Salad of the Week: Classic Caesar, Rebuilt

A bright, savory Caesar-style bowl with romaine, farro, crispy chickpea croutons, roasted red peppers, and a creamy cashew Caesar dressing.

This week’s Salad of the Week was inspired by a simple comment someone left asking if I ever make Caesar salad. It got me thinking about how I could build a more nourishing, Tower-to-Table version — one that keeps the bright, savory feel people love about Caesar, but fits into the simple, whole-food way I eat.

This bowl is crisp and fresh, with a uniquely satisfying undertone. It’s built on romaine, layered with chewy farro, crunchy chickpea “croutons,” and finished with a creamy Caesar-style dressing. Familiar, comforting, and very repeatable.

Each Salad of the Week follows the same simple framework: leafy greens, a few key add-ins, and a simple oil-free dressing that brings everything together. The ingredients change with the season, but the structure stays the same — which makes it easier to build nourishing salads without overthinking meals.

As always, feel free to swap ingredients in or out based on what you have, what you grow, or what you enjoy.

What Makes This Salad Special

This bowl brings together familiar Caesar flavors with ingredients that add more nourishment, staying power, and everyday usability.

• Crisp romaine provides that classic Caesar base along with minerals and hydration
• Chewy farro adds fiber and lasting energy that helps this salad feel like a real meal
• Crispy roasted chickpea “croutons” bring crunch along with plant-based protein and fullness
• Roasted red peppers add softness, color, and gentle savory depth, plus an extra layer of antioxidants
• A creamy cashew Caesar-style dressing ties everything together with healthy fats and savory depth

The result is a Caesar-style salad that feels bright and fresh, but also comforting and satisfying enough to build a real meal around. It’s a good example of how small ingredient shifts can reshape a familiar favorite without making it complicated.

This Week’s Bowl: Classic Caesar, Rebuilt

Leafy Lettuce

• Romaine
• Optional spring mix or tower greens blended in

Cruciferous Greens & Veggies

• Thin cabbage ribbons (green or red) or very finely chopped kale

Alliums (Onion Family)

• Garlic in the dressing
• Scallions or very thin red onion on the salad

Plant-Based Protein & Staying Power

• Cooked farro
• Crispy roasted chickpea “croutons”

Amp Up the Volume

• Chopped cucumber
• Chopped or halved cherry or grape tomatoes
• Thinly sliced celery

Signature Savory Add-In

• Roasted red peppers

Finishers (Optional)

• Pine nuts or slivered almonds
• Fresh parsley

Creamy Caesar-Style Dressing (Oil-Free)

This creamy, tangy, lightly savory dressing is what brings the Classic Caesar, Rebuilt bowl together. It’s rich without being heavy and designed to make big daily salads feel satisfying and complete.

Ingredients (about 1½–2 cups dressing | 6–8 servings)

• 1½ cups raw cashews
• 6 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 3 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 3 small cloves garlic
• 4½–6 Tbsp nutritional yeast (to taste)
• 1½ tsp onion powder
• ¾ tsp black pepper
• 1½ cups water, plus more as needed to thin

Optional additions (choose based on what you have and enjoy):

Flavor boosters
• 1½ tsp capers + a little brine (for classic Caesar tang)
• 1½ tsp white miso (for deeper umami)
Lighter variation
• Replace up to half the cashews with cooked white beans

Directions

Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender and blend until completely smooth and creamy.

Taste and adjust lemon, garlic, nutritional yeast, and saltiness if using miso or capers.

If needed, blend in more water a little at a time until the dressing is thick but pourable.

Store in a sealed jar in the refrigerator.

This dressing will thicken as it chills. Stir in a splash of water before using if needed.

Blender note

If you don’t have a high-speed blender, soak the cashews first to help the dressing blend smoothly (cover with hot water and soak 20–30 minutes, or overnight in the fridge, then drain and proceed with the recipe).

Crispy Chickpea “Croutons”

These roasted chickpeas add crunch, staying power, and that familiar Caesar-style bite. They’re one of my favorite prep-ahead toppings because they make daily salads feel much more satisfying.

Ingredients

• 2 cans chickpeas (or about 3 cups cooked), drained and rinsed
• Garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and black pepper (to taste)
• Optional: a pinch of salt or miso powder, if you use it

Directions

Dry the chickpeas very well.

Spread them on a clean towel and gently rub to remove excess moisture and any loose skins.

Air-dry if you can.

Let them sit 10–20 minutes. This really helps with crispness.

Season.

Transfer chickpeas to a bowl. Sprinkle lightly with any seasonings you’re using and toss well.

Spread on a baking sheet.

Arrange on a parchment-lined tray in a single layer. Avoid crowding.

Roast.

Bake at 400°F for 35–45 minutes, shaking the pan every 10 minutes.

Final drying phase.

Turn the oven off, crack the door, and leave chickpeas inside another 10–15 minutes.
This step is one of the secrets to getting them really crunchy.

Cool completely.

They should sound almost hollow when tapped.

Storage & refreshing

• Store loosely covered or lightly lidded.
• They stay fairly crunchy for 1–2 days.
• After that, a quick 5–7 minutes in a toaster oven at 375°F brings them right back.

How I Build the Bowl

1. Add lettuce and cruciferous greens to a large bowl.
2. Top with cooked farro (warm or room temperature).
3. Add roasted red peppers and fresh vegetables.
4. Sprinkle generously with crispy chickpea “croutons.”
5. Drizzle with dressing and toss gently.
6. Finish with scallions, pine nuts or almonds, and fresh herbs.

Prep Ahead Tip

This bowl comes together very easily when a few components are prepped ahead.

At the beginning of the week, I like to:
• cook a pot of farro
• roast a tray of chickpea “croutons”
• roast red peppers
• prep crunchy vegetables like cabbage, cucumbers, celery, and herbs
• and blend a jar of dressing

Everything gets stored separately, so building a salad is mostly assembly.

When those pieces are ready, a bright, satisfying bowl like this comes together very quickly — which makes eating this way feel easy and realistic to repeat.

Serve With (Optional)

This week, I paired this Caesar-style bowl with a rustic chunky potato and onion soup.

This salad-and-soup combo is one of my favorite ways to make everyday meals feel comforting and satisfying.

A warm, savory soup alongside a bright, creamy salad makes meals feel complete and very easy to repeat.

Notes & Variations

Easy swaps

• Farro → quinoa or barley
• Chickpea croutons → roasted white beans
• Roasted red peppers → roasted zucchini or cauliflower

Easy add-ins

• Steamed broccoli
• Roasted garlic
• Avocado slices (optional, for extra creaminess)

Prep notes

Farro

Simmer farro in water for about 20–25 minutes, until tender but still chewy, then drain.

Roasted red peppers

Cut peppers in half or large sections and remove seeds and membranes. Place cut-side down on a lined baking sheet and roast at 375–400°F for about 20–30 minutes, until softened and fragrant.

You’re looking for tender, lightly roasted peppers — not charred.

Once cool enough to handle, peel off the skins, if desired (they loosen easily after roasting), then slice into strips.

Final Thoughts

This “Classic Caesar, rebuilt” bowl is a reminder that foods we already love can be reworked in small, thoughtful ways that support how we want to eat every day.

If you build your own version, I’d love to hear what you add.

And if you’d like to learn the simple framework I use to build salads like this every day, you can grab my free Tower-to-Table Recipe Guide here:

👉 https://verticalhydroponicgarden.com/free-recipes

Next week, I’ll be sharing a new Salad of the Week using the same framework — just different ingredients.

Here’s to simple, nourishing meals — one bowl at a time 🌱
Karen