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Ranch Dressing with Parmesan
Did you know that the Ranch dressing you buy in the grocery store is simply buttermilk, mayonnaise and herbs, with lots of chemicals added to make it “shelf-stable” and supposedly taste better? I didn’t, until I saw a recipe for it in a cookbook (without all the chemicals) and thought, “aha…”
Naturally, I had to make it myself to see how much better homemade would be… and it’s much, much better. Ranch dressing can be customized to match you and your family’s taste, using buttermilk as the base. For my first try, I used the traditional match up of mayonnaise, and added Romano cheese to jazz it up, along with garlic, chives and basil, for an Italian-style ranch dressing. The taste is fresh and simple; the consistency is thinner than bottled, and therefore perfect for salads where you want the fresh vegetables to take center stage. You could easily substitute Parmesan cheese for another variation.
- Buttermilk - 1 cup
- Mayonnaise - 1/2 cup
- Lemon Juice - 1 tsp.
- Salt - 1/2 tsp.
- Pepper - to taste
- Olive Oil - 1 Tblsp.
- Chives - 1 Tblsp, chopped finely
- Basil - 1 Tblsp, fresh, chopped finely (or dried)
- Garlic - 2 cloves, minced
- Romano Cheese - 3 Tblsp., grated (or more, for more intense flavor)
- Whisk together the buttermilk, mayonnaise, lemon, and oil until smooth.
- Add remaining ingredients and blend well.
- Refrigerate, covered until ready to use (use within a week).
Adapted from Simply Recipe’s Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
Wikipedia’s entry on ranch dressing
