Lollo Rosso is a loose leaf lettuce, with a bit more bitterness than other lettuces, but without the full bitter tang of frisée lettuce, chicory or endive.
It has soft, ruffled leaves that are a medium-green colour with deep purpley-red tinges on the frilly edges.
Lollo Rosso grows 6 to 8 inches wide (15cm to 20 cm), and tolerates heat well without bolting. It is a “cut and come again” lettuce: you can harvest some of the plant and it will regrow. It takes 55 days from seed to maturity.
Cooking Tips
Lollo Rosso can add some of the redness of radicchio without the expense or bitterness.
Equivalents
1 pound lettuce = 450g = approx 6 cups torn
8 oz lettuce = 225g = approx 3 cups torn
2 oz shredded lettuce = 50g = 1 cup
8 oz shredded lettuce = 200g = 4 cups
Language Notes
You will also see it spelt “Lolla Rossa.”