Caesar Salad in a Bag Hack
A simple Caesar Salad in a Bag Hack; just add lemon, red onion, avocado, and cherry tomatoes to make it the best Caesar Salad recipe ever! We start off with a Costco Caesar Salad – so easy! Watch our reel and see how quick it is to make a delicious “anytime” salad.
We love to eat salads all year long. And often we’ll buy a couple bags of the Costco Caesar Salad, and jazz it up to go with other main dishes. We also loved it put together, and adding grilled meat on top, like chicken, steak, or fish.
Caesar Salad in a Bag Hack
I learned this hack early on in married life, when I was working and putting meals on the table after work. I love a “salad in a bag” for a main dish (with protein), or to add ingredients to make it stretch for a side salad with other main dishes. Great for company, too. They never know it’s a salad in a bag. HA.
Caesar Salad’s basic components include Romaine lettuce, Parmesan cheese, croutons, and Caesar salad dressing. However, you can add some additional toppings such as bacon bits, sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and even more Parmesan cheese.
Read more: Caesar Salad in a Bag Hack
Why I love this recipe
- It only takes minutes to make – even with the “hack” of adding extra ingredients.
- Use what is in season to jazz up the salad.
- Serve it as a main dish (you can make 2 salads at a time), or a side dish.
Costco Caesar Salad
This Caesar Salad in a bag recipe includes a couple of tips to make it better, by adding some secret ingredients. You can watch my IGTV video on Instagram showing you how to make a Caesar Salad better. The importance of dressing consistency (too much is not good), lettuce size, and the cheese ratio makes a big difference.
Gather these ingredients
In my opinion, Costco’s bagged salad is the best. We love the dressing, the the thicker shredded Parmesan cheese, and the quality of the lettuce. Here’s what you need to make the salad:
- Earthbound Farm Organic Caesar Salad Kits (Costco)
- Lemon
- Red onion
- Avocado
- Cherry tomatoes
- Fresh cracked pepper
- Extra Parmesan cheese (optional)
What’s the secret ingredient that really makes a good Caesar Salad?
A whole lemon! Adding a lemon just brightens up the flavor! And you have to have red onion!
How do you make a Caesar Salad in a Bag (hack)
- Prepare lettuce: In a large salad bowl, arrange the lettuce. Pull out any obnoxious big hunks of lettuce and toss.
- Put the salad together: Thinly slice a red onion into bite sizes. Arrange on top of the lettuce. Add the croutons and Parmesan cheese. Optional to add more cheese if you prefer.
- Add cherry tomatoes (optional).
- Make the dressing: In a small bowl, add one packet of the Caesar dressing (save the other one in the fridge for a homemade salad). Add the seasoning packet (optional), one fresh-squeezed lemon, and whisk together. Set aside.
- Drizzle the salad with the dressing and serve right away!
Tips and substitutions:
- Make sure and keep an eye on the expiration date of the salad in a bag in your fridge. I’ve found that you can usually go a couple days over the date, but just watch for brown lettuce.
- Always remove large chunks that do not make a good bite, and any brown lettuce. Again, we find that Costco’s bags are usually very fresh.
- You can always add more croutons, or flavored croutons, if you like a really crunchy salad.
- Add in your favorite protein like steak, chicken, or salmon.
- Replace the croutons for topping ideas (listed below).
- For a refreshing lunch or dinner idea for summer company, make the salad and add chunks of grilled chicken, and stuff it into pita pockets.
- How do you make a store-bought Caesar better? A dash of Worcestershire sauce brings out the umami flavors. You can also add anchovy paste. I love a good squeeze of fresh lemon.
- How long will Caesar salad keep in the fridge? Once the salad is assembled and the dressing and croutons have been placed on the side, store the salad in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days. NOTE: Croutons will be soggy.
More toppings to add
- More chopped or roasted veggies
- Toasted nuts and seeds
- Crispy chickpeas [Grab my How to make Crispy Chickpeas recipe]
- Bacon
- Kale chips
Want to buy your own SALAD SPINNER and make your own salads? We love this OXO Salad Spinner (affiliate link).
The epic salad bowls will be in stock very soon!
I also LOVE to add avocado to my salad. You, too? ENJOY!
More bagged salad recipes:
Get the Recipe:
Caesar Salad in a Bag Hack
Ingredients
- 1 24 oz Earthbound Farm Organic Caesar Salad Kit, Costco
- 1 lemon
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 avocado, diced
- Fresh cracked pepper
- Cherry tomatoes
- Extra Parmesan cheese, optional
Instructions
- In a large salad bowl, arrange the lettuce. Pull out any obnoxious big hunks of lettuce and toss.
- Thinly slice a red onion into bite sizes. Arrange on top of the lettuce. Add the croutons and Parmesan cheese. Optional to add more cheese if you prefer.
- Add cherry tomatoes (optional).
- In a small bowl, add one packet of the Caesar dressing (save the other one in the fridge for a homemade salad). Add the seasoning packet (optional), one fresh-squeezed lemon, and whisk together. Set aside.
- Right before serving, drizzle the salad with the dressing and serve right away!
Notes
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
Enjoyed your version very much, added chicken and cheddar cheese.
We tried this salad last night after seeing it on IG. Amazing!!! The fresh lemon juice really enhanced the dressing. Loved the red onion in the salad as well. My husband kept asking if there was anymore salad left, he wanted more it was that good!
Do you sell that salad bowl with the tongs?
Yes, the bowl will be back in stock in September. Here’s my store to buy it.