Lettuce was very popular in Ancient Rome. It is said that it was often served twice in a meal although I was unable to find a lettuce dessert from any time period. Have you got anything for me there? Post it in the comments below so I can give it a try. Other than dessert though, there are plenty of good lettuce recipes out there..

From Apicius we have the following:

[105] ANOTHER MASHED VEGETABLE ALITER OLUS MOLLE [EX LACTUCIS]
COOK THE LETTUCE LEAVES WITH ONION IN SODA WATER, SQUEEZE [the water out] CHOP VERY
FINE; IN THE MORTAR CRUSH PEPPER, LOVAGE, CELERY SEED, DRY MINT, ONION; ADD STOCK,
OIL AND WINE.

The Anglo Saxons tended more toward wild greens in their cooking, although everything I've read says that they were probably familiar with lettuce.

Here's a straight-forward recipe for pan-fried romaine for those evenings where you just want it quick and easy.

Soup is another easy meal. Make a double batch and freeze the extra for another day. This Lettuce and Potato soup  sounds like just the thing to warm you during one of those early spring cold snaps. Here's another version and here's one if you're like me and prefer your vegetable soups creamy. 

This recipe for what is basically a lettuce frittata is timeless, although this variation is ascribed to the 13th century.

This recipe for Stir-fried Garlic lettuce sounds delicious. I might make these Dragon Dumplings described in this video to go along with it. I confess that the Kung-Fu Panda movies are house favorites and we've already tried a few of Mr. Ping's recipes. I love the small dumplings. I haven't tried these. If you decide to give it a go, tell me how it worked out for you in the comments below. I'd love to know.

This simmered lettuce side dish might also go well with the Dragon Dumplings.

For the outdoor barbecue enthusiast, Grilled Romaine with Bacon-Blue Cheese Dressing is just the thing.

And speaking of Romaine and Bacon, this recipe will work when it's too cold out for grilling.

Instead of a standard lettuce salad, why not try a lettuce slaw? Here's one that would be just right with Mexican cuisine and one that would work with just about anything. 

You can wash all of this down with- you guessed it- a lettuce smoothie.  Disclaimer here- I don't own a Vitamix and have no plans to acquire one. I'm hoping that this recipe will work in a Ninja blender because that's what I have and  the recipe sounds delicious.

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And just for fun- anybody remember these Jell-o salads?  I actually liked some of them. This one sounds good.

Thanks for stopping by!