I’m about thirty seconds away from head-butting the screen.
This salad is that good.
Can we even call it a salad? It’s basically bacon, bacon grease, toasted bread and shaved cheese tossed with warm Brussels sprouts and a tangy dressing. But yes—salad. And it’s completely fair.
The real star here: bacon croutons. Crispy ciabatta cubes drenched in rendered bacon fat, toasted until golden. They add smoky, crunchy perfection to the warm sprouts and creamy Caesar-style dressing.
So what was my weekend like? Pretty excellent, and almost as satisfying as those croutons. I spent a long stretch binge-watching Sons of Anarchy and late-night interviews on YouTube, then headed with Eddie to the horse track to cheer him on and do a little people-watching on Instagram. On Saturday we treated ourselves to one outrageously indulgent meal: the most massive burger I’ve seen and a burnt almond torte milkshake that was worth every spoonful.
After that, we attempted what we jokingly call marriage therapy: grocery shopping together. It’s one of those activities we usually avoid doing side-by-side, but this time we braved it and it was chaos in the best possible way. Eddie treated the cart like a game, launching peppers, bok choy and whole chickens into the basket from a distance, then spent a small fortune on seedless grapes. He was playing a duck hunt game on his phone while driving the cart down his own speedway—classic Eddie.
At one point he dropped a giant jar of pickles and the floor became a small sea of brine. Pickles everywhere, juice on his shoes—he hates the smell of pickles, but I love them. I laughed until I cried. It was one of those ridiculous, honest moments that makes grocery runs memorable.
We planned to come home, nap, and then have these Brussels salads for dinner since we’d already had a big lunch. We did come home and nap, but the milkshakes won out. Sometimes the weekend calls for milkshakes over salad, and that’s okay.
Back to the salad: I was inspired by a smoky kale Caesar I loved recently, and had a surplus of Brussels sprouts begging to be used. I wanted something familiar but with a twist—nothing too out-there, just delicious and comforting.
Here’s what I did: fry bacon until crisp, reserve the rendered fat, toss ciabatta cubes in that bacon grease and bake until golden for the best croutons. Sauté the halved Brussels sprouts in the same skillet until they’re warmed through and slightly tender, then toss them with a creamy yogurt-Parmesan Caesar dressing. Finish with the bacon pieces, those irresistible ciabatta croutons and extra shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano. The warm sprouts soak up the dressing just enough, and the contrast of textures—soft sprouts, crunchy croutons, and crisp bacon—makes it addictive. I ate this three times last week and I’m not ashamed.
I’ll probably make it again today. Expect to hear about this salad a few dozen more times while I’m obsessed.
Warm Brussels Caesars with Bacon Ciabatta Croutons
Pin Recipe
Leave a Review »
Ingredients
- 2 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
- 1 cup ciabatta bread cubes
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 pound brussels sprouts, sliced with stems removed
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch pepper
- freshly shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
yogurt caesar dressing
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 4 anchovies, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Spread ciabatta cubes on a baking sheet.
-
Heat a large skillet over medium. Add bacon and cook until crisp and fat is rendered. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Pour the bacon grease over the bread cubes, toss to coat, then sprinkle with garlic powder. Bake the cubes for 10–12 minutes, stirring once or twice, until golden and crisp.
-
Return the skillet to medium-low heat and add the sliced Brussels sprouts with salt and pepper. If needed, add a splash of olive oil; otherwise use the residual bacon fat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sprouts are warm and slightly tender, about 5–6 minutes.
-
Remove from heat, toss the sprouts with a few spoonfuls of the yogurt-Parmesan Caesar dressing, then top with the chopped bacon, bacon-crusted ciabatta croutons and shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano. Serve immediately.
yogurt caesar dressing
-
In a food processor, combine garlic, Greek yogurt, Parmesan, Dijon, red wine vinegar, anchovies, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth, then stream in olive oil while the processor runs until the dressing is creamy. This makes more dressing than needed—store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to five days and stir before using.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Be sure to follow @howsweeteats on Instagram and tag #howsweeteats. You can also post a photo to the Facebook page.
I appreciate you so much!
And yes, it’s crunchy too. My life is now officially improved.