Creamy Italian Dressing Recipe – our favorite salad! Romaine, tomatoes, thinly sliced seedless cucumbers, sliced banana peppers, croutons, parmesan cheese, and homemade Creamy Italian dressing. The creamy dressing really puts this salad over the top!!! Mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, milk, sugar, Italian seasoning, garlic, salt, and pepper. I made this for a dinner party and everyone RAVED about it!! A million times better than Olive Garden’s salad!
Whisk together mayonnaise, milk, vinegar, sugar, Italian seasoning, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.
In a large bowl, combine romaine lettuce, cucumbers, croutons, banana peppers, tomatoes and parmesan.
Add some dressing and toss. Continue to add dressing until the salad is dressed to your preference. You may have some leftover dressing.
Notes:
I know some people don’t like cucumbers, so they are optional.
Variations/Additions:
Can substitute grated parmesan for shaved parmesan.
Don't like mayo? You can substitute sour cream or plain Greek yogurt.
For extra garlic flavor, use fresh garlic cloves in place of garlic powder.
Add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the dressing for a little kick.
Can add bell peppers, red onion, or black olives to the salad mixture.
Don't have Italian seasoning? Use equal amounts of dried oregano and basil.
Can substitute white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
For the croutons, I like to use the Olive Garden croutons that are in the grocery store.
You can make the creamy Italian dressing ahead of timeand store it in a mason jar in the fridge it until you are ready to toss the salad.
I usually make the dressing a day or two in advance of serving to give the flavors time to meld together.
Give the dressing a good shake or stir before serving.
You can assemble the salad mixture in advance and refrigerate it until ready to serve. Toss it with the dressing just before serving so the lettuce isn’t soggy.
If you aren’t making this for a crowd, just make as much salad as you want and toss it with a little dressing. YUM!
The dressing will keep a week in an airtight container in the refrigerator.