This Catalina salad dressing is one of our all-time favorites. It’s quite easy to make and always delicious. And it uses ingredients that we almost always have on hand. That’s a definite plus too! This recipe makes about 2 cups, which might sound like a good bit of dressing, but trust me, it’s so good you’ll use it up fast.
The Onion Is Key
The grated onion is one of the key ingredients in this Catalina salad dressing. Don’t skip it and don’t skimp on it. I used about a tablespoon, but you might want more. Or less. It takes a bit of effort to grate the onion, but the flavor it adds is so worth it.
This dressing gets even better after sitting in the fridge for a few hours. Just make sure to give it a good shake or stir before serving.
Add copycat Outback Steakhouse croutons to my ever-growing list of things I have no self-control around. I love a crouton that is packed with flavor. The bread has to be crunchy, golden brown on the outside. And the inside has to be just a bit soft. Not like mushy soft, but softer than the crust. These croutons hit the spot and tested my ability to control myself like it hadn’t been tested in a long, long time.
Make it Your Way
Don’t over-melt the butter when you make these copycat Outback Steakhouse croutons. You want it a bit thick. Like the consistency of mayonnaise. That’s what you’re looking for. Me, I love Cajun seasoning, so I added extra. I like a little spiciness. Most salads don’t have any heat to them at all. No kick. Well, add a little extra seasoning and yours can.
Croutons and More Croutons
This recipe calls for a whole loaf of Texas toast. That means you’ll get a lot of croutons. I do mean a lot. Enough for a big ole party or family get-together. You can easily cut the recipe in half and get a ‘manageable’ amount of croutons. Or make the entire thing and freeze any excess croutons for later.
Cut the bread into bite-sized pieces. I cut mine into 1" cubes. Transfer to two large baking sheets and bake for 8 or so minutes or until golden brown but NOT crunchy. You're more after color than doneness at this point. Remove and let cool.
Place butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds or more until the butter is just soft but NOT melted. You want it to be the consistency of mayonnaise.
Add the garlic and seasoning to the butter and mix well.
Transfer half of the butter mixture to a large bowl and add half of the bread cubes. Stir gently with a spatula or large spoon to coat well. Transfer the coated cubes back to a baking sheet. Repeat with the other half of the butter mixture and bread cubes.
Bake cubes another 10-20 minutes or until the croutons have the desired doneness, stirring every few minutes. For me this was about 10 minutes. I like my croutons to be crunchy on the outside and a little soft on the inside.
Remove from the oven and cool before serving.
Notes
You can substitute thick white bread or French bread for the Texas toast.
I gotta have a little something, a little sweet, in my vinegar-based dressings. I am a fan of vinegar but sometimes it’s a bit strong for me. That’s where the sweet comes in. It tames that vinegar hit down, but keeps the vinegar flavor. This copycat Portillo’s sweet Italian salad dressing does just that. Super tasty balsamic vinegar meets up with just a bit of sugar, just enough, to make this a wonderfully smooth dressing. With a hint of garlic and oregano, this was the perfect dressing for my side salad tonight.
Shake Before Serving
If you happen to have any leftover of this copycat Portillo’s sweet Italian salad dressing, make sure you give it one heck of a good long shake before serving it. The oil likes to separate from the vinegar. A good shake takes care of that.
I updated the original recipe to specify that you might want to add a bit more sugar and salt than stated. I made the dressing and then gave it a good taste. It needed something, so I added a pinch more of both sugar and salt. I gave it another good shake and tasted it again. Perfect!
This creamy Carolina vinaigrette kinda surprised me. I wasn’t sure about the combination of a mustard, vinegar and oil vinaigrette with buttermilk and mayonnaise added to make a creamy dressing. I was surprised by how much I loved it. This vinaigrette has a ton of flavor, from the ingredients I already mentioned along with a few spices, onion and a little honey sweetness. There are a few ingredients in this, and they all join together for something decidedly different and tasty!
A Lot of Ingredients, A Lot of Flavor
I found the recipe for this creamy Carolina vinaigrette in Kardea Brown’s The Way Home cookbook. It’s packed with tons and tons of great recipes (Kardea never disappoints!), but if you know me, I’m always on the lookout for great salad dressing recipes. And I found one!
This vinaigrette is on the thinner side. Even though it says ‘creamy’, don’t let that make you think creamy, like say ranch dressing. It is different (in a good way) than just a straight-up vinaigrette. Don’t use light mayonnaise or light buttermilk and you’ll have the perfect topping for any garden salad. The dressing also gets a bit thicker after it has set in the fridge overnight.
My wife announced that she was going to make this Everything Bagel seasoning salad dressing again. That was after the very first taste. She loved the creaminess. And the slight tang of vinegar. That’s unusual since she’s usually not a fan of vinegar. This dressing has just the right amount of vinegar for her tastes. And oh, the bagel seasoning! That combination of garlic, onion and sesame seeds is amazing in a dressing and fantastic on a green salad. I agree, this is one winner of a dressing.
A Wonderfully Tasty Dressing
This Everything Bagel salad dressing is a nice, creamy dressing with just the right thickness to it. We used ‘real’ mayonnaise and ‘real’ milk when we made it. None of that light or non-fat stuff. But, you could. And it might make it not as creamy. But it’ll still be out-of-this-world delicious so if light or low-fat is what you have on-hand or prefer, go for it!
We highly recommend that you double this recipe. It makes about four servings as it’s written, but I might argue that it’s really just enough for two! It’s that good!
Place all ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine. You can also place all of the ingredients into a resealable container or jar, close, and shake to combine.
Refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Shake once again before serving.
Notes
You can use low-fat milk but the dressing will be thinner and not as rich.Need ideas for putting together the ultimate salad? Check out my salad inspirations!
So simple, yet so tasty, this honey-mustard ranch salad dressing really topped off the side salads we had with our burgers the other day. Using ingredients we had on hand, this dressing came together in no time. It has a light ranch flavor. One that’s not overpowering. Ditto the Dijon mustard. Some mustard dressings are, well, too mustardy. Not this one. You get the hints of without it reaching out to grab you. Last, there’s a slight hint of sweetness to balance it out, specially the vinegar. This is a great all-around winner of a salad dressing.
The Perfectly Balanced Dressing
If you have buttermilk on hand, you could use it instead of the milk and vinegar mixture. But it’s easy enough to make a quick homemade version instead. This honey-mustard ranch salad dressing is great either way. I prefer to have it ‘get happy’ in the fridge overnight, but it’s great after 15 minutes of rest too. If you do let it go overnight, I recommend tasting it before serving. You might want to add a pinch or two more of salt and pepper to it first.
In a small bowl, combine the milk and vinegar. Let set for 5 minutes.
In another small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, honey, oregano and garlic powder. Whisk in the milk mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
Cover and refrigerate at least 15 minutes before serving. Stir before serving.
Notes
Use whole milk and full-fat mayonnaise for the best results.Need ideas for putting together the ultimate salad? Check out my salad inspirations!
Oh my goodness me. How happy were we when we made this copycat Texas Roadhouse French salad dressing! We love grabbing a big ole salad for lunch at Texas Roadhouse (the chicken critter salad is a winner), and French is always a great choice as the dressing. Well, this recipe nails that great flavor big time. This is one of our all-time favorite dressings.
Incredibly Yummy
This copycat Texas Roadhouse French salad dressing is the reason we have to put our dressing in individual dressing serving cups on our plates. We absolutely cannot be trusted with a container of this dressing nearby. Sorry, but self-control goes out the window when this dressing shows up. It’s incredibly delicious.
Minced or Grated?
We finely minced the onion for this dressing, but you could also grate it for a little smoother texture. Grated onion tends to be a bit stronger than it’s minced cousin, so you might want to use a little less and taste as you add to see if you need the entire onion.
Let It Rest To Be It’s Best
You really do want the dressing to sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving. We actually prefer for it to ‘get happy’ in the fridge overnight. Just stir before serving and you’re ready to eat!
We both grew up with a different looking bottled Russian dressing. We made this recipe for Russian salad dressing and of course, it looked different. It tasted fantastic, like Thousand Island salad with the addition of chili sauce and some spices (and a bit of heat). That bottled stuff that’s red and looks more like French or Catalina dressing? Almost the same thing, but without the creamy mayonnaise.
I Could Go For A Reuben Sandwich
This Russian salad dressing is fantastic on a fresh green salad. But oh, would it ever be amazing on a Reuben sandwich. Sure, you could go with the classic Thousand Island, but why not kick that sandwich up a bit and use this instead? And don’t be shy with it either!
Start Out with Less Onion
Depending on how you feel about onion flavor, I’d say start with a smaller shallot. Some shallots are hotter than others and if you go all-in with a bigger shallot it might overwhelm all of the other flavors in the dressing. So go easy with it at first. You can always add more.
When a recipe like this one calls for mayonnaise, there’s only one that I reach for. Yep, there’s a number of great mayonnaise brands out there. I’ve tried them all I think. But in the end, I go with Blue Plate mayonnaise each and every time.
I would not call myself a mustard-aholic. It seems to depend on the day as to whether or not I’m all-in on a mustardy dressing or not. Fortunately, though, this roasted garlic Dijon salad dressing didn’t require that I be in the mood for mustard. It has just the right amount of mustard-ness. It’s slightly sweet with a hint of roasted garlic, one of my favorite flavors. And a little citrus to boot. It’s got everything, all in an easy-to-make dressing.
More Garlic is More Better
I’m quite the garlic fan, so I will double the amount in this recipe the next time I make it. I’m ok with it being up front in my roasted garlic Dijon salad dressing instead of just kind of hanging around with the other flavors.
No Need For Fancy Dijon
I used our local grocery store’s Dijon mustard. Nothing fancy. You can go fancy if you want, but I don’t think it’ll make a big difference as long as you’re using a mustard that you like to use in other recipes. It’s like cooking with wine. You don’t cook with a wine you don’t like. Don’t make a dressing with a mustard you don’t like either!
I have an addiction to Ranch dressing. It’s probably the reason I love wings so much. I can use wings as an excuse to feed my dressing habit. This copycat Outback Steakhouse Ranch salad dressing didn’t help me control my habit at all. In fact, it’s worse now. I wanted to drink this dressing out of the bottle. I didn’t even care if anyone was watching. It’s perfectly buttermilk-y. Perfectly creamy. And it has just the right hint of garlic. Man, oh man, do I love this dressing!
Let it Rest
Make sure that you let this copycat Outback Steakhouse Ranch salad dressing rest at least 30 minutes before serving. Overnight is even better. Just give it a little stir before serving. You’ll get about 2 cups of dressing from this recipe. I’d call that 12 servings, but it really depends on how much you love dressing. If you’re normal, you’ll likely get more servings. If you’re like me, a true Ranch-aholic, you’ll be happy if you get the full 12 servings!
Of course, this dressing is also perfect (in flavor and consistency) for dipping your favorite vegetables. It’s not just for wings! I mean, salads.
Cover bowl and chill the dressing for at least 30 minutes before serving.
If dressing is too thick add a bit of buttermilk (a little at a time) and whisk.
Stir before serving.
Notes
Although you can use low-fat buttermilk, full-fat makes for the best dressing.Need ideas for putting together the ultimate salad? Check out my salad inspirations!
