This easy grilled romaine salad with bacon and ranch is perfect for a quick dinner. Grilling the romaine lettuce gives it a smoky flavor that's so good with bacon and cool ranch dressing!
If you've never tried grilled romaine lettuce, what are you waiting for? Grilling adds a smoky flavor that's a welcome change from your typical salad. It's easy to throw on the grill for a few minutes if you're grilling burgers or chicken. Either way, it's worth the extra 5 minutes to take your salad to the next level.
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How to grill romaine lettuce
Grilling romaine hearts couldn't be easier. Most recipes call for brushing the cut side of the romaine hearts with olive oil before grilling. But honestly, I skip this step. As long as your lettuce is dry you can put it straight on the grill. It cooks perfectly with no oil.
If you buy triple washed romaine hearts, you can even skip washing the lettuce. Just cut the romaine in half and pat it dry with a tea towel.
Make sure your grill is preheated to medium-high heat and your grill grate is lightly oiled. (You can use a silicone brush, olive oil sprayer, or paper towel to oil the grates before you start the grill.) You can even cook it indoors with a grill pan or an electric grill.
Place the romaine halves on a preheated grill, cut side down, and grill until you see grill marks and the edges start to char. It should only take a few minutes and the romaine should still be crisp in the center.
How to build your grilled romaine salad
Once your romaine is grilled, it's time to dress it up. You can top the romaine hearts with your favorite salad veggies. I like to add bacon, tomatoes and creamy ranch dressing like a mashup of a like a wedge salad and a BLT salad.
Using pre-cooked bacon, or cooking the bacon in the oven while you grill the lettuce makes is quick and easy. And topping it with a homemade keto and dairy-free ranch dressing makes it a bacon ranch salad.
The easy ranch dressing is simple to make ahead for your weekly meal prep. It's great as a dip with raw veggies like broccoli and cauliflower. And it uses coconut milk and mayonnaise as a base so it's dairy-free and low carb---but it still has that classic ranch flavor.
This salad is perfect for dinner, lunch or an appetizer. It's quick and easy as well as keto, paleo, Whole30, low carb and gluten and dairy-free. Try it when you're looking for something different!
Grilled Romaine Salad With Bacon And Ranch
Ingredients
- 2 heads romaine lettuce cut in half
- 8 slices bacon sugar-free
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes cut in half
- 1 cucumber chopped
- ½ cup Ranch Dressing
Instructions
- Arrange bacon on rimmed baking sheet and place in cold oven. Set oven to 375 degrees and cook bacon to desired crispness, about 15 - 20 minutes.
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
- Place lettuce halves on grill, cut side down, and grill 3 - 5 minutes or until slightly charred but still crisp in the center.
- Top grilled romaine with tomatoes, cucumbers and chopped cooked bacon. Drizzle with ranch dressing.
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