Caesar Salad

This modified Caesar salad recipe uses canned white beans in place of eggs and some of the oil used in a traditional Caesar salad dressing. The beans contribute protein and fiber to the salad. Draining and rinsing canned beans reduces the sodium content by 40 percent. This recipe uses a few sodium-rich ingredients (e.g., anchovies and Parmesan cheese), and therefore it does not need any added salt.

Caesar Salad

Caesar Salad with dressing
Serves 6
Ingredients:
  • For salad
    • 6 large hearts of romaine, chopped
  • For dressing
    • 1 cup white, cannellini, or Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
    • ½ cup water
    • 2 anchovies
    • 4 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
    • 1 garlic clove
    • 4 Tbsp. grated Parmesan
    • ½ tsp. black pepper
    • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • For croutons
    • 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
    • 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
    • ½ of an 18-inch whole wheat baguette, cubed
Preparation:
  1. Croutons: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the olive oil and minced garlic. Add the cubed baguette and toss to coat. Spread the croutons on a baking sheet and bake for 5–8 minutes, or until crisp and golden brown.
  2. Dressing: In the container of a food processor combine the beans, water, anchovy, lemon juice, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and black pepper. Process until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil to create a creamy, emulsified dressing.
  3. Chop heart of romaine. In a large mixing bowl combine the chopped lettuce and dressing, tossing well to ensure all of the lettuce is coated with the dressing.
  4. To serve, divide the salad among six salad plates, and garnish each plate with croutons.

Nutrition information per serving (1/6 of recipe):

375 calories, 11 g protein, 41 g carbohydrate, 11 g fiber, 3 g sugar (0 g added sugar), 447 mg sodium, 21 mg potassium, 18 g fat (3 g sat, 13 g mono, 2 g poly, 0 g trans), 1 mg cholesterol

Recipe courtesy of Joyce Goldstein