Collection of Salad Dressing Recipes

Why use store-brought commercial salad dressing when it is so easy to make homemade dressing?  It is so much better, you control the ingredients and you can tweak it to your family's taste.

Salad dressings are not just for salad anymore . . . I love baked chicken and potatoes drenched in italian dressing and stir fry chicken made with asian salad dressing.  Experiment and you will be surprised with the results!

Chef John's Ranch Dressing

Honey Mustard Dressing

Catalina Dressing

Absolutely Fabulous Greek Dressing

Avocado Goddess Salad Dressing

Rich and Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing

Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing

Cilantro Lime Dressing

Sweet and Spicy French Dressing

Italian Dressing Mix

Asian Ginger Dressing

Southwest Fiesta Dressing

Homemade Zesty Italian Salad Dressing

As time goes on, I want to make my own concoctions so I know what is in it.  

Baked chicken and potatoes topped with italian salad dressing is one of my favorite ways to bake chicken.  Why not make it fresh?

Commercial salad dressing in a bottle is a convenience food and has its place in the kitchen for those who want the convenience.  

If you have the time, there is nothing like making your own kitchen concoctions that only has those ingredients you want in them.

Ingredients

1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 TBSP red wine vinegar
1 large clove of garlic – minced
2 TBSP finely chopped shallots
2 TBSP finely chopped red bell pepper
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Pinch of red pepper flakes

Instructions

Place all ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid
Shake until well combined and thickened.



Recipe and photo courtesy of Old World Garden Farms

Fresh Tomato Vinaigrette

This recipe is from the newsletter of Ciao Italia's Mary Ann Esposito.  I've watched her PBS cooking show since I was a very young girl . . . and she is still on the air . . . America's longest running cooking show!  Check your local PBS listings or visit her website to find out when she's on in your area.

I remember the days when we grew so many tomato plants that friends and family would leave the house with bags of tomatoes.  It was such a joy to have so many fresh tomatoes at my fingertips.  This fresh tomato vinaigrette is the type of food I would often make.

To make a creamy tomato salad dressing, add some mayonnaise.  Experiment and add mayonnaise slowly until you reach the desired taste and consistency.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large Backyard Farms vine ripened tomato
• 1 1/2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
• 1 large garlic clove
• 1/4 cup basil cut into ribbons
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup Filippo Berio extra virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS

Cut the large tomato in half and grate with a box grater over a dish or wide bowl, discarding the skins, but collecting the juice and pulp.

Mince the garlic clove with a little salt. Add to the tomato. Add a pinch more salt, crushed red pepper to taste, vinegar and basil. Whisk in enough of the olive oil to make an emulsion.

This should yield at least one half cup of vinaigrette. 

Julius Caesar Salad and Homemade Ranch Dressing

The following recipes come from The Pioneer Woman on The Food Network. We were watching the episode entitled "Shakespeare Movie Night" that included a very tasty looking Supreme Pizza Lasagna.  

Oddly enough, the thing that really caught my attention was the caesar salad she prepared.  I have been thinking about making one of these salads since watching that show.  The dressing looked creamy and delicious paired with the crunchy croutons on that bed of romaine lettuce.  The grated cheese is like the icing on the cake.

Usually I don't get too enthused about a salad, but she made it look awesome!

Since The Captain's favorite salad dressing is Ranch, I have also included her homemade recipe.

Sometimes I love eating the rabbit food as a main meal when I have a strong craving!

Ingredients

Salad Dressing:
1 cup (real) mayonnaise
1/2 cup buttermilk, plus more if needed
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 anchovy fillets
1 clove garlic, smashed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Croutons:
1 loaf ciabatta, crusts on, roughly chopped into 3/4-inch cubes
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Salad:
2 heads green leaf lettuce, sliced
2 hearts of romaine lettuce, slice


Directions

For the salad dressing: Put the mayonnaise, buttermilk, sour cream, Parmesan, balsamic, Worcestershire, anchovies, garlic and some salt and pepper into a blender or food processor and pulse the processor or blend on low speed for several seconds. Adjust the consistency if needed with a little extra buttermilk. Refrigerate the dressing for a few hours (it just gets better!) before using it on the salad.

For the croutons: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Throw the bread cubes onto a baking sheet and toss them in the olive oil and some salt and pepper. Sprinkle on half of the Parmesan, toss, sprinkle on more and toss again. Bake, tossing again halfway through, until crisp and golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

For the salad: Throw the green leaf and romaine lettuce into a bowl. Add some dressing, and give it a good initial toss, just so you can evaluate how much more dressing you need. Add more dressing to taste. Add the cooled croutons. Toss gently and serve.
Recipe Source

Homemade Ranch Dressing
from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

1 clove garlic
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup real mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup Italian flat-leaf parsley leaves, minced
2 tablespoons fresh dill, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Dash hot sauce
1/4 to 1/2 cup buttermilk (as needed for desired consistency)


Directions

Mince the garlic with a knife and then sprinkle on the salt and mash it into a paste with a fork.

In a bowl, combine the garlic paste, mayonnaise, sour cream, parsley, dill, chives, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, vinegar, paprika, cayenne and hot sauce. Add the buttermilk to desired consistency and mix to combine, tasting frequently and adjusting seasonings as needed. Chill for a couple of hours before serving, thinning with more buttermilk if needed.

Recipe Source

Extra Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing

Making your own salad dressing is an awesome idea!  While it is so easy to pick up a bottle of premade Blue Cheese Salad Dressing, which is my favorite, the blue cheese flavor is always a bit too strong for me and I usually end up mixing it with mayonnaise.  Can't wait to try Mr. Food's recipe so I can control what goes into the dressing!

This recipe is part of a series of 31 homemade salad dressing recipes on Mr. Food's website.  The link is at the bottom of the page!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1/8 teaspoon sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 (4-ounce) package crumbled blue cheese
• 3/4 cup sour cream

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients except the blue cheese; whisk until smooth.
    
2. Add blue cheese and stir to mix well. Serve, or cover and chill until ready to serve.

Source:  Mr. Food ~ Salad Dressing Recipes