These Wedge Salad Kabobs have all the flavors you love about the classic salad arranged on individual sticks. They make the perfect side dish or appetizer for backyard BBQs, potlucks or any other kind of party.
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Wedge Salad Kabobs
When it comes to serving a crowd on a hot summer day, these Wedge Salad Kabobs check all of the boxes. They are quick and easy to make, can be mostly prepared ahead of time, always impress and are just so stinking delicious.
Just like the classic simple salad, these skewers are made with a little wedge of iceberg lettuce, crispy candied bacon, tomatoes, creamy blue cheese dressing and a drizzle of balsamic reduction. A little sprinkle of minced red onion and blue cheese crumbles right over the top would make a killer finish, if you’re so inclined.
There are plenty of options in this recipe to either go the homemade route or take a store bought shortcut. No matter what, you and your guests will absolutely love this fun way to eat a salad.
Wedge Salad Kabob Ingredients
- Iceberg Lettuce - iceberg lettuce is the classic lettuce to use for a wedge salad. Rather than loose leaves, this lettuce variety grows more like a cabbage which allows it to be chopped into chunks. You’ll want to cut them into approximately 1” square pieces for these kabobs.
- Tomatoes - cherry tomatoes work great for this recipe because they don’t require you to cut anything. You can just skewer them as is. Make sure and find firm cherry tomatoes that are roughly the same size. Of course, chopped tomatoes will work, too.
- Candied Bacon - this is made using your favorite kind of sliced bacon and brown sugar. You can find our detailed Candied Bacon recipe here.
- Balsamic Glaze - you can buy balsamic glaze, but it’s very simple to make your own using just balsamic vinegar and a little bit of sugar.
- Blue Cheese Dressing - use your favorite store bought blue cheese dressing, or make your own using our recipe below. Ranch dressing would make a great substitute.
Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing Ingredients
- Sour cream
- Buttermilk
- Mayonnaise
- Garlic
- White wine vinegar
- Sugar
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
- Blue cheese crumbles
How to Make This Wedge Salad Recipe
- Prepare to cook the bacon. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray, or line with parchment paper, then lay the bacon onto the tray in a single layer. Sprinkle half of the brown sugar evenly over the strips of bacon.
- Bake the candied bacon. Bake for about 15 minutes, then remove the tray and sprinkle the remaining brown sugar. Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes, making sure it is not too crispy. Remove from the oven and transfer the bacon to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before cutting into 1" pieces.
- Make the balsamic glaze. In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, add the balsamic vinegar and the sugar. Bring to a simmer, then continue to cook for a few minutes until the glaze has reduced by about half and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and let cool completely.
- Make the blue cheese dressing. In a blender, add the sour cream, buttermilk, mayonnaise, garlic, white wine vinegar, sugar salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. Transfer to another container and add the blue cheese. Mash up the big chunks using a fork, stirring until mostly smooth.
- Build the kabobs. Slice the head of iceberg lettuce into 1" strips and then into 1" cubes. Onto a toothpick, add a piece of iceberg lettuce, a 1" piece of candied bacon and a cherry tomato. Continue until you have made as many as you need.
- Serve. Arrange the kabobs on a serving platter then drizzle with the balsamic reduction and the blue cheese dressing. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Technically, a wedge salad is any salad made from quartered or chopped iceberg lettuce. A classic wedge salad recipe is usually topped with crispy or crumbled bacon and blue cheese dressing, along with other common ingredients like red onion and tomatoes.
You can use any kind of bacon that you’d like, but make sure you don’t cook it too crispy. If it’s too crispy, you won’t be able to easily stick a toothpick through it without it crumbling.
This recipe shows you an easy way to make candied bacon which tastes absolutely amazing with blue cheese dressing and crisp iceberg lettuce.
You can make the dressing and reduction in advance and store in airtight containers or jars in the fridge for up to 4 days. You could also cook the bacon the day before and store in an airtight container. Then, in the morning (or afternoon) that you plan to build the kabobs, just re-crisp the bacon in the microwave for about 30-45 seconds and let cool again.
Storing
- Kabobs: while best consumed the same day, you can store leftover kabobs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
- Blue cheese dressing: store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Balsamic reduction: store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- Candied bacon: store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Wedge Salad Kabobs Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 head Iceberg Lettuce
- 8 oz Cherry Tomatoes
Candied Bacon
- 1 lb Bacon
- 6 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
Balsamic Glaze Reduction
- 1 cup Balsamic Vinegar
- ⅓ cup Sugar
Blue Cheese Dressing
- 1 cup Sour Cream
- 1 cup Buttermilk
- ⅓ cup Mayonnaise
- 1 clove Garlic minced
- 2 Tablespoons White Wine Vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Sugar
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Pepper
- 6 oz Blue Cheese Crumbles
Instructions
Candied Bacon
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray, or line with parchment paper, then lay the bacon onto the tray in a single layer. Sprinkle half of the brown sugar evenly over the strips of bacon.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, then remove the tray and sprinkle the remaining brown sugar. Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes, making sure it doesn't get too crispy.
- Remove from the oven and transfer the bacon to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before cutting into 1" pieces.
Balsamic Glaze
- In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, add the balsamic vinegar and the sugar. Bring to a simmer, then continue to cook for a few minutes until the glaze has reduced by about half and coats the back of a spoon.
- Remove from the heat and let cool completely.
Blue Cheese Dressing
- In a blender, add the sour cream, buttermilk, mayonnaise, garlic, white wine vinegar, sugar salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. Transfer to another container and add the blue cheese. Mash up the big chunks using a fork, stirring until mostly smooth.
How To Build the Wedge Salad Kabobs
- Slice the iceberg lettuce into 1" strips and then into 1" cubes.
- Onto a toothpick, add a piece of iceberg lettuce, a 1" piece of candied bacon and a cherry tomato. Continue until you have made as many as you need.
- Arrange the kabobs on a serving platter then drizzle with the balsamic reduction and the blue cheese dressing. Enjoy!
Nutrition
More of the Best Summer Appetizers
- Zucchini Fries
- Corn Salsa
- Zucchini Chips
- Pesto Pinwheels
- Fruit Charcuterie Board
- Pork Carnitas Nachos
- More Summer Recipes
- More Simple Appetizers
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These Wedge Salad Kabobs have all the classic wedge salad recipe ingredients, on a stick. They're made with iceberg lettuce, candied bacon, rich blue cheese dressing and a home cooked balsamic glaze.
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