Recipe for iceberg lettuce (or green salad) with lighter Thousand Island dressing {vegetarian}

As a child in the 1960s, I couldn't help but fall in love with bell bottom pants and tie-dyed T-shirts, Doris Day movies, the Beatles, and iceberg lettuce wedges. Going out for a fancy dinner meant starting with a perfect triangle of crispy, ice-cold iceberg topped with sweet Thousand Island dressing. I know it's hard to imagine now that this was a delicacy way back when, but it was a treat we always anticipated with glee when we went to the "fine dining" restaurants in the suburbs. Today, it's a retro salad that will bring smiles to the faces of everyone at your table, for the same reason we loved it when I was a child -- because it's good. I've lightened up the mix a bit with nonfat Greek yogurt and reduced-calorie mayonnaise, though the amount of mayo is small enough that it really doesn't make a huge difference if you use the real thing. If you don't have a bottle of sweet green relish in your fridge (it always comes in the picnic packs with ketchup and yellow mustard), chop some pickles and capers instead, and add a tiny bit of sugar. Now, does this salad bring back memories for you?

Iceberg lettuce (or green salad) with lighter Thousand Island dressing

From the pantry, you'll need: ketchup, mayonnaise, plain nonfat Greek yogurt, tomato paste.

Use the dressing on a mixed green salad if you'd like more than a lettuce wedge. Serves 2-3.

Ingredients

For the dressing:
3 Tbsp ketchup
2 Tbsp mayonnaise (light or low-fat)
4 Tbsp nonfat Greek yogurt
3 Tbsp sweet pickle relish
1 tsp tomato paste
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

1 head iceberg lettuce (buy a firm one)
1-2 tsp minced red bell pepper, for garnish

Directions

In a bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to use (you can make this up to 1 week ahead).

Cut the iceberg lettuce into wedges, using approximately one-fourth of the head for each wedge.

Place the lettuce wedges on individual plates, and drizzle with some of the dressing. Garnish with red bell pepper.

Serve chilled.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More salads made with crispy lettuce:
Bacon, lettuce and tomato salad with creamy basil dressing
Chicken and avocado lettuce boats with buttermilk Dijon dressing
My favorite green salad with tomato, cucumber, nectarines and olives
Vegetarian Caesar salad
Steak salad with Green Goddess dressing

Other recipes that use these pantry ingredients:
Homemade tartar sauce, from Simply Recipes
Egg salad, from Cowgirl Chef
Salsa rosada or salsa golf, from My Colombian Recipes
Fry sauce, from Buns in My Oven
Icelandic cocktail sauce, from Icelandic Cooking, Recipes and Food

Need more ideas to turn your same-old salad into exciting salad? Get Dress Up Your Salad, my e-book packed with easy mix-and-match recipes, full-color photos and a few fun videos. Fantastic salad recipes can be just one click away, on any computer, tablet or smart phone, with the FREE Kindle Reading app. Click here to learn more.

Iceberg lettuce (or green salad) with lighter Thousand Island dressing

From the pantry, you'll need: ketchup, mayonnaise, plain nonfat Greek yogurt, tomato paste.

Use the dressing on a mixed green salad if you'd like more than a lettuce wedge. Serves 2-3.

Ingredients

For the dressing:
3 Tbsp ketchup
2 Tbsp mayonnaise (light or low-fat)
4 Tbsp nonfat Greek yogurt
3 Tbsp sweet pickle relish
1 tsp tomato paste
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

1 head iceberg lettuce (buy a firm one)
1-2 tsp minced red bell pepper, for garnish

Directions

In a bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to use (you can make this up to 1 week ahead).

Cut the iceberg lettuce into wedges, using approximately one-fourth of the head for each wedge.

Place the lettuce wedges on individual plates, and drizzle with some of the dressing. Garnish with red bell pepper.

Serve chilled.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More salads made with crispy lettuce:
Bacon, lettuce and tomato salad with creamy basil dressing
Chicken and avocado lettuce boats with buttermilk Dijon dressing
My favorite green salad with tomato, cucumber, nectarines and olives
Vegetarian Caesar salad
Steak salad with Green Goddess dressing

Other recipes that use these pantry ingredients:
Homemade tartar sauce, from Simply Recipes
Egg salad, from Cowgirl Chef
Salsa rosada or salsa golf, from My Colombian Recipes
Fry sauce, from Buns in My Oven
Icelandic cocktail sauce, from Icelandic Cooking, Recipes and Food

Need more ideas to turn your same-old salad into exciting salad? Get Dress Up Your Salad, my e-book packed with easy mix-and-match recipes, full-color photos and a few fun videos. Fantastic salad recipes can be just one click away, on any computer, tablet or smart phone, with the FREE Kindle Reading app. Click here to learn more.

Comments

Of course! He whips up Russian dressing frequently, mostly for sandwiches -- survivor of the Jewish deli, where cole slaw and RD belong on the sandwich.
And do not despair of Iceberg! good source of Vitamin K, study showed fewer broken hips in elderly women.

Susan, I had no idea that there was a sound nutritional reason to eat iceberg! It never went out of fashion at my house.

I still love the iceberg lettuce wedge when a restaurant offers it, although I'd opt for blue cheese dressing. But I love having a good recipe for Thousand Island Dressing; I've never made that!

Kalyn, as an adult I'd love blue cheese dressing, but when I was younger, I didn't like any "stinky" cheese. Of course, now I can't imagine why I felt that way! Still, Thousand Island is the sentimental dressing favorite in our house.

I love the idea of yogurt in Thousand Island or Russian dressing. Less mayo guilt and some nice tang. I can't wait to make a batch. I think it would work for blue chesses dressing too, my other favorite on a wedge salad.

An iceberg wedge was on the menu of a 'nice' restaurant in RI last night. It had a blue cheese dressing and blue cheese sprinkles.

Susan, I love blue cheese.