Creamy Italian Dressing

I am definitely a "dressing on the side" kind of girl.   It get so mad at myself when I order a salad at a restaurant and I forget to say "dressing on the side" because it's usually way to overdressed for my taste.  I really don't like a bowl of lettuce and vegetables that are swimming in dressing.

My rules for dressing a salad are simple.  Start with a great bowl of lettuce and vegetables.

 

Add a few drops of dressing.  

 Mix it in and voila - a perfectly dressed salad.

Now compare the two salads.   I know that some of you will prefer the salad on the left with much more dressing but as for me, I'll stick to the salad on the right.   (I will admit that the picture on the left does lend itself much better to a blog post about salad dressing though.)

 Whether you like a little or a lot, this creamy Italian dressing is delicious. 

I adapted this recipe from frugalbites.com.

Creamy Italian Dressing

Ingredients

• ½ C. mayonnaise
• ¼ C. grated Parmesan cheese
• ¼ C. buttermilk
• 1½ tsp. minced garlic
• ½ tsp. minced fresh parsley
• ½ tsp. lemon juice

- See more at: http://frugalbites.com/copycat-recipe-carrabbas-italian-grill-salad-dressing/#sthash.EbObha3R.dpuf

1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon lemon juice
fresh parsley  (I overdid it on the parsley because my dressing came out a little green.)

Combine ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.

Yum.  I love the Parmesan cheese in this dressing.  (I'm assuming that's what makes this an Italian dressing instead of a ranch.) Drizzle on a little or a lot - I think you'll agree that it's really yummy.

Ciao!