ready to make everything else. You can also chop all the toppings ahead of time.
- Make sure to use good, quality coarse sea salt, especially on the steaks. It might seem like too much seasoning but you need to slightly over season steaks because they lose a lot of it during the cooking process.
Looking for more dinner salads?
If you are looking for more salads to serve as a family dinner idea like my classic wedge salad recipe, here are a few!
- Roasted Asparagus Salad recipe {HERE}
- Golden Beet Salad Recipe {HERE}
- Roasted Fennel Salad with Farro and Brussels Sprouts {HERE}
- Grilled Salmon Salad with Basil Cilantro Dressing {HERE}
- Grilled Corn and Avocado Salad {HERE}
- Peach Panzanella Salad {HERE}
- Asparagus & Pea Salad {HERE}
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Thank you so much for joining me today, friends! I hope that you love my Classic Wedge Salad recipe with Homemade Buttermilk Dressing & Steak. I also hope you come back again to visit at the farmhouse. You can find the full, printable recipe below. Happy eating!
Classic Wedge Salad recipe with Buttermilk Dressing & Steak
Ingredients
- 4 New York Strip Steaks
- 1 head of iceberg lettuce, cut into 4 wedges
- 1 cup sliced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
- 2/3 cup cubbed cucumbers
- 1 package of bacon, cooked
- 4 tbsp chopped chives
- 2-3 carrots, sliced or diced
- 1/2 tbsp chopped chives per plate
- Optional: 2 tablespoons of blue cheese or gorgonzola cheese per plate
Ingredients for the steak seasoning
- 1 tbsp garlic salt
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp coarse sea salt
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
- 1 tbsp butter per steak This is added in the cooking process.
Ingredients for the Buttermilk Garlic Dressing
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1-2 grated garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp minced parsley
- 2 tbsp minced chives
- 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
- 1/4 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
- Optional: 1/2 cup blue cheese or gorgonzola cheese
Instructions
- Add bacon to a baking sheet lined with tin foil. Turn oven to 350 and stick the bacon in for 15-20 minutes. Do not preheat, just put it in. If you want crispier bacon give it an extra 2 minutes. When the bacon is done, move it to a plate lined with a paper towel for cooling and to soak up the grease.
- Pat the steaks dry and place them on a plate. Mix together the steak rub mix and then rub it into both sides of the steak. Set aside for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix together all the dressing ingredients. You can do this by shaking them in a jar, or for a thicker dressing put them in the food processor with one of the cheese options and blend. Set aside until needed. If making ahead of time, refrigerate the jar.
- Heat the grill or a cast iron skillet or griddle pan over medium heat. Once warm, cook the steaks for 4-5 minutes per side. When you flip them to the second side, add the butter to the top. Make sure to take the internal temperature to ensure they are cooked to your liking. Do not flip more than once. 4-5 minutes should get you a medium rare steak. If you like them more done, cook longer.
- When the steak is done let it rest at least 5 minutes before slicing. Cut the lettuce head into wedges and plate. Divide the topping ingredients among the four plates.
- to serve, drizzle the dressing over the wedge and top with optional cheese. Add the steak onto the plate and sprinkle the chives over everything.
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