Yummy delicious pan grilled romaine lettuce with grated parmesan cheese and olive oil… This is such a surprising vegetable side dish, the perfect companion for chicken and pork dinners!
Have you ever prepared a pan grilled romaine lettuce before?
If you haven’t, well then it is about time now!
Grilling lettuce might seem a bit odd or funny in the beginning. I also was kind of taken aback by the thought of ‘cooking’ lettuce. And then one fine day I decided to try it out.
Warm Lettuce?
And what a treat it turned out to be! Ever since I make this grilled romaine lettuce very often at home, especially in the summer. It has become a true family favorite over the years!
And I have to say that I have received very positive comments on this recipe before, lots of people like the idea. And lots of them have tried it out as well and loved it.
It is a lovely thing to do especially for bbq season!
BBQ
But I have to say that I have also had people claiming that fresh lettuce should be kept and eaten raw only, and not cooked at all. I get it. I would say, try it and find out for yourself what you think of it!
All I can say is that I like that crunch of the grilled romaine lettuce. Here at home we like it best when the lettuce is still a little lukewarm.
Romaine Lettuce
You might have seen this grilled romaine lettuce before.
I use the small ones, but some chefs also use the large lettuce for this recipe. And then turn it into a caesar salad. half a head of grilled romaine lettuce, sprinkled with caesar dressing, shaved parmesan and freshly cracked black pepper.
Doesn’t that sound absolutely to die for?
What a love and also highly creative salad! It is perfect for a starter as well.
A real eye catcher if you ask me.
Best Grilled Romaine Lettuce
Can you make this lettuce recipe with another type of lettuce?
I am convinced that not just any kind of lettuce is perfect for this treat.
Romaine lettuce here is absolutely perfect. Just because it is juicy, a tad sweet, heavenly crisp when it is super fresh. And it also has a pretty thick ‘heart’ or stem in the very center. Which is perfect. Because you can cut the lettuce in half or into 4 pieces lengthwise and the leaves won’t fall apart.
Endives
It looks a bit like endives now that I come to think of it. That also makes it an outstanding vegetable for grilling or baking. Hey I have to try that out next time! Grilled endives caesar style. I like the sound of that.
I highly suggest that you brown the romaine lettuce without using any oil at all.
The lettuce heart comes in direct contact with the hot bottom of the dry frying pan which causes the natural sugars in the lettuce to caramelise and turn brown.
You really don’t need any oil to do that.
Grilled Caesar Salad
The lettuce needs very little time to bake. The romaine lettuce leaves have to stay crunchy. When they go soft the grilled romaine lettuce looses much of its charm.
This is a surprising recipe, pretty easy to make and definitely worth a place in our top 5 ranking of easy side dish recipes.
Especially in the summer!
Romaine lettuce is also my favorite ingredient in a famous caesar salad.
French Peas with Lettuce
By the way, I have another recipe with cooked lettuce: my French peas.
Stir fried green peas, spring onion and lettuce with butter. Also a highly delicious vegetable side dish I have to say!
Enjoy!
Best Grilled Romaine Lettuce Recipe
Pan grilled romaine lettuce drizzled with a mustard vinaigrette, a surprising vegetable side dish!
- 4 small heads romaine lettuce or 2 large heads
- 1 tbsp red onion or shallots, chopped
- garlic powder
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 5 tbsp good quality olive oil
- ½ tsp strong mustard
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
- pepper
- salt
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Rinse the lettuce heads well and let them drain a little on a clean kitchen towel. Then slice them in half lengthwise and then again half so you end up with 4 pieces.
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Place the lettuce halves cut side down in a large non-stick pan. Don’t add any oil. We will let the natural juices and sugar inside the romaine lettuce caramelize. Then place the pan over high heat.
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Regularly check the color of the lettuce by turning them. Make sure the lettuce is browned on both sides.
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Stay close and keep an eye on them. In the end after a couple of minutes the lettuce should be nicely seared.
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Then take the pan off the heat and let the lettuce cool on a large plate. Make the vinaigrette dressing: combine the mustard, red wine vinegar and chopped shallots. Then season with a pinch of pepper, garlic powder and salt.
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Stir and add the olive oil.
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Whisk well. Then add the freshly chopped parsley.
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Then transfer the grilled lettuce onto a serving dish and drizzle with the vinaigrette. Serve.
Wow, this is amazing! Pinned it to my Low Carb Recipes board. 🙂
I’ve done a variation of this recipe for years, with blue cheese and a bacon vinaigrette.