money How to make the easiest salad dressing that’s good on plenty of side dishes
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Raise your hand if you look forward to your lunch hour. Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt sick and tired of your lunchtime salad. Better yet, raise your hand if you’ve ever felt so sick and tired of your lunch-time salad that you’ve decided not to eat it and instead, ordered a $17 salad that somebody else made, even though you could have easily made it yourself.
Lastly, raise your hand if you think that the dressing is what truly makes or breaks a salad.
It’s a firm ‘yes’ for me in response to every single statement above. And let’s be honest with ourselves for a minute -- I’ve never met anyone who has said, “my favorite part of a salad is the raw lettuce!” The best part of the salad is the dressing, obviously.
I opt for a simple balsamic vinaigrette that’s tangy and light enough to not make you feel lethargic and ready for a nap like many creamy dressings can do. What I like most about making vinaigrette is that there is seldom any measuring, or thinking, required. The only “secret” is getting the right acid to oil ratio. For me, it’s typically 1:3. This means for one tablespoon of vinegar, add three tablespoons of oil, and so forth if you want to double the recipe.
My balsamic vinaigrette uses mostly staple ingredients I always have in my house. It’s quite versatile, so you can also substitute the balsamic for another acid like red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or freshly squeezed lemon juice. Adding Dijon mustard emulsifies the dressing, which makes it all come together. It’s as easy as vigorously whisking the ingredients together in a mixing bowl or shaking them together in a sealed mason jar.
This dressing is not just limited to green salads. Drizzle over green beans for a tasty side dish, use it to dress potato and pasta salads for a lighter alternative to mayonnaise-based sauces, or even use it as a marinade for steak.
It’s time to jazz up your salads and make your lunch buddies jealous. Just brush your teeth after. This is garlicky, but worth the vampire breath.
