Easy salad dressing recipes

Though we may be dreaming of the bounty of fresh produce that is to come, these early spring farmer’s markets often feature little besides lettuce, spinach, and other salad greens.  Last week, I made a frittata for the first time and wanted to pair it with a big spring mix salad.

While I can’t really complain, the frittata came together so quickly, I hardly had time to spin the water off the lettuce leaves, let alone make a dressing.  I ended up just drizzling some red wine vinegar and olive oil on the salad, which is a decent solution when you don’t have a dressing prepared in advance.

But with salad greens really being the only produce at market, this is a great time to play with a variety of homemade salad dressings!

Here are a few suggestions for salad dressings.  These can all be prepared in advance and stored for several days (and perhaps up to a week).  I like to make dressing in mason jars because they are so easy to shake and store.

Basic formula + recipes for garlic-herb vinaigrette, balsamic vinaigrette, and buttermilk ranch by Shannon from Nourishing Days –  I really like knowing formulas for recipes like this.  It frees me up to make substitutions and play around with the ingredients.  I am also particularly interested in the buttermilk ranch recipe. Looks delicious!

French vinaigrette by David Lebovitz - This is not a recipe for French dressing, but for a very typical vinaigrette found in French cafes, bistros, and homes everywhere.

Carrot-ginger dressing by Deb at Smitten Kitchen - Yum! This seems like a great dressing to try right now when the salad greens are really the star of the show.

Lemon vinaigrette by Ina Garten – this is a super simple concoction, even easier than the French vinaigrette

Creamy raspberry-orange dressing by Bob Blumer on Salon.com - And if you’re craving fruit and fresh flavors, this might be just right!

I also like to make some salad toppings in advance so that assembly is simple and fast.

Some good toppings?

♦ shredded carrots
♦ shredded beets
♦ hard-boiled egg
♦ garbanzo or kidney beans
♦ bacon crumbles
♦ goat cheese broiled on little pieces of toast
♦ walnuts or pecans
♦ dried cranberries

Do you have a favorite homemade dressing or salad topping?  Share your favorites in the comments!

Would you like a streamlined and simple way to eat homemade food more often?  Check out Easy Whole Foods Cooking for One (or two!) (available until April 30th) and sign up for announcements about future programs I’ll be offering!