Spring Salad Greens with Homemade Ranch Dressing

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Are you ready for spring salad greens with homemade ranch dressing? It’s the time when we can start to sow seeds for greens in the house.

I have been making my own ranch dressing for decades. It’s lighter and more flavorful (at least to me) than anything you can buy in the store. Knowing what’s in my dressings is important to me.

Sunday dinner with a split chicken breast, roasted potatoes and spring greens with homemade ranch dressing

I could eat a salad for lunch every day but in the spring and summer, I actually do. It’s the season when greens are fresh from my garden or the farmer’s market.

Homemade Ranch Dressing

Prep Time10 minutes
Resting Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
Course: Sauces
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Ranch Dressing, Salad Dressing
Servings: 8 servings
Calories:

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 2/3 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tsp dried parsley
  • 1/2 tsp seasoning salt
  • 1 clove garlic, minced I use 1 tsp. minced jar garlic
  • 2 tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped

Instructions

  • Mix all ingredients together and refrigerator for at least an hour before serving

Notes

We use this as salad dressing, dip for fresh veggies, and dip for chips
Yum

“You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh ingredients”

Julia Childs

Salad Fixings

In addition to a bowl full of fresh greens, you can add any of your favorite fixings. A protein is also a great addition.

  • Hard-boiled egg
  • Carrots
  • Celery
  • Hearts of Palm
  • Tomatoes
  • Green Olives
  • Green Onions
  • Red Onions
  • Feta Cheese
  • Shredded Cheddar
  • Protein – Chicken, Shrimp, Steak, Salmon, (Anything left over from dinner)
a bowl filled with spring greens and all the fixings for a great spring salad covered with homemade ranch dressing

This is also the time when our chickens are starting to lay eggs at a steady pace so I hard-boil eggs every week. We love them chopped up on a fresh green salad.

fresh eggs from our chickens

Salad Dressing Tricks

When I buy buttermilk it is only to use it for my dressing. I used to throw away the left-over until I got smart and started freezing the buttermilk in my ice trays. 1 tablespoon in each square. 8 tablespoons = 1/2 cup of buttermilk.

Once it’s frozen in the tray I take it and put it into a container to use later from the freezer. I take out my 8 cubes and let them thaw and then proceed with the rest of the dressing recipe.

Chives can also be frozen. I don’t know about you but chives are a perennial here in Illinois and I get tons of it. When the growing season is slowing down, I cut a bunch of chives, finely slice them and freeze them. In this dressing, you can just add them frozen and by the time you mix everything up they are perfect.

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You can find more fresh salad recipes HERE

Creamy Ceasar Salad Recipe HERE

Pasta and Shrimp Salad HERE

Salade Niçoise HERE

Peace,

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8 Comments

  1. This looks great Lynn! I agree homemade dressing is always best.

    1. It’s good, it’s easy! Nothing better –

  2. Lynn I am excited to try this! We are trying to make more of our meals from scratch! pinned.

    1. It’s very easy and very yummy. I typically just use vinegar, olive oil, and some herbs but this is a nice change of pace.

    1. Thank you so much for sharing my recipe!

  3. 5 stars
    Good recipe, Lynn! I love buttermilk recipes and I use it (or rather, I sour my milk) in a cake recipe and the cake turns out fabulously!! Anyway, I am so happy to share your post at Share Your Style #341 this evening for you. 🙂 Hope you are having a wonderful week!!

    Happy Easter,
    Barb 🙂

    1. Thank you for sharing my post!