Quick pan seared romaine salad

Take your romaine salad to another level by twisting your classic salad to seared romaine and then serving it with glazed carrots and smoky chickpeas. Grill your romaine on a skillet with some cherry tomatoes and red onions, then drizzle with a delicious miso sauce!

My family loves fresh green salads, but sometimes, I like turning a classic salad into a delicious meal. Romaine salad is excellent, whether when fresh and crunchy or cooked. 

Romaine salad has a bit of rough and bitter leaves compared to most lettuce salads, making it tough for kids. Cooking romaine may sound strange, but it breaks the cell structure of the leaves, rendering them tender while enhancing the flavor.

I love adding more flavors by including herbs or spicy seeds like cumin, rosemary, or juniper berries while cooking the romaine salad. In this recipe, I used freshly chopped rosemary.

To enjoy this romaine salad, you can either;

1. Grill the romaine if you have a grill
2. Sear the salad in a skillet till it's tender.

Since I don't have a grill, I usually use a skillet to grill the romaine salad. 

How to grill romaine salad in a skillet

Grilling or searing the romaine on a skillet is quick, simple, and you get a delicious salad.

• Buy fresh romaine salad whose leaves are tightly packed together.
• Clean the whole romaine.
• Remove the outer leaves and reserve them for a salad or broth.
• Trim the stem end.
• Pat dry the romaine with a kitchen cloth.
• Heat a large skillet.
• Cut the romaine into halves lengthwise.
• You've got an option to brush the romaine (or not)with some olive oil.
• Sprinkle with salt and black pepper on the cut sides.
• Chop some rosemary leaves and put them in the skillet.
• Place the romaine halves on the skillet cut-side facing down.
• Cover and leave to cook on medium heat for 6 mins without turning. 
• Open the skillet, and add cherry tomatoes plus sliced red onions. Cook for 2 mins.

Make this fantastic sauce.

Even after cooking it, romaine salad will need some more flavor to appreciate it to the maximum!

I grilled this romaine salad without oil to avoid a lot of fat. Therefore, adding a rich, creamy sauce is a MUST!

To make the sauce, you'll need;

• Cashew nuts
• Ginger
• Miso (I used white miso)
• Dijon mustard (make sure to get the original, without sugar)
• Lemon
• Capers and some little of their water
• Nutritional yeast
• Olive oil
• Water just enough to make the blender blend.

Serving grilled/seared romaine salad

• Place the grilled romaine on a platter for a self-serving.
• Garnish with tomatoes and onions.
• Serve along with more veggies like roasted carrots. Add beans, baked tofu, chicken, or salmon to make a whole meal.

See in this recipe how to make delicious chickpeas with smoked paprika.

Check on these fantastic salads.

• Kale green salad with spinach and bok choy
• A tasty salad with tempeh and fresh green beans
• 5 minute Brussel sprouts salad
• Vegetable lettuce wraps

Recipe

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Quick pan seared romaine salad

Take your romaine salad to another level by twisting your classic salad to seared romaine and then serving it with glazed carrots and smoky chickpeas. Grill your romaine on a skillet with some cherry tomatoes and red onions, then drizzle with a delicious miso sauce!

Prep Time3 minutes mins

Cook Time8 minutes mins

Total Time11 minutes mins

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, anti-inflammatory, Mediterranean

Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free, Low Calorie, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword: chickpea recipe, grilled romaine salad, roasted carrots, romaine salad

Servings: 2 people

Calories:

Author: Githu

Cost: $5

Equipment

• Blender
• Chopping board
• kitchen knife
• large skillet
• kitchen tongs
• platter

Ingredients

Miso sauce

• ½ cup cashew nuts
• ¼ teaspoon capers with a tablespoon of their water
• a small piece of fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• ½ lemon squeezed
• 2 tablespoon virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup water (just enough to blend)

Seared/grilled

• a branch of fresh rosemary
• medium size romaine salad
• a handful of cherry tomatoes
• 1 red onion
• some salt
• some black pepper
• a few roasted/glazed carrots (optional)
• 1 cup fried chickpeas or just plain drained (optional)

Instructions

Miso sauce

• Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth. Transfer into a small jar and close.

Grilled romaine

• Clean the romaine, tomatoes, and onion. Dry the romaine with a kitchen towel.
• Trim the stem and remove the outer leaves, then cut the romaine into halves.
• Chop the rosemary leaves finely and put them in a heating skillet.
• Place the romaine halves on the rosemary, the cut-side facing down, and cover the skillet.
• Leave to cook for 5 mins without opening the skillet
• During this time, slice the onion
• After 5 mins, open the skillet and add the tomatoes and onions. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Cover the skillet and cook for 3 mins
• Remove from the heat, and pick the romaine with tongs to place them in a plater.
• Top with the cherry tomatoes and onions
• Serve on individual plates, then garnish with carrots and chickpeas
• Drizzle the miso sauce on top.
• Bon appetit. Please pin and share this recipe.

Notes

• I didn't use oil to cook the romaine because there were other sauces of fat in the ingredients. Feel free to add some oil if you want to.
• Cooked romaine can be prepared in meal prep.