A small Caesar salad can make for a nice start to a meal.
A small Caesar salad is a common appetizer or start to a meal. Consisting of roughly a cup of Romaine lettuce, a few croutons, dressing and grated Parmesan cheese, this small salad can pack a ton of calories, depending on the ingredient choices and amounts of each.
Size and Portion
The size of the salad is important and directly affects the overall calories. The amounts of the individual ingredients will also affect the overall calories, however, so simply measuring the salad is not as accurate. If the Caesar salad consists of about one cup of Romaine lettuce, one tablespoon each of Parmesan cheese and Caesar salad dressing, and a half dozen croutons (about 1/2 ounce), the calories are easily calculated.
Individual Calories Add Up
The calories for one cup of Romaine lettuce will be the least damaging of all the Caesar salad ingredients, at only eight calories or so. One tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese brings about 22 calories to the Caesar salad as well. Croutons will vary in calories depending on the brand, but the average packaged croutons will add around 70 calories for half an ounce of seasoned croutons, or about 60 calories for half an ounce of plain. Depending on the dressing, regular Caesar salad bottled dressing typically adds about 80 calories. For these ingredients and quantities, the small Caesar salad would contain between 170 and 180 calories.
Options for Cutting Calories
Calories can be cut by using a light dressing or simply tossing with a little olive oil and lemon juice. Light dressings, however, also often include high-fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils, which are frowned upon by many of today's health-conscious individuals. Using the traditional, regular-calorie Caesar salad dressing is fine, even if trying to cut calories; simply have the dressing on the side, and rather than topping the salad with it, dip a bit of each bite into the dressing. Surprisingly, this will allow for use of well under a tablespoon of dressing.
Tags: Caesar salad, about calories, Parmesan cheese, Romaine lettuce, small Caesar