A great CAESAR SALAD is all about the creamy, garlicy dressing, supported by the textures of the greens and toppings. This SPICY CAESAR SALAD brings all that, plus the spiciness of chilis, which is gonna make you crave this salad even more.
Caesar salad was always one of my go to salads when dining out. For whatever reason, I thought I could ask for the croutons and cheese on the side and assume that the salad would be on my “safe list”. Little did I know, many restaurant caesar salads add dairy (i.e. sour cream, cheese) into the dressing, so I would need to eliminate that too. That leaves me with a plate of lettuce – not very exciting, right?
One of my favorite caesar salads can be found at Jon and Vinny’s, a Los Angeles restaurant that serves the most kick ass, downright delicious Italian food. Their Little Gem Salad w Calabrian Chili Dressing has all of the garlicy, funky notes of your traditional caesar salad, plus the added kick of Calabrian chilis which takes this salad to the next level. It really is TO DIE FOR. I had to recreate this — with some tweaks.
What makes a great caesar salad?
- THE DRESSING – I’m all about the garlic and anchovy that go into the traditional caesar dressing. My caesar dressing possesses all of the traditional flavors, plus the addition of a red fresno chili pepper to give the spicy kick. The restaurant’s dressing uses Calabrian chilis. I switched that out for a Fresno chili, as jarred Calabrian chilis can be difficult to find. If you are intrepid and locate Calabrian chilis (you can order online at Williams Sonoma or Amazon) please feel free to substitute the fresno chili with the Calabrian chili.
- THE LETTUCE – The greens need to be able to stand up to the rich, creamy dressing. This is no time for delicate greens like frise or mesclun. I’ve included little gem lettuce and kale in this recipe. Traditional romaine lettuce also works perfectly.
- THE CHEESE & CROUTONS- I found that you won’t miss the cheese in this salad As the spiciness is interesting, the salad tastes divine without the dairy. I didn’t want to wrestle with a gluten free crouton, so there are none in this recipe. Instead of croutons, I sprinkle a generous amount of vegan parmesan cheese on the salad to give a “cheesy” flavor as well much needed crunch.
This makes for a flavorful, satisfying salad. With the addition of chicken or salmon, it will transform into a delicious, satisfying lunch.
SPICY CAESAR SALAD | paleo, whole 30
Inspired by Jon & Vinny’s Gem Salad w Calabrian Chili Dressing, this is not a shy dish. It has all the creamy, garlic-y characteristics of a a traditional caesar salad, but with a little heat coming from a fresno chili pepper.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
1 lb (4 heads) little gem lettuce
1/2 bunch Tuscan kale
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup Vegan Parmesan Cheese
1/2 cup SPICY CAESAR SALAD DRESSING (recipe follows)
Instructions
- arrange little gem lettuce, kale and tomatoes on a platter
- drizzle with spicy caesar dressing
- sprinkle vegan parmesan cheese as desired
Keywords: caesar dressing, caesar salad
SPICY CAESAR DRESSING | paleo, whole 30
Inspired by Jon & Vinny’s Gem Salad w Calabrian Chili Dressing, this is not a shy dish. It has all the creamy, garlic-y characteristics of a a traditional caesar dressing, but with a little heat coming from a fresno chili pepper.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 cup
Ingredients
1 fresno chili, deseeded and roughly chopped – keep the seeds in for a spicier dressing (Substitution: 1 tbsp jarred Calabrian chili in oil)
2 egg yolks
1 anchovy filet in oil
1/2 tbsp paleo mayonnaise
1/2 tbsp dijon mustard
1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp shallot, roughly chopped
1/4 c olive oil
1/4 c avocado oil
salt and pepper to taste ( I use 1/2 tsp of each)
Instructions
- In a food processor, add all ingredients, except avocado and olive oils for dressing. Process until ingredients are pureed.
- With food processor on, slowly drizzle in both oils. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
- Transfer to a jar.
Notes
Please note that this dressing develops gets spicier if you don’t use the dressing immediately.
As raw egg yolks are used, the dressing should be served immediately, and leftovers should be refrigerated immediately.
Dressing should keep for 1 week in the refrigerator.
Keywords: caesar dressing, caesar salad
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Caesar salads are one of my favorite kinds of salads and I love that you gave it a spicy twist! Definitely going to have to try this in the coming weeks!
Wow this is a great idea to add chili to my salad, I’m tired of the same old boring salads so this recipe will certainly liven it up.
Wow! I love Caesar Salad but never tried this version before! Looks so delicious! Cannot wait to try it out!)
thank you so much! it’s a nice change of pace to your familiar caesar.
I could eat my weight in Caesar salad. Adding some spice is an awesome idea. Will definitely have to give this a try!
With all the yummy salad choices, Caesar salad can get lost in shuffle. I love caesar salad too!
I love a good salad dressing on my salads. I love Caesar salad and yours looks so delicious!
Thanks so much Jo! I’m with you – the dressing makes or breaks a salad.
Well, you’ve certainly hit all my like points. We like spicy. We like salads, especially Caesar, and we like to save on calories. So this salad is perfect for us. I’m pinning so I don’t lose the recipe.
Yes, this is what I was hoping to hear! i hope you will enjoy. 🙂
Spicy Caesar salad? wow I never tried this,looks like a great innovation.
Thank you! I can’t take credit for the concept (inspiration is in the post), but my riff on the salad has gotten positive feedback from the fam.
I haven’t been craving salads much lately but now that I see this one, I soooo am On my list for the grocery tomorrow!
thank you! i hope you enjoy.
Well it certainly looks amazing and you’ve definitely taken that dressing to another level. I also love the vegan parmesan cheese that you made. That is a heck of a lot more interesting than sprinkling nutritional yeast over the top. Excellent job!!
thanks very much! I like nutritional yeast too, but this gives that crunchy something this salad needs.
I love salads and Caesar salad is one of my favorites. Never tired a vegan version before but very interested in your vegan parmesan.. Saving this for later. Looks so refreshing
Hi Veena, Yes, the parm “cheese” is vegan, but the dressing does include a couple of egg yolks. If you want the dressing to be vegan, would recommend swapping out the eggs for a vegan mayo.
I love caesar salad and yours looks so delicious! I love that you added some spice to it as well as the avocado oil!!
Thank you very much! trying to keep things healthy and flavorful.
As a huge salad lover I can only say your Cesar salad just looks gorgeous! And the spicy dressing with the omega-3 rich anchovy filet would be perfect for surprising my hubby’s taste buds:)
Thank you for your kind comment! I guess it must be really appealing to dudes – my husband loves this.
I can’t wait to try this recipe! I’ve never attempted a caesar dressing from scratch before, and I love that this has a little bit of a spicy kick to it. Pinning to make this weekend!
Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy! 🙂
Now, you’re talking! I’ve never seen a recipe for a spicy caesar salad. This sounds totally amazing!
Thank you so much!
I could eat salad all day every day. I love the ingredients in this – spicy and you added some healthy kale!
Me too! any opportunity to make a salad nutrient dense – I’m there.
You can’t beat a great salad and this one looks great!
Thank you… and I totally agree! 🌶🥗👍🏻
I just made a salad and man oh man wished I saw this one first l love spicy and this would have been perfect maybe tomorrow this will be lunch for sure!
Thank you. Yes, you have to try it out!