Charred Romaine Salad

Making this charred romaine salad has been the answer to the question of what to do with all the romaine in our CSA box. We’ve been getting bunch after bunch and I wanted to find a way to make a romaine salad more interesting. This did the trick and the best part? This charred romaine salad is ready in less than 20 minutes. A big win.

A blue bowl holds a bed of charred romaine salad topped with a maple tahini dressing and crispy croutons.

The charring technique was inspired by Elissa Goodman’s Charred Romaine Salad recipe and this method of broiling is such a winner! The leaves get a bit of crunch but are still tender. Elissa’s version used a lemony parmesan dressing and I thought about the combo of maple and tahini for this charred romaine salad version. It worked beautifully and the addition of dried harissa seasoning offers a smoky heat to a sweet and creamy dressing. This dressing is a great option for those looking for a dairy-free or vegan dressing option.

Prepping the Romaine for Charring

A helpful tool in prepping this charred romaine salad is the broiler. First, we turn on the broiler to its highest setting. Then, we get to work on slicing the romaine in half lengthwise, keeping the bottom in tact. Drizzle each romaine half with some olive oil and kosher salt and pepper then get it into the broiler.

Using the broiler helps to give the leaves a good char, but we don’t want to burn them. In the winter months, this is a great way to get that “grill vibe” without using an actual grill.

A large head of romaine is chopped in half lengthwise in preparation for the charred romaine salad.

Broiling the Romaine for the Charred Romaine Salad

It’s best to keep a close eye on the romaine while broiling. Broilers have different high temperatures and some might work faster than others. You want to to avoid burning your romaine leaves in the process. That said, broil each side for about 2 to 3 minutes.

A bed of romaine lettuce is placed on a rimmed baking and sits under the oven broiler in preparation for the charred romaine salad.

Halfway through the cook time, flip the romaine over to broil the remaining side. They’ll look like this:

Charred romaine is turned over halfway through broiling in preparation for the charred romaine salad.

Prep the Dressing for the Charred Romaine Salad

During the last half of cooking, prep the dressing. This dressing is so simple: just add all the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk it vigorously until the dressing is thickened and smooth.

A small bowl of maple-tahini dressing is whisked together in preparation for the charred romaine salad.

Protein Options for the Charred Romaine Salad

For this charred romaine salad, I used my Crispy Chickpeas as croutons and this recipe works well if you want to keep this vegan. Otherwise, grilled chicken or steak are great options to add a little more protein and give this salad main dish energy. You can also opt to toast pine nuts or walnuts and add the here too for added crunch.

Looking for more salad inspo? I’ve got plenty more salad ideas here and will continue to add more recipes to the mix. Cheers to the next nourishing meal! ❤️

Frances Kellar

Charring the romaine under the broiler adds great depth of flavor to give some pizzaz to a tasty weeknight dinner salad.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Servings 4 servings

Calories 423 kcal

Ingredients

Salad

2 heads romaine lettuce rinsed and patted dry
1 tablespoon olive oil
generous pinch of kosher salt and ground black pepper
¼ cup toasted chopped walnuts or pine nuts

Dressing

3 tablespoons tahini paste
2-3 tablespoons maple syrup for a slightly sweeter dressing, opt for 3 tablespoons
3 cloves garlic, grated
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon dried harissa seasoning (optional)
2 tablespoons lemon juice (juice of one lemon)

Instructions

Prep the Dressing

In a small bowl, add all the ingredients and whisk vigorously until thickened and smooth. Set aside to dress the salad before serving.

Prep the Romaine

To broil the romaine, turn your oven to the highest Broil setting.
Slice the romaine hearts in half, leaving the bottom intact so the leaves stay together, giving you four halves of romaine. Drizzle each half with olive oil and sprinkle a generous pinch of kosher salt and pepper on both sides.
Place the romaine hearts, cut side down, on a large rimmed baking sheet and broil for 2-3 minutes. Keep a close eye on the romaine as some broilers might work faster than others.
Remove from oven to flip them over and broil the other side for 2-3 minutes. They should come out looking slightly charred, not burnt.
Remove the sheet of romaine from the oven and, using tongs, place the hearts on a serving platter or dinner plates, cut side up. Alternatively, you can give he leaves a rough chop and add to a large salad bowl.
When ready to serve, drizzle dressing over the leaves and garnish as desired.

Notes

To make this a main dish, add in your desired protein. I loved using these Crispy Chickpea Croutons but you can also use sliced roasted chicken or even grilled steak.