How to Make the Famous Columbia 1905 Salad Recipe

Name: Columbia 1905 Salad
Prep time: 20 min
Yield: 4 salads
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil; 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 2 teaspoons dried oregano; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 tsp pepper; 1/2 head to a full head of iceberg lettuce, chopped (about 5 cups); 1 ripe tomato, cut into eighths; 1 cup of baked ham, cut into 2 inch by 1/8 inch strips; 1 cup of Swiss cheese, cut into 2 inch by 1/8 inch strips; 1/2 cup pimento stuffed green olives (Manzanilla olives); 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated; 2 tablespoons gluten-free Worcestershire sauce; juice from 1 lemon

By Emily | Recipe Creator/Nutritionist

Jan 22, 2024 @ 9:35 AM MST

Columbia 1905 Salad

yield: 4 SERVINGS

prep time: 20 MINUTES

total time: 20 MINUTES

Ingredients

1905 Salad Dressing:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Salad:

1/2 head to a full head of iceberg lettuce, chopped (about 5 cups)
1 ripe tomato, cut into eighths
1 cup of baked ham, cut into 2 inch by 1/8 inch strips
1 cup of Swiss cheese, cut into 2 inch by 1/8 inch strips
1/2 cup pimento stuffed green olives (Manzanilla olives)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
2 tablespoons gluten-free Worcestershire sauce
juice from 1 lemon

Directions

To make the 1905 salad dressing:

Whisk together olive oil, white wine vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Set aside until ready to serve the salad.

In a large salad bowl, toss together iceberg lettuce, tomato, ham, Swiss cheese, and pimento-stuffed green olives.

When ready to serve, add in the 1905 salad dressing, grated parmesan cheese, Worcestershire, and lemon juice. Toss well to combine before serving. Enjoy!

Nutrition Information

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This keto Columbia 1905 salad recipe is inspired by the infamous Columbia Restaurant and is just as good as the real thing!

Say hello to summer with the famous Columbia 1905 salad!

Have you ever heard of the Columbia 1905 salad? This infamous dish comes from the Columbia Restaurant based in Florida. It’s a low carb salad that’s hearty enough to be an entrée and it’s one of our favorite meals to make on a keto diet! Here’s the scoop!

First, why is it called a “1905” salad?

The Columbia restaurant was established in 1905, hence the “1905” in the name of the salad. The story goes that a waiter created this recipe in the 1940s and then the Columbia Restaurant adapted the recipe in the 1970s instead of offering a salad bar. This dish even landed Columbia on USA Today’s list of the “10 Greatest Places to Make A Meal Out of a Salad.”

The 1905 salad dressing is what makes this dish. It’s a very simple vinaigrette to make, and, just before serving, you top the salad with Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice.

Have you ever had a salad with Worcestershire sauce?! It’s really good, promise! The 1905 salad dressing is so popular, you can actually purchase it online, but we recommend making it yourself.

This is not just any other salad!

You’re probably thinking, okay, here’s another keto salad recipe. But let me tell you, this salad is amazing and unless you’ve eaten at the Columbia, you’ve probably never had a salad like the 1905 salad! The original recipe is already keto, which is awesome.

To make this a full meal salad, we doubled the amounts of ham and cheese… because really, the salad is all about the toppings. The lettuce is just there to help soak up the dressing and add a good crunch!

Tips for making the perfect Columbia 1905 salad recipe:

Make the dressing first, as this allows the flavors to really meld together to create a tastier dressing.

Don’t skip the Worcestershire sauce! It’s the key to making this 1905 salad taste like it’s from the restaurant.

You could use romaine lettuce instead of iceberg if preferred. We realize iceberg provides very little nutritional value, but it’s the crunchy texture that you’re going for with this salad.

If you do want this to be more of a side salad, use half the ham, Swiss cheese, and Romano cheese. Just note that will change the nutrition information.

Want to mix it up? You could use turkey or shrimp in place of ham. You could also add in black olives and celery as the original 1905 salad recipe included those items. Not a fan of pimento-stuffed green olives? Try substituting them with kalamata or black olives. Want to up the fat content? Add in salami and pepperoni.

We also think our Pickle Juice Salad Dressing would taste amazing as an alternative.