Thursday, December 13, 2012

Caesar Salad with Homemade Dressing and Shaved Parmesan


We're almost halfway through the month of December.  While everyone has been making cozy casseroles and big, comforting pots of soup, I've actually been craving my favorite salad!

Seriously.  A beautiful Caesar salad has been on my mind for a good week now.  After picking up some romaine lettuce, I couldn't wait to get this recipe made. 

I've been making this dressing for years.  And, as divine as it is as a dressing drizzled atop a salad, it is equally as wonderful made a tad bit thicker and used as a dip for raw veggies.  (Wedges of purple cabbage, celery sticks and fresh radishes plunged into this as a dip ... pure magic!)

I thoroughly enjoyed this sitting by the crackling fire and the Christmas tree this afternoon while the hubby and kids were gone.  It was kind of heavenly. (As was Adam Levine on Tuesday night's episode of The Voice, which I watched today while nibbling on this salad.)


Ingredients for Dressing:

1 cup real mayo
3 tablespoons white vinegar
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (I use Kraft)
3/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon milk
Pinch dried basil

Additional Ingredients for Salad:

Romaine Lettuce
Parmesan cheese, shaved
Croutons (homemade or store-bought)
Tomatoes (optional)

Directions:

Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a medium bowl and mix with a whisk until well-combined (about 1 minute).


Best if chilled for a couple of hours before serving.


Makes 1 1/2 cups of dressing.

Toss cleaned romaine lettuce with the dressing to coat or drizzle dressing over lettuce.  You can leave the leaves whole or chop them up.  Place lettuce on plate or serving platter.  Garnish with shaved Parmesan and croutons.  I toss on a few tomatoes.  A little freshly cracked black pepper on top doesn't hurt either!


NOTE:  The dressing is a "knock-off" of Newman's Own Creamy Caesar Dressing.

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2 comments :

  1. How do you thicken this dressing to make it a dip?

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    1. Hi, Connie. I simply omit the milk and add a little more grated Parmesan cheese (maybe another tablespoon or so). We love it as a dip! :)

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