Our Loaded Low FODMAP Wedge Salad might be the perfect accompaniment to your burger. Or steak. Or roast chicken dinner. Heck, it is almost a meal unto itself. A big wedge of iceberg lettuce topped with our very own, homemade Low FODMAP Blue Cheese Dressing, crisp, crumbled bacon, chopped tomatoes and chives. Get ready to dig in! Tons of texture and flavor. This is a perfect example of how low FODMAP food does NOT have to be boring or lacking in flavor.
Bacon & FODMAPs
We love bacon. Do you? Did you think that you needed to give it up now that you are following a low FODMAP diet? Nope! We have an article for you – Is Bacon Low FODMAP? – that tells you what to know to shop safely for bacon.
Cheese & FODMAPs
Many folks who are new to the diet are under the mistaken impression that the diet is dairy-free, which it is not. It is lower in lactose and believe it or not, many hard and firmer cheeses are low enough in lactose to be considered low FODMAP in fairly generous portions. Our article, Is Cheese Low FODMAP? takes you through this quagmire step-by-step – and addressed blue cheese specifically. Give it a read!
How To Make Loaded Low FODMAP Wedge Salad
Have your Low FODMAP Blue Cheese Dressing prepared and ready to use. Just stir everything together! And, remember, you can make this ahead.
Cook your bacon however you like. I am partial to laying on a sheet pan, putting in a cold oven, setting the oven to 400°F (200°C) and letting it cook until crisp. This is a hands-off way and avoids stovetop splatter, but I admit that I usually only go that route when I am making a lot of bacon and filling up the entire sheet pan. For 4 slices I cooked it stovetop in a cast-iron pan with a splatter guard, but it is your choice.
You have to prep your lettuce. First, remove any flimsy outer leaves of your head of Iceberg. Then use a sharp paring knife to cut around the core in a conical fashion as seen below.
Then slice the head in half:
Then slice in half again to yield 4 wedges. Now, you could weigh the wedges if you like. A Green Light Low FODMAP portion according to Monash is 75 g, but if you read the small print in the smartphone app, they also tell us that only trace amounts of FODMAPs were found in Iceberg.
We have articles for you to read on What Is A Low FODMAP Serving Size?, No FODMAP Foods and also one on Foods with Trace Amounts of FODMAPs. These are incredibly helpful basic articles that we think you will find educational – and enjoy reading.
Then place a wedge on each salad plate and get ready to assemble right before serving! It looks so naked and lonely here below, but not for long!
Personally I can’t get enough of looking at these pictures! You can just SEE all the flavor and texture. And once you make this recipe, you will be able to do it by heart. Quick to make, too!
If you want to be prepared to make dinner quickly and easily – be prepared! Check out our article on 12 Essential Pantry Items, 10 Essential Low FODMAP Baking Items and 8 Essential Fridge & Freezer Items.
Loaded Low FODMAP Wedge Salad
Our Loaded Low FODMAP Wedge Salad might be the perfect accompaniment to your burger. Or steak. Or roast chicken dinner. Heck, it is almost a meal unto itself. A big wedge of iceberg lettuce topped with our very own, homemade Low FODMAP Blue Cheese Dressing, crisp, crumbled bacon, chopped tomatoes and chives. Get ready to dig in! Tons of texture and flavor. This is a perfect example of how low FODMAP food does NOT have to be boring or lacking in flavor.
Ingredients:
- 1, medium head Iceberg lettuce, outer leaves discarded, core removed, quartered so that each wedge holds together
- 1 cup (240 ml) Low FODMAP Blue Cheese Dip & Dressing
- 1 cup (240 g) cherry tomatoes, halved
- 4 slices meaty bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled or chopped
- About ¼ cup (16 g) chopped or minced chives
- Extra blue cheese, crumbled; optional
Preparation:
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Prepare Iceberg wedges as shown above and arrange on plates. Ladle on the Low FODMAP Blue Cheese Dressing, then sprinkle with crisp, crumbled bacon, cherry tomato halves and garnish with chives.
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If you know you can tolerate more cheese you have the option of also embellishing with a few crumbles of blue cheese itself. Serve immediately and get ready for oohs and aahs when lucky diners see your creation!
Notes:
Tips
- Plan Ahead: Assembling this salad should be done right before serving, but the Low FODMAP Blue Cheese Dressing can be made way ahead and you can cook the bacon ahead as well. If you want to warm the bacon, you can do so briefly in the microwave.
FODMAP Information
Our recipes are based on Monash University and FODMAP Friendly science.
- Cheese: Many cheeses have low FODMAP serving sizes. The low FODMAP diet is not a dairy-free diet. Hard cheeses such as Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano have been lab tested by Monash University and are low FODMAP in 40 g amounts.
Chives: Both Monash University and FODMAP Friendly have lab tested chives. Monash says that chives contain no FODMAPs. FODMAP Friendly gives them a “Pass” at 1 tablespoon (4 g).
Lettuce: Iceberg lettuce has been lab tested by Monash and FODMAP Friendly and both recommend a generous low FODMAP serving size of 1 cup (75 g), as it only contains trace amounts of FODMAPs (according to Monash).
Tomatoes: Both Monash University and FODMAP Friendly have lab tested common, beefsteak tomatoes. Monash University lab tests have shown no FODMAPs. FODMAP Friendly gives them a “Pass” at ½ cup (75 g) portions. Cherry tomatoes and Plum (Roma) tomatoes have also been tested by Monash and FODMAP Friendly. Both Monash and FODMAP Friendly recommend 75 g of cherry tomatoes as a serving (about 5 or ½ cup) and 75 g of plum or Roma tomatoes, which is about 1 small tomato or ½ cup.
Please always refer to the Monash University & FODMAP Friendly smartphone apps for the most up-to-date lab tested information. As always, your tolerance is what counts; please eat accordingly. The ultimate goal of the low FODMAP diet is to eat as broadly as possible, without triggering symptoms, for the healthiest microbiome.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more. For a more detailed explanation, please read our article Understanding The Nutrition Panel Within Our Recipes.
For more salad inspiration, check out this salad round-up.
