This recipe came from America’s Test Kitchen, via a comment here on the blog. It is a tad bit garlicky, which we love. If you’re not so fond of garlic, you might want to use a small clove or just half a medium one. I’ve made it without the fresh cilantro several times. I like it better with, but it’s fine with just the parsley.
I keep tweaking this just slightly. I’m lazy and found the original recipe of 1/2 cup this, 1/2 cup that and 6 Tbs (just 2 Tbs under 1/2 cup) to be a pain, so this last time I just made it with 1/2 cup each sour cream, buttermilk and mayonnaise. Came out great! And way easier to measure.
Homemade Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup sour cream or yogurt
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon minced shallot (or red onion if you don’t have a shallot)
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- pinch sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Mix everything together and let chill in the refrigerator to blend.
- This should keep well in the refrigerator for a few days at least.
- Stir together again before using.
This has become my eldest’s dressing of choice. She is in an elementary school teaching credential program with two nights of classes and 2 1/2 days of student teaching this semester. She has to pack a lunch several times a week and a dinner a couple more times a week. I bought her one of these Fit & Fresh Salad Shaker Container with Removable Ice Pack and Dressing Dispenser for salads and a Fit & Fresh Lunch on the Go Container Set with Removable Ice Pack (Colors May Vary) for other lunches. So far, she really likes them!
If you use basil instead of parsley, it tastes like Spaghetti Factory’s “Creamy Pesto” dressing. Also so delicious on baked potatoes! My favorite dressing!
A little chili powder also works fine. I dry and grind jalapenos and use them. Start by simply replacing the black pepper w/ a quarter that much chili/jalapeno pepper. For a broader flavor, use black pepper, jalapeno peppers and cumin. I like it rather spicy so I use a blend of about equal amounts of all 3 to total about 1/4 tsp.