For me, a good salad recipe is all about the dressing. You can have all kinds of tasty bits in your salad, but if you haven’t got a great dressing to pull everything together, it will always feel like there’s something missing. If your salads have been feeling a bit naked lately, here are three easy ideas for salad dressings that will really liven up your lettuce!
Basil Vinaigrette
First up, I made a classic vinaigrette, flavored with fresh basil and lemon juice.
Ingredients:
- small bunch fresh basil
- 4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- salt
- black pepper
Instructions:
1. Add the fresh basil to a mini food processor and blitz until finely chopped.
2. Transfer the chopped basil to a small bottle or jar and add the remaining ingredients.
3. Replace the lid and shake thoroughly, until the mixture emulsifies to give a rich dressing.
Add the fresh basil to a mini food processor and blitz until finely chopped. You could also chop your basil by hand if you don’t have a mini food processor.
Transfer the chopped basil to a small bottle or jar and add the remaining ingredients.
Replace the lid and shake thoroughly until the mixture emulsifies to give a rich dressing.
The mixture may separate into layers before serving — just give the bottle another shake before serving to mix it all up again.
BBQ Dressing
If you like a super creamy salad dressing but still want big flavor, this next recipe is for you: a creamy BBQ dressing made with your favorite BBQ sauce.
Ingredients:
- 1 Tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 Tablespoon Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon BBQ sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon onion granules
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- salt
- black pepper
- 3 Tablespoons water
Instructions:
1. Add all the ingredients to a small bowl and mix well.
I like to serve this salad dressing fairly thick, but you can add an extra dash of water if you’d prefer a more pourable dressing.
Beetroot and Ginger Dressing
And finally, I made something a bit different which is sure to wow at your dinner table — beetroot and ginger dressing! The color of this beetroot dressing is absolutely stunning.
Ingredients:
- small bunch fresh cilantro
- 2 small cooked beetroots (or 1 larger cooked beetroot)
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger puree
- 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- black pepper
- 3 Tablespoons water
Instructions:
1. Add the fresh cilantro to a mini food processor and blitz until finely chopped. Add the remaining ingredients and blitz again until smooth.
Add the fresh cilantro to a mini food processor and blitz until finely chopped. Add the remaining ingredients and blitz again until smooth. Adjust the consistency with an extra dash of water if desired.
With three easy dressings to choose from, these recipes will give you a salad for every occasion!
