Chopped Wedge Salad
on Dec 25, 2025
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All of the creamy, crunchy, bacon-topped joy of a classic wedge salad, just chopped up for easier eating. This Chopped Wedge Salad is crisp, tangy, and completely irresistible, with every bite getting the perfect balance of dressing, bacon, and lettuce. This is more of a "wedge" salad than a wedge salad, if you will.
If you love a wedge salad, you’re going to be obsessed with this Chopped Wedge Salad, with all the retro appeal of the steakhouse classic, but easier to toss, serve, and eat.
Crisp iceberg lettuce (I love me some iceberg lettuce) gets chopped into ribbons so the creamy dressing, smoky bacon, and juicy tomatoes mingle in every bite. It’s fresh, crunchy, and totally satisfying, whether you serve it as a side or pile it high for lunch.
Think of it as the wedge salad simplified (and arguably, improved). Instead of wrestling with a quartered head of lettuce, you get a salad that’s perfectly toss-able, fork-able, and evenly dressed.
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What's In This Post?
What’s a Chopped Wedge Salad?
Like many people, my eyes light up when I spot a wedge salad on a restaurant menu. That cold, crisp hunk of iceberg lettuce, generously draped in creamy dressing and topped with bacon and blue cheese…the perfect retro indulgence. A wedge salad is unapologetically old-school and delightfully simple.
A chopped wedge salad is a deconstructed version of the classic wedge salad (or is it more constructed? Have to ponder that for a bit). Instead of serving a whole quarter of iceberg lettuce, the lettuce is chopped into bite-sized pieces so every forkful gets a balance of crisp lettuce, juicy tomatoes, creamy dressing, and bacon, plus crumbled blue cheese if that’s your jam (it’s definitely my jam). It’s easy to toss, easier to eat, and keeps all the flavors of a traditional wedge salad in every bite.
Ingredients
- Iceberg lettuce – The star of the show, cold, crunchy, and super neutral in flavor.
- Bacon – Ok, maybe this is the star of the show; cooked until perfectly crisp, then crumbled. (Hide it in the fridge if you make it ahead of time, or it may disappear.)
- Tomatoes – Optional cherry or grape tomatoes for sweetness and color.
- Blue Cheese – It’s optional, if you’re not a fan, but I think it makes the salad. Feta can also be used instead.
- Creamy Buttermilk Dressing – Tangy, garlicky, you can choose between yogurt or sour cream. I used plain Greek yogurt in place of sour cream, but this isn’t exactly a dietetic moment, so go right ahead and be indulgent. The dressing is also a great use for leftover buttermilk!
How to Make Chopped Wedge Salad
- Cook the bacon: Fry it until crisp, then crumble.
Kitchen Smarts
You don’t need to fry your bacon in a pan. Try baked bacon or air fryer bacon instead.
- Make the dressing: Chop the shallot and onion in a food processor. Add the yogurt, buttermilk, lemon juice, vinegar, and mustard, and blend until smooth
- Chop the lettuce: Slice the iceberg into thin ribbons or bite-sized pieces.
- Toss the salad: Combine the lettuce, tomatoes, scallions, and blue cheese (if using).
- Dress the salad: Drizzle with your buttermilk dressing, and toss.
- Top with bacon: Always finish with the bacon to keep it crisp. Sprinkle on a bit more crumbled blue cheese, if desired.
All the flavor and charm of a wedge salad, no steak knife required.
Make Ahead Tips
Everything in this salad can be prepped ahead.
- Bacon: Cook and crumble up to 3 days ahead; store sealed in the fridge.
- Dressing: Mix it up a few days in advance, and store in the fridge.
- Lettuce: Slice it up to 2 days ahead, store sealed in the fridge with a paper towel added to absorb moisture and keep it crisp.
- Cherry or grape tomatoes: These can be halved and kept in the fridge in an airtight container for 2 days.
- Blue cheese: Crumble if needed.
When it’s time to serve, all you have to do is combine, drizzle, and toss.
What to Serve a Chopped Wedge Salad With
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Chopped Wedge Salad with Buttermilk Dressing
Ingredients
For the Buttermilk Dressing:
- 1 shallot
- ½ onion (cut into chunks)
- ⅔ cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
For the Salad:
- 1 head iceberg lettuce (quartered, cored, and thinly sliced crosswise)
- 1 cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes (optional)
- 6 strips crisp-cooked bacon (crumbled)
- ½ cup crumbled blue cheese (divided; optional)
Instructions
- Place the shallot and onion into a food processor and process until very finely chopped, basically pureed. Add the yogurt, buttermilk, lemon juice, vinegar, and mustard, and process until smooth.
- Place the slivered lettuce into a bowl, arranging it attractively. Drizzle over the dressing, and sprinkle on the bacon.
“… the hunk of iceberg with its dearth of nutrients…”, haha. But fiber, or so I’m told.
let’s go with fiber. not that I need an excuse….