Crunchy romaine leaves topped with Italian dressing and Parmesan cheese! A fun, easy, and tasty new way to serve up salad with this Romaine Finger Salad!
Taking a teeny tiny walk down memory lane today… do you mind?
So maybe this is a little bit weird but I love finding out what kinds of things people eat for “snacks”. Particularly what people had for a snack when they were growing up. Chips and salsa were a daily snack staple in my house. But another favorite was to grab a piece of wheat bread – not toasted – and top it with cold slices of colbyjack cheese. With a slice of blueberry pomegranate juice.
If I had a nickel for every time I had that three-ingredient snack combination…
When I was in junior high school, my best friend Abby’s mother would fix us snacks after school or on the weekends and although I always loved them, they were always new to me – and pretty much genius. I still remember the time she gave us a plate of cucumber slices sprinkled with salt.
P.S. my husband’s family does the same thing but with vinegar instead of salt. So good.
My friend’s mom also served up finger salad on a regular basis. Either for a snack, or as an appetizer or side dish with dinner. A couple of weeks ago I couldn’t get it out of my head and it’s so darn easy that I just had to make it that very day. Romaine hearts topped with Italian dressing and parmesan cheese. My husband said he actually likes this better than most traditional salads and I’ve got him convinced that salads are the third greatest food ever so you know this has gotta be good.
You can use your favorite store-bought Italian salad dressing orrrrrr I’ve included a super easy and totally delicious 2 minute homemade version for you. You’re welcome!
And let’s be real, who doesn’t like finger-foods right??
Romaine Finger Salad
Ingredients
- romaine hearts - (see note), separated
- Italian dressing - (store-bought OR see homemade version below!)
- shredded parmesan cheese - (or any Italian cheese blend)
Homemade Italian Dressing
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt - (or to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Separate the romaine leaves and place them in a single layer on a serving plate/platter.
- Drizzle romaine leaves with generously with Italian dressing, then sprinkle with cheese to taste. Serve immediately.
- For the homemade Italian dressing, add all ingredients to a jar, cover, and shake well. Store chilled in an airtight container.
Cucumber chopped into bite-sized pieces and sort of marinated in a vinegar-Dijon mustard mix is darn good also. Pickied that up in a German restaurant in S. America . Served as an appetizer.
What would you call ” Italian seasoning”for your lettuce dressing? Is there a standard seasoning? How would you go about making your mix?
Have a nice day.
Rodrigo – Italian seasoning is a thing and it is available in the spice aisle however it so easy to make and SO much cheaper than buying already made. Just Google Italian seasoning recipe and you will have many to chose from and you probably have all the ingredients in your spice cabinet. Bon appetit!
By “cider vinegar” do you mean apple cider vinegar?
ROMAINE FINGER SALAD is so wonderful, it is strange for me but it is worth trying. I love it…
My mom used to serve steamed broccoli and steamed artichokes as snacks. It’s so interesting what different people consider snacks! There’s such a wide array of options… I LOVE the idea of a finger salad! This is great. Thanks for sharing!
Romaine leaves are hard to keep fresh, but this salad only deserves best leaves, have enjoyed it 🙂