Make-Your-Own Wedge Salad

If anyone ever says you can’t have guests over for dinner on a weeknight, then I say they are crazy. My secret to success for a fun impromptu weeknight dinner party is to take something classic and display it in an interesting way.

I recently invited a friend over to be my taste tester a French Onion Soup recipe I wanted to try. To compliment the soup, he brought over all the fixings for a classic wedge salad. We decided to keep things easy by pouring all of the toppings in beautiful dishes and gathered them in the center of the table. I wasn’t planning on photographing it, but realized it made for a wonderful edible centerpiece you might enjoy seeing. The best part about it was everyone could make their salad just the way they want.

The soup didn’t quite hit the mark with the flavor I wanted achieve. But the make-your-own wedge salad was a refreshing twist on a classic favorite. So forget about stressing over weeknight entertaining and just make it your own.

Make-Your-Own Wedge Salad
2 heads of iceberg lettuce
½ package of bacon, rough diced
½ pint cherry tomatoes, halved
¼ medium red onion, thinly sliced
6 – 8 oz blue cheese crumbles
Favorite ranch dressing
Croutons

Sauté the chopped bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels until ready to serve. Remove the outer leaves of the heads of lettuce and carefully remove the end of the core. Keep the actual core intact. Quarter the lettuce lengthwise with the core keeping the leaves connected. Place the remaining ingredients in pretty bowls and arrange in the center of the table. Depending on the size of the salad people want, this should serve 4 – 6 people.

Authors Note: This recipe is certainly not set in stone. Feel free to get creative with your toppings. Another idea would be to use taco toppings and make taco wedge salads.

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