This romaine salad is simple and stunning! It pairs the refreshing lettuce with creamy Green Goddess dressing and crunchy breadcrumbs.

We’re always on the hunt for a great salad around here, and this one is simple and stunning. Try this refreshing Romaine Salad! The electric green of the romaine leaves, pale green dressing and delicate pink radishes have a fresh monochrome effect tastes as good as it looks. The Green Goddess takes it over the top, slathering it all in herby, savory creaminess. To take it over the top, sprinkle with crunchy breadcrumbs, an ingenious alternative to croutons. Great as a spring salad or in any season, you’ll be head over heels (we were).

Ingredients in this romaine salad

No matter how many salad recipes we make, we’re always on the lookout for those easy, go-to recipes that are versatile enough to pair with loads of meals. This romaine lettuce salad is that: a quick 5 minute dressing and a handful of components make salad magic. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Romaine hearts or a mix of hearts and dark green leaves
• Radishes
• Shallot
• Green Goddess Dressing
• Italian panko
• Parmesan shavings

For the dressing: a lighter Green Goddess

This Green Goddess dressing is a revelation: once you try it, it will become one of those go-to recipes you keep in your back pocket. This deliciously creamy dressing features loads of fresh herbs and optional anchovies for savory notes (just like a good Caesar dressing). Here are a few things that stand out about this dressing:

• Uses Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Classic Green Goddess dressing is made with sour cream, but this one uses Greek yogurt as a great stand in! It has less calories than the standard, making it a solid healthy dressing for your repertoire. It also brings in extra tangy notes.
• It takes just 5 minutes! Throw it all in a blender and whiz it up. It’s quick and easy for big flavor that’s loads better than store-bought.

Italian Panko stands in for croutons

The best innovation for replacing croutons? Breadcrumbs on a salad! Lately we’ve been topping all our salads with a sprinkle of panko. It brings a crunchy texture that spreads out into every bite, and it’s so easy (and very shelf stable). Here are some notes on panko and Italian panko:

• Panko is a Japanese-style breadcrumb mixture that is airier and lighter than traditional breadcrumbs. It has a crunchy texture which is more satisfying on salads (breadcrumbs are much finer with almost a sand-like texture).
• “Italian” means herbs and salt are added. You should be able to find Italian panko or panko easily at your local grocery store.
• Only have plain panko? Mix ½ cup panko with ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt and ½ tablespoon Italian seasoning (or 1 teaspoon dried oregano and ¼ teaspoon each dried basil and thyme).

And that’s it! We hope you love this romaine lettuce salad as much as we do: let us know in the comments below what you think of it.

More salad recipes

This romaine salad is one of our top salad recipes to pair with meals because it’s so versatile! Here are a few more favorites: