Caesar salad usually gets its own spot on the plate. When I make it with grilled Italian sausage, I skip the side and pile the dressed lettuce right on top.
The sausage stays hot from the grill while the romaine stays cool and coated in Caesar dressing. Parmesan and black pepper finish the top, putting the salad and sausage into the same bite instead of separating them across the plate.
Grill the Italian Sausage First
Preheat an outdoor grill to medium heat, then add the sausages.
Cook them for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until cooked through. The exact time can change based on the size of the sausages and whether they sit over direct or indirect heat.
While they cook, make the Caesar salad.
Cut the Romaine Into Strips
Chop romaine lettuce into strips and place it in a bowl.
I don’t leave the lettuce in large salad pieces here. It needs to fit over the sausage and inside the bun without falling off with each bite.
Keep the romaine aside while you mix the dressing.
Worcestershire Goes Into the Caesar Dressing
This Caesar dressing starts with mayonnaise rather than a separate mixture of eggs and oil.
Combine mayo with water, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and Parmesan. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Worcestershire brings the savory note that anchovies often provide in Caesar dressing. Once the dressing is mixed, pour it over the romaine.
Dress the Lettuce Before It Reaches the Sausage
Toss the lettuce in the bowl until the strips have a coating of dressing.
I don’t put dry lettuce on the sausage and drizzle dressing over the finished bun. Tossing it first spreads the mayo, lemon, Worcestershire, and Parmesan across the romaine before anything reaches the grill.
By this point, the sausages should be close to done.
Caesar Salad Goes on the Hot Sausage
Place each grilled sausage in a bun, then divide the dressed Caesar salad across the top.
That’s the part I used to treat as two separate foods. Instead of hot sausage with Caesar salad beside it, the cool romaine becomes the sausage topping.
The creamy dressing, crisp lettuce, Parmesan, and grilled sausage all land in the same bite.
Shaved Parmesan Finishes the Top
Add shaved Parmesan over the salad once it is on the sausage.
Extra black pepper can go over the top too.
Nothing else needs to change about the Caesar salad. I still make the dressing in a bowl and toss it with romaine. I just changed where the finished salad goes.
Instead of putting it beside grilled Italian sausage, I use it as the topping.
Would you put Caesar salad on a grilled sausage, or keep it on the side?
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