Roasted Radicchio Wedge Salad

This Roasted Radicchio Wedge Salad is a new take on a classic restaurant dish. Radicchio is roasted until just tender, then topped with balsamic glaze, walnuts, blue cheese and parsley.

I am not the type of person that goes to the grocery store without a plan (especially now). I have a buttoned up, triple-checked-for-accuracy grocery list divided into separate “work” and “personal” columns, in order of where each item is located in the store.

Specific brands of products and sizes/varieties of fruits and vegetables are noted. On the back of the list is a meal plan for the week, outlining which entree and side dishes we will eat each night.

There is one exception to this meticulousness. Sometimes while meal planning, I find myself thinking, “I can’t eat any more butternut squash noodles or maple brussels sprouts – I need to find a new vegetable to make. But wait a minute, what types of vegetables are there, even?” 

My mind literally draws a blank as to what types of vegetables are even available for consumption, so I’ll just write on the meal plan (and corresponding grocery list) “TBD Vegetable.”

This is the one thing I don’t have mulled over and planned for before arriving at the store. I know. Living right on the edge.

So yeah, there are actually tons of vegetables that I routinely overlook. Instead of grabbing green beans and tomatoes or carrots for roasted glazed carrots and getting in and out of the store as quickly as possible, lately I’ve been taking a few moments to study all the types of produce available.

This time around, I saw a head of radicchio that looked particularly inviting, so I dropped it in my cart, destined for a roasted radicchio recipe.

What is radicchio?

Radicchio is a member of the chicory plant family. It’s sometimes called “Italian chicory” because it is used quite often in Italian cooking.

It is grown and sold as a head – it resembles a head of red cabbage at the store. It has a spicy and bitter taste, which is mellowed out a little bit by cooking.

It can be eaten raw, as part of a salad, like my Christmas Salad recipe. Generally, it is mixed with other types of greens that are less bitter, to balance the flavor. Cook’s Illustrated gives some good tips on taking the bite out of radicchio (making it less bitter) if you’d like to try it raw at some point.

But personally, I prefer grilled radicchio or this roasted radicchio recipe.

What you’ll need for Salad with Radicchio

• radicchio – the star ingredient of this salad! You’ll need one large head.
• olive oil – coats the radicchio leaves to encourage browning in the oven.
• salt and pepper – seasons and helps balance the bitterness of the vegetable.
• balsamic glaze – use my homemade version, linked in the recipe card below, or buy a bottle of prepared glaze. Either one works to add a sweet and tangy drizzle over the radicchio.
• blue cheese – adds a creamy and pungent flavor to the dish. The tangy flavor of this cheese pairs so well with the bitterness of the radicchio.
• parsley – adds a fresh flavor and color to the dish.
• walnuts – provide a crunchy texture and nutty flavor.

How to Make Roasted Radicchio

1. PREP. Cut the head of radicchio into quarters and use a paring knife to cut the core out of each quarter (the core is tough and not all that appetizing).
2. ROAST. Place the radicchio quarters on a baking pan, drizzle them with oil and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Transfer them to the oven and cook until the radicchio is JUST tender, but not mushy (I like to call this tender-crisp).
3. FINISH. Divide the radicchio wedges between serving plates. Drizzle with balsamic glaze and sprinkle with blue cheese, parsley and walnuts.

Serving Radicchio Salad

Have you ever had a classic wedge salad? It’s such an old school dish, but I still regulary see it on the menu at steakhouses. It’s a big wedge of iceberg lettuce topped with bacon in oven, tomatoes, onions and blue cheese dressing.

There’s something about this salad that is alluring for sure, but I think we can do better. Let’s make it with roasted radicchio and update the ingredients a little.

So, while the radicchio is roasting, you’ll have time to whip up an old culinary school / restaurant standby: balsamic glaze.

You may want to make a double batch, because not only is this balsamic glaze perfect for this radicchio recipe, it’s great on literally ANY vegetable, including asparagus roasted, and also drizzled over steak lettuce wraps.

When the radicchio wedges come out of the oven, top them with the balsamic glaze, along with some crumbled blue cheese (I had some left over from a batch of blue cheese mashed potatoes I made last week), walnuts and parsley.

You can also use citrus salad dressing for this salad instead of balsamic glaze, if you’re not into balsamic.

If you have extra blue cheese after making this recipe, sprinkle it over some healthy buffalo chicken dip.