Homemade Ceasar and Spinach Salad Dressings Are the Best

Making homemade salad dressings not only taste better but will also cost you less money in the long run. True, it does take some extra time to whip up these dressings, but if you have the time, they are well worth it. In many cases, they will be healthier too.

Here are some of the homemade salad dressings that I make.

Ingredients

• 3 - 4 cloves of garlic crushed
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup of mayonnaise
• Anchovies either the canned or the paste
• Use according to your taste or you can omit
• 1-Tbs. balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 – 3 shakes of Worcestershire sauce
• Fresh ground pepper
• 1/8 cup – ¼ cup of grated Parmesan cheese

This salad dressing can be made ahead and used when needed and I usually can keep it in the refrigerator for about 4 –5 days. I sometimes will make a double batch if I know that I am going to be making Caesar Salad more than once in the course of 5 days.

1. Peel the garlic cloves and press with a garlic press into a bowl.
2. Add virgin olive oil, mayonnaise, anchovies, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce and fresh ground pepper.
3. Whisk it all together really well, cover and refrigerate.
4. The Parmesan cheese can be added right to the dressing or added to the salad before serving along with bacon bits and or croutons.

Many times I will serve this salad without Parmesan, bacon bits, and croutons.

Ingredients for Salad Topping

• 1/8 cup of Parmesan cheese
• Bacon cooked crisp and crumbled
• 1 chopped tomato
• Croutons

Ingredients for Dressing

• ¼ cup of mayonnaise
• 1 Tbs. Dijon Mustard
• 1 Tsp. anchovy paste
• Chopped garlic cloves (as many or as little as you like)
• Fresh ground pepper
• 2 tbs. red wine vinegar
• ¼ cup of olive oil

1. Mix all ingredients for salad dressing together with a whisk.
2. Tear up your washed romaine lettuce into a bowl and add salad dressing.
3. Top with the ingredients for salad topping.

With either one of the above salad dressings, many times I will make it a meal and add cooked sliced chicken breasts or turkey to the salad.

Ingredients

• 2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbs. red wine vinegar
• 1- garlic clove minced
• ½ tsp. dried oregano
• ½ tsp. dried basil
• ¼ tsp. thyme
• Fresh ground pepper

Whisk all ingredients together and toss with baby spinach.

Many times I will turn this into spinach Greek salad by adding garbanzo beans or chickpeas along with sliced cucumber, chopped tomatoes, feta cheese and hot peppers.

This salad dressing also goes well with iceberg lettuce for Greek Salad. Add all the same ingredients (plus black sliced olives) that you would for the Spinach Greek salad except for the spinach.

Salad dressings are so easy to make if you have the basic ingredients. Many times I will just mix together ingredients that sound good together and add it to lettuce.