Butter Lettuce Salad with Parmesan Dressing

This fresh butter lettuce salad features a creamy Parmesan dressing, chives, and crunchy breadcrumbs. It’s an elegant 15-minute side for weeknight dinners or entertaining!

There’s something about those heads of butter lettuce at the store or spring farmer’s market: the bright green always looks so enticing! I’m one of those people who can’t resist buying them, even if I don’t have a plan yet. So here’s a simple recipe I created to make it taste amazing: my butter lettuce salad!

Coating those delicate lettuce leaves in a creamy Parmesan Peppercorn dressing and topping with Parmesan shavings and a sprinkle of crunchy breadcrumbs makes them taste absolutely irresistible. This salad recipe goes with just about everything, from chicken to pasta!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

It’s ready in 15 minutes with no cooking required.
The dressing is creamy but light: the Parmesan dressing uses Greek yogurt instead of sour cream
It’s versatile to pair with many meals: It works with a casual weeknight pasta to a spring dinner party spread, and you can top it with protein to make it a meal

Ingredients You’ll Need

Here’s what you’ll need to whip up a quick salad with this tasty lettuce:

For the Salad

Butter lettuce (Bibb or Boston lettuce): This type of lettuce has a soft, delicate texture and mild flavor. Look for heads with the roots still attached at farmers markets or grocery stores; they stay fresher longer. Bibb lettuce is slightly smaller; Boston lettuce is a bit larger and looser. Both types work well here! See my Quick Guide to Butter Lettuce for more.
Shallots: Shallots have a milder, sweeter flavor than raw onion, and I love using them in salads for the gentle savory flavor.
Cherry tomatoes or radishes: A handful of either bring a nice color contrast: use radishes in spring and tomatoes in summer.
Fresh chives: These add a delicate oniony note and a pop of color. Don’t skip them!
Italian panko: This is a fun way to add a crunch throughout, an alternative to the classic croutons.
Parmesan shavings: Adds a salty pop of flavor.

For the Dressing

This Parmesan Peppercorn Dressing is ideal for a butter lettuce salad: it’s just light enough in texture to coat the delicate leaves but doesn’t overwhelm them. Here’s what you’ll need:

Mayonnaise and Greek yogurt: The combination of mayo and Greek yogurt keeps things light but luscious enough to cling to each leaf.
Parmesan cheese: Adds savory, salty depth.
Red wine vinegar: Brightens everything up.
Dijon mustard: Adds a subtle savory sharpness
Garlic powder: More mellow than fresh garlic, and keeps the dressing balanced. (You can substitute 1 small minced garlic clove if desired).
Salt and freshly ground black pepper: Seasons the dressing perfectly.

Pro Tip: For meal prep, make a double batch of the dressing and store it in a jar in the fridge. It keeps for up to 1 week and is great over a Mediterranean Salad or Italian Salad.

How to Make Butter Lettuce Salad

Here are a few tips for how to make this salad! If you’re ready to get started, you can jump to the recipe below for quantities.

Wash and dry the lettuce using a salad spinner. Drying the lettuce is very important, since if the leaves are wet the dressing slides off.
Prep the toppings. Thinly slice the shallots and chives, and slice the cherry tomatoes or radishes.
Make the Parmesan dressing. Whisk together the mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, Parmesan cheese, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, kosher salt, black pepper, and water in a bowl until smooth and creamy.
Assemble the salad. Layer the ingredients on a platter or individual plates, then top with the dressing. Since leftovers don’t work well when the dressing is applied, I usually like dressing individual salads instead of adding dressing to an entire bowl.

Variations & Simple Swaps

No Italian panko: Use plain panko instead. Toasted pine nuts or slivered almonds also make a delicious, naturally gluten-free swap for crunch.
Make it vegan. Swap the Parmesan dressing for a Vegan Ranch, a Vegan Caesar Dressing, or this green Cilantro Sauce.
Add shaved fennel. Thin slices of fennel to add a mild anise note and extra crunch.
Swap the veggies. Halved sugar snap peas work well with the radishes to make a spring salad.
Make it lemon-forward. Substitute lemon juice for the red wine vinegar in the dressing and sprinkle lemon zest over the salad.
Add protein. Top with sliced grilled chicken (like in my Grilled Chicken Salad), baked salmon, sauteed shrimp, or a soft-boiled egg to turn it into a meal.

Serving Ideas

This butter lettuce salad works for so many occasions:

Spring dinner parties and Easter: It looks stunning on a large platter
Weeknight pasta or pizza nights: It’s a nice fresh contrast with something like lemon ricotta pasta or Margherita pizza
With grilled salmon or roast chicken: This is the perfect match for a chicken dinner or one of these salmon recipes
Alongside soups: Add it alongside one of my favorite healthy soups

Storing Leftovers

This salad is best eaten the same day: the butter lettuce leaves are so delicate that they wilt under the weight of the dressing. For this reason, I like to make individual plates of this salad and use only enough dressing for each serving.

Store leftover butter lettuce for up to 2 days wrapped in paper towels, and the dressing stores refrigerated up to 1 week.

Dietary Notes

This butter lettuce salad recipe is vegetarian. For gluten-free, use gluten-free panko. For vegan, use Cilantro Sauce, Vegan Ranch or Vegan Caesar Dressing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you eat butter lettuce raw?

Raw is the best way to enjoy it. Butter lettuce leaves have a soft, tender texture and a mild, slightly sweet flavor that makes them ideal for raw salads. Cooking would destroy it entirely.

Is butter lettuce healthy?

Butter lettuce is a nutrient-dense, low-calorie green. It contains vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, and calcium, and no saturated fat or cholesterol (source). When paired with a Greek yogurt-based dressing, it makes a balanced side dish.

How do you wash and store butter lettuce to keep it fresh?

To wash butter lettuce, separate the leaves and swirl them in a bowl of cold water, then lift them out (let the grit to sink to the bottom). The spin dry thoroughly in a salad spinner.

To store, wrap the dry leaves loosely in paper towels and place them in an airtight container in the refrigerator: they’ll store about 2 days. If your butter lettuce has the roots attached, you can also store it root-side down in a jar with an inch of water in the fridge, loosely covered.