Homemade Ranch Dressing

all homemade, thats a southern meal!

Im from the South yall. Like any good southerner I am also a ranch addict. Hot damn, I love me some ranch. Fittingly enough I don't enjoy ranch on salads, I want it on sweet potato fries, pizza and oh yeah regular fries. Such a fat kid.

My boyfriend does not like my ranch addiction, especially because I like Kraft ranch. I have tried Annies healthy ranch and its just not the same. I get organic ketchup, avoid high fructose syrup at all costs, but DAMMIT, Kraft ranch is simply the best(aka full of terrible chemicals and bad junk for my body).

One night while reading my lovely Barefoot Contessa, I noticed a recipe for homemade ranch. I cannot eat of a lot the recipes Barefoot makes, because they are often focused more on flavor than nutrition, but I trust her when it comes to ranch.

all the ingredients, before blended

Making your own dressings is easy, once you know a few you like, and makes you look very fancy at parties. Homemade dressing takes a salad from an "ok", to a "that salad was my favorite thing, you are genuis" Soon I want to make my caesar dressing and ginger dressing from some family friends. Im telling you people, dressings, they are not just for supermarkets anymore.

There are a few different bases people use for ranch. Some used all mayonnaise, others yogurt and mayo, some sour cream, buttermilk, everyone had a slightly different version. I really enjoyed this version, using mayo, yogurt and buttermilk. I would stick to greek yogurt instead of regular, greek yogurt is creamier. Also I used a light mayo and think it tasted great. I did not make it with regular mayo, so I wouldn't know and plan to keep it that way.

Letting this dressing sit for an hour is crucial. I tasted it right after I made it, and then an hour later, and was delighted. Those flavors must have worked so hard developing in my fridge, they were so much more delicious after an hour.

Not sure how long it will last, I assume at least a week, but I will let yall know when it goes bad. I have 3 cups of ranch, and it will take even ME a while to get through it.

This recipe is not healthy per say....Its healthier than getting ranch from the store, but its not a balsamic vinaigrette. This is good to make if your having a party and it will all get eaten.

As I mentioned above this recipe is straight out of Barefoot Contessa's new book, "How Easy is that?"
And yeah, it was like....easy.

Homemade Ranch

ranch in a jar, adorable!

The Goods: Makes 3 cups
3 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil, lightly packed
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard(I used whole grain dijon mustard, b/c its what I had)
1 tablespoon good olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup good mayo(I used Hellmans light)
1/2 greek style yogurt, plain
1/2 cup buttermilk shaken

The Deal:
1. Place the scallions, basil, lemon juice, mustard, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl of a food processor with a steel blade. Puree for 15-20 seconds or until the mixture is smooth.

2. Add mayo, yogurt and buttermilk and blend until smooth. Transfer to a container, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour to let the flavors develop.

Use on your favorite salads, or if you are like me, dip your pizza in. DONT be like me, pizza AND ranch, who am I? A healthier salad dressing to come, I promise!