Description
Ina Garten’s buttermilk ranch dressing elevates simple bibb lettuce with creamy, herbal notes. Crisp greens draped in tangy homemade dressing offer a refreshing salad experience you’ll savor.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 Bibb lettuces, cut in half through the core
- 2 large ripe tomatoes, thickly sliced
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 3 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
- Salad greens for 6
- 0.5 cups (118 ml) chopped fresh basil leaves, lightly packed
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2.5 tsps (12.5 g) kosher salt
- 1 tsp (5 g) freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup (236 ml) mayonnaise
- 0.5 cups (118 ml) Greek-style yogurt (such as Fage Total)
- 0.5 cups (118 ml) buttermilk, shaken
- 2 tbsps (30 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1.5 tbsps (22.5 ml) Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
Instructions
- Herb Fusion: In a food processor, blend scallions, basil leaves, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper for 15-20 seconds until a vibrant green mixture forms.
- Creamy Emulsion: Add mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, and buttermilk to the processor, blending until a smooth, silky dressing emerges with a consistent texture.
- Flavor Development: Refrigerate the dressing for a minimum of 1 hour, allowing ingredients to harmonize and intensify their aromatic profile.
- Salad Composition: Artfully arrange halved Bibb lettuce leaves on serving plates, interspersing with ripe tomato slices and delicate red onion rings to create a visually appealing base.
- Optional Enhancement: Incorporate additional mixed salad greens to introduce textural complexity and visual interest to the dish.
- Final Presentation: Moments before serving, cascade the chilled dressing over the prepared salad, finishing with a delicate sprinkle of salt and freshly ground black pepper to accentuate the flavors.
- Serving Suggestion: Present immediately to preserve the crisp lettuce and maintain the dressing’s cool, refreshing quality.
Notes
- Chill for Flavor Fusion: Refrigerate the dressing for at least an hour to allow herbs and ingredients to blend deeply, creating a more complex and harmonious taste profile.
- Prep Ingredients Precisely: Finely chop scallions and basil leaves to ensure smooth integration and maximize herb flavor distribution throughout the dressing.
- Serve Immediately: Drizzle dressing just before serving to maintain lettuce crispness and preserve the dressing’s cool, fresh texture.
- Customize Greens Creatively: Mix Bibb lettuce with additional salad greens for enhanced visual appeal and varied texture, making the dish more dynamic and interesting.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Appetizer, Snacks
- Method: Blending
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 500 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 4 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg