Sweetgreens, a fast-casual, locavore-friendly chain, offers a popular selection of organic salads and bowls. A highlight and most-asked-for option is the kale Caesar. Their variation consists of roasted chicken, tomatoes, parmesan crisps, shaved parmesan, shredded kale, chopped romaine, lime squeeze and pre-made caesar dressing. While the occasional indulgence of takeout is good, the make-up of this salad isn’t overly complicated to execute at home. In the long run, as someone who’s developed a trend of ordering this salad whenever I find myself in a sweetgreen, by making it yourself, you’ll end up being able to make more portions and save money. An additional bonus of making it yourself is customizing the recipe to your preferences. This perfect midday meal is filling and requires minimal effort for the fast-paced life of a college student.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Mayo
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1-2 tablespoons seedly mustard (or 1/2 cup Greek yogurt as a substitute)
Shaved Parmesan (to taste)
Parmesan cheese crisps (to taste)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper (to taste)
Kale (as much as you want, chopped or torn)
Cherry tomatoes (as many as you want, halved)
Chicken (your choice of cooking method, recommend grilled or breaded)
Preparation:
- Make the dressing. in a blender (you can also use a bowl as a substitute), combine 1/2 cup mayo, juice of 1 lemon, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce and 1-2 tablespoons seeded mustard (or substitute with 1/2 cup Greek yogurt), shaved parmesan (to taste), minced garlic cloves and 1/4 cup olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Make any adjustments according to your preferences.
- Add chicken to the bowl. Grill or bread the chicken according to your preference. Season with salt and pepper.
- Wash your produce. Rinse the pre-packaged kale and cherry tomatoes in a colander under cold water and drain.
- Assemble the salad. In a large bowl, combine kale, halved-cut cherry tomatoes (to taste), your pre-made dressing and parmesan cheese crisps (to taste). Finally, add your chicken and enjoy your better-than-sweetgreen salad!
