Grilled Romaine Salad with Creamy Jalapeno Ranch Dressing

This smoky grilled salad features charred romaine lettuce and sweet corn, blistered cherry tomatoes, and hearty toppings like crispy bacon bits, cotija cheese and hard boiled eggs. Served with a creamy homemade jalapeno ranch dressing, this salad pairs well with grilled chicken or steak.

Instructions

Salad

1. 01

   Cook the bacon: Place bacon strips in a cold large nonstick skillet. Turn the heat to medium and cook for 8-12 minutes, turning occasionally, until brown and crispy. Transfer to a large plate covered in paper towels and set aside to cool.

2.  

   Ingredients

   • 6 strips Bacon

3. 02

   Preheat grill to medium-high heat (about 400°F-450°F) for direct-heat grilling.

4. 03

   Skewer the tomatoes: While the grill is heating up, thread the cherry tomatoes onto 4 large metal skewers. (If using wooden skewers, be sure to soak the skewers in water for 20 minutes beforehand so they don’t burn on the grill.)

5.  

   Ingredients

   • 10 1/2 ounces Cherry tomatoes

6. 04

   Prepare the remaining ingredients: Brush or spray the ears of corn, cherry tomatoes and the inside of the romaine lettuce halves with olive oil or cooking spray.

7.  

   Ingredients

   • 2 ears Sweet corn
   • 3 head Romaine lettuce, halved lengthwise
   • Olive oil

8. 05

   Grill the corn: Grill the ears of corn with the lid closed for 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally, until corn is caramelized and dark brown spots appear on the kernels. Transfer to a large plate or baking sheet and set aside.

9. 06

   Grill the tomatoes and lettuce: Grill the tomatoes and lettuce cut-side down with the lid open for about 3 minutes. Turn the tomatoes occasionally and remove when charred and blistered. Remove the lettuce when the cut-side is slightly charred. Be careful not to grill too much or the lettuce will wilt. Transfer to a large plate or baking sheet and set aside.

10. 07

    Cut the corn and crumble bacon: Cut the grilled corn off the cob and crumble the cooled bacon.

11. 08

    Serve: Place grilled lettuce cut-side up on a large serving platter and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with creamy jalapeno ranch dressing and top with grilled corn kernels, grilled cherry tomatoes, crumbled bacon, cotija cheese and hard boiled eggs.

12.  

    Ingredients

    • 4 Hard boiled eggs, halved
    • 1 cup Crumbled Cotija cheese
    • Flaky sea salt, to taste
    • Ground pepper, to taste

Creamy Jalapeno Ranch Dresssing

13. 09

    Add all ingredients to a blender of food processor and blend until smooth.

14.  

    Ingredients

    • 6 tablespoons Mayonnaise
    • 6 tablespoons Milk
    • 1/4 cup Sour cream
    • 1/4 teaspoon Dried parsley
    • 1/4 teaspoon Onion powder
    • 1 tablespoon Chopped chives
    • 1 clove Garlic
    • 1/4 teaspoon Coarse Kosher salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon Ground pepper
    • 2 tablespoons Lime juice
    • 1/4 cup Cilantro
    • 4 slices Pickled jalapeno