Shake Things Up With Homemade Dressing
Our July 2023 Recipe of the Month is a cornbread panzanella dressed in peachy brown butter. But honestly? We had a few other favorite dressings on the back burner, too. Here, we share some of our favorite ways to add big flavor to salads of all kinds (even the ones with lettuce), plus a few tips that will have you ditching the dressing aisle.
Get all dressed up.
Try out our three runners-up for this month’s panzanella dressing—and then make them your own. Happy dressing and eating!
Hot Honey Lime Dressing
¼ cup honey
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
Balsamic Vinaigrette
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons 0live oil
2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
2 teaspoons honey
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Red Wine Vinaigrette
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Start simple, then add fun
If you’re going “off book” with your recipe, start with getting your oil-to-vinegar ratio right as a base—this is harder to eyeball as you add more ingredients later. Then, add in your creamy emulsifiers like mayo, any citrus juices you want to add, and finish with herbs, salt, and pepper.
Find a favorite blending jar
We keep a mason jar handy for mixing up dressings, but anything with a lid will do, including lunch containers or take-out bowls. The keyword is LID: You’ll need something you can really shake without leaving dressing on the ceiling.
Save your extra dressing
Dressings make great marinades for meat, sandwich toppers, and dips for fresh veggies. We’re not above dipping a chip in a creamy homemade ranch either.
