Main Dishes
Grilled Romaine Salad (Easy Grilled Caesar)
Prep
20 minutes
Cook
5 minutes
Yield
4 -6
🥬 This grilled romaine salad with lentils and olive salsa is smoky, flavorful, and ready in 25 minutes! Perfect for summer grilling with easy indoor and outdoor methods!
This grilled Caesar salad recipe is quick to make and incredibly versatile, making it perfect for an easy lunch, weeknight dinner, or impressive side dish for your next cookout. You can grill the romaine outdoors on your gas or charcoal grill, or bring the same magic indoors using a grill pan or cast-iron skillet. Either way, you’re going to love how this simple technique elevates a basic salad into something restaurant-worthy.
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Grilled Romaine Salad
- Vegan-Friendly: This recipe is completely plant-based, but even non-vegans will be coming back for seconds.
- Versatile and Customizable: Use what’s on hand in your fridge and swap ingredients based on your preferences or dietary needs.
- Perfect Char Every Time: Simple grilling techniques create beautiful char marks without turning your lettuce soggy.
🍲 Ingredients
Romaine Lettuce – Romaine hearts are ideal for grilling because their sturdy leaves and tight structure hold up beautifully to high heat without wilting completely. The crisp texture provides the perfect contrast to the smoky char, and romaine contains vitamin K for bone health, folate for cell function, and vitamin A for eye health while adding satisfying crunch and freshness to balance the rich toppings.
Lentils – These protein-packed legumes provide about 18g of protein and 15g of fiber per cup, making this salad genuinely filling and satisfying. Lentils offer iron for oxygen transport, folate for DNA synthesis, and resistant starch that feeds beneficial gut bacteria while their mild, earthy flavor absorbs the bright flavors of the olive salsa beautifully.
👩🍳 How to Make This Grilled Romaine Salad
Prepare the Lentil Salad:
- Add all the lentil salad ingredients into one medium-sized bowl and stir to combine. Set aside to let the flavors meld.
Make the Olive Salsa:
2. Add all the olive salsa ingredients into one medium-sized bowl and stir to combine. The fresh mint and vinegar will brighten all the flavors.
Prepare the Romaine:
3. Rinse romaine hearts and dry them completely using a salad spinner or clean kitchen towel. This is crucial for getting a good char without steaming the lettuce.
Cut romaine hearts in half lengthwise, keeping the core intact so the leaves stay together during grilling.
Grill the Romaine (Outdoor Method):
4. Preheat your gas grill to medium-high heat (450-500°F) or prepare a charcoal grill with hot coals. For charcoal, wait until coals are covered with white ash for even heat.
5. Brush the cut side of each romaine half generously with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Place romaine cut-side down directly on the grill grates. Grill for 2-3 minutes without moving until you see nice char marks and the edges are slightly wilted. Watch for flare-ups from the oil and move lettuce to cooler spots if needed.
Optional: Flip and grill the back side for 30-60 seconds if you want extra char, but this isn’t necessary.
Grill the Romaine (Indoor Method):
4. Heat a grill pan or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until very hot (a drop of water should sizzle immediately).
5. Brush romaine halves with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Place cut-side down in the hot pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until charred. Work in batches if needed to avoid crowding.
Plate and Serve:
6. Transfer grilled romaine to plates cut-side up to show off those beautiful char marks.
7. Top each romaine half with a generous portion of the lentil salad, followed by the olive salsa.
8. Finish with crumbled vegan feta (or regular feta if not vegan) and an extra drizzle of olive oil if desired.
9. Serve immediately while the lettuce is still warm for the best texture and flavor contrast.
Optional Quick Marinade:
For even more flavor, whisk together 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 1 minced garlic clove. Brush on romaine 5-10 minutes before grilling.
🪄 Tips and Tricks
- Drying: Thoroughly dry romaine after washing to prevent steaming instead of charring, which keeps the lettuce crisp and prevents sogginess.
- Heat: Use medium-high heat (450-500°F) for the perfect char in 2-3 minutes without completely wilting the leaves.
- Flare-Ups: Keep a spray bottle of water nearby for gas grills, or move lettuce to cooler spots on charcoal grills if flames get too high.
- Doneness: Look for light to medium char marks with slightly wilted edges but still-crisp inner leaves for the ideal texture.
🗒 Substitutions
- Lettuce: Use whole romaine heads cut into quarters, or try grilled cabbage wedges or radicchio for different flavors.
- Protein: Replace lentils with chickpeas, white beans, black beans, or add grilled chicken, shrimp, or steak for non-vegan options.
- Herbs: Swap mint with basil, cilantro, or parsley in the salsa, or add oregano and thyme for extra Mediterranean flair.
- Olives: Use artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, or charbroiled red peppers if you don’t like olives or want variety.
🗒 Add-Ons & Variations
- Grilled Chicken: Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Grill at 400°F for 6-7 minutes per side until internal temperature reaches 165°F. Slice and arrange on top of salad.
- Grilled Shrimp: Toss shrimp with olive oil, lemon, and paprika. Grill on skewers for 2-3 minutes per side until pink and opaque.
- Bacon Blue Cheese Variation: Top with crispy bacon bits and crumbled blue cheese instead of feta for a bold, savory twist.
- Mix-and-Match Toppings: Create your perfect combination with parmesan shavings, homemade or gluten-free croutons, diced avocado, grilled corn, cherry tomatoes, or crispy chickpeas.
🗒 Best served with
- Easy Weeknight Meal: Greek Flatbread with Spanakopita Topping
- Baked Swai Fish (Greek Style with Rice & Tomatoes)
- Grilled Feta Brine Chicken
- Pan Fried Shrimp with Parsley, Butter and Feta
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Grilled romaine salad is best enjoyed immediately while the lettuce is still warm and crisp. The grilled lettuce doesn’t store well and becomes soggy when refrigerated. However, you can prep components ahead: store the lentil salad and olive salsa separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you have leftover grilled romaine, chop it up, toss it with the cold salad components, and enjoy it as a chilled chopped salad the next day.
🤔 Common Questions
The key is thoroughly drying the lettuce after washing using a salad spinner or clean towels. Water on the surface will steam the lettuce instead of charring it. Use high heat and cook quickly for 2-3 minutes to get char marks before the leaves completely wilt.
Romaine hearts are ideal because they’re more compact and easier to handle on the grill. If using whole heads, cut them into quarters instead of halves and trim the core slightly for easier eating.
Absolutely! Heat a grill pan or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Brush romaine with oil and grill cut-side down for 2-3 minutes just like you would outdoors. You’ll get similar char marks and smoky flavor.
Gas grills offer more consistent, controllable heat at 450-500°F, while charcoal adds extra smoky flavor but requires managing hot spots. For charcoal, wait until coals are white-ash covered and spread them evenly for consistent heat.
Brush romaine lightly with oil rather than drowning it. Keep a spray bottle of water handy for gas grills, or have cooler zones on your charcoal grill where you can move the lettuce if flames get too high.
Yes! Rinsing canned lentils removes excess sodium. If using dried lentils, soak them for 15-30 minutes before cooking to help reduce bloating and gas while making them easier to digest.
This recipe is naturally gluten-free as written. If adding croutons, use certified gluten-free bread to make them.
Use store-bought vegan feta, make homemade tofu feta, or sprinkle with nutritional yeast for a cheesy, umami flavor without dairy.
Definitely! The lentils provide protein and fiber, making this substantial enough for a main course. Add grilled chicken, shrimp, or steak on top for extra protein.
Yes! Keeping the core intact holds all the leaves together during grilling. You can trim it slightly for easier eating, but don’t remove it completely or the leaves will fall apart.
Look for light to medium brown char marks across the cut surface with slightly wilted, caramelized edges. The inner leaves should still have some crunch and the lettuce should hold its shape.
Grilled Romaine Salad (Easy Grilled Caesar)
Ingredients
- 2 large heads of romaine lettuce cut into halves (4 pieces)
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
For the Lentil Salad:
- 1 400 mL can of lentils
- 1 medium-sized cucumber chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tbsp. white vinegar
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
For the Olive Salsa:
- 1 cup olives finely chopped, black or green will work great, pitted
- 1/4 cup red onion finely chopped
- 1/4 cup cherry tomatoes finely chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh mint finely chopped
- 2 tbsp. capers optional
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 tbsp. white vinegar
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Toppings:
- 1/4 cup vegan feta
Instructions
- For the Lentil Salad: Add all the ingredients into one medium-sized bowl and stir to combine.
- For the Olive Salsa: Add all the ingredients into one medium-sized bowl and stir to combine.
- Brush your romaine halves with a little bit of olive oil and dust with some salt and pepper. Cook the lettuce cut side down on a hot skillet for around 2 minutes or until charred.
- To plate, begin by adding the lettuce cut side up, topping with the lentil salad, then olive salsa, and crumble on a generous amount of vegan feta!
- Enjoy!
Delicious! Light! Easy! A wonderful treat on a June evening! Thank you Maria 🙂
You’re so welcome, thank you Jamie!
You always have me on my feet trying to execute these recipes! My husband loves to chop veggies 😉
I love that, Denise! Please let me know what you make next!