You are going to love the fresh, creamy taste of this creamy basil salad dressing. I have been putting it on everything! From salad to sandwiches (check out next week’s post to see the delicious sandwiches I put it on) to Greek pitas to just dipping my bread in it! The key here is using FRESH basil. If you have a bunch of basil from your herb garden that you need to use up, this recipe is for YOU! If you want to lighten this recipe up a bit, feel free to use some Greek yogurt instead of Mayonnaise. Take it to your next Summer picnic or block party. You will have all the neighbors asking for the recipe!
One thing to notice is the use of anchovy paste. Don’t leave this out! I know you are tempted to do it — just don’t. If you are having trouble finding anchovy paste, you will find it next to the canned anchovies.. which is usually next to the canned tuna. I found a tube for around $2 and it is a great little investment. PLUS, even after it has been opened, it will keep in your fridge for months! Don’t worry about it tasting fishy.. it contains plenty of salt, oil, vinegar, and sugar, which cover up the fishy-ness.
Wondering what else you can use anchovy paste in to justify buying it? Add a couple teaspoons to jarred spaghetti sauce (or homemade spaghetti sauce). It will add that rich dimension you really want in spaghetti sauce– especially if you are making a meat sauce. It really brings out the flavor of the beef. You can also add it to your beefy stews or soups for an added dimension. Anchovy paste is one of those ingredients where people will notice a difference in your dressing or sauce and say “I don’t know what makes this sauce so much BETTER… it just IS. I can’t quite put my finger on it!” And you will smile to yourself and know that it was the anchovy paste.
Anyway, I am dedicating this post to my sister, Emily. Today is her birthday! Be sure to comment below to wish her a happy birthday! Love you, Ems!
INGREDIENTS
- 1 c. good mayonnaise I prefer Best Foods.. or Hellmann's for you East coasters
- 1 c. chopped green onion white and green parts
- 1 c. chopped FRESH basil leaves
- 1/4 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice 2 lemons
- 2 tsp. chopped garlic 2 cloves
- 2 tsp. anchovy paste
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1 c. sour cream
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place the mayonnaise, green onion, basil, lemon juice, garlic, anchovy paste, salt and pepper in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the sour cream and process until just blended. (If not using immediately, refrigerate the dressing until ready to serve.) In my opinion it tastes best after being refrigerated overnight -- add a little milk if it needs to be thinned.
adapted from Barefoot Contessa
Jane @ Cottage at the Crossroads says
April 8, 2013 at 8:10 pmHello! I saw this on Pinterest so I had to click over to see the recipe. I have never used anchovy paste, but I like anchovies. Thanks so much for this recipe. I just planted my basil in our garden today!
carrian says
April 9, 2013 at 8:42 amHappy birthday, E!!!! And I promise to finally try the paste that has been scary to me. Eeeek! Wish me luck!
Emily says
April 9, 2013 at 2:41 pmThanks Carrian! And your bday is just around the corner!
Voi says
June 25, 2013 at 8:31 amI have anchovies but not anchovy paste – can I just mash them up and use less? or do I need to add something as well?
Erica says
June 25, 2013 at 3:57 pmYou might want to look that one up…. I am not sure exactly how you would do that. I would imagine you could just mash them up but maybe double check just to make sure!
megan says
August 23, 2013 at 9:39 amJust made this. I have been wanting to make my own dressings for some time now and I am happy I tried this one! So simple and yummy. I forgot to get the sour cream, but it tastes fine just the way it is! Thanks for the recipe!
Rachel says
August 27, 2013 at 6:06 pmExcellent recipe! I’m flawed at following recipes
To a T… Added about 5 sprigs of fresh dill and
3 tbsp chopped Anaheim pepper. Delish, definitely
A keeper !
Beverly says
May 20, 2014 at 12:50 pmWhat does the anchovy paste “do” or “add” – NOT a fan of anchovies – so wondering at a substitution as all the other ingredients sound like a great mix?
Erica says
May 22, 2014 at 9:06 pmYou can’t even tell they are there as far as fishy-ness goes.. it just adds a great depth of flavor. There is anchovies in Caesar dressing.. if you can’t tell it’s there in Caesar dressing you should be fine using it– if you CAN tell it is in Caesar dressing and don’t like it, feel free to leave it out
Annie says
June 4, 2018 at 3:11 pmHow long will this stay good in Refrig?
Favorite Family Recipes says
June 5, 2018 at 3:06 pmThis should stay good at least 4-5 days. Probably up to a week would be fine. Hope this helps!
Carol says
November 30, 2014 at 1:04 pmHi Erica, I love the sound of this recipe, thanks.
How long does it keep?
Erica says
December 1, 2014 at 10:02 pmIt will probably keep a week.. two at the most. It is SO good! You are going to love it! 🙂
Patty /herke says
October 3, 2015 at 8:09 pmSounds great but we all hate anchovies. Can we do without or would you recommend something else?
Emily says
October 5, 2015 at 8:55 amyou can leave it out.
Patty /herke says
October 3, 2015 at 8:11 pmSounds great but we hate anchovies. Can we do without or would you recommend a something else?
Emily says
October 5, 2015 at 8:54 amyou can definitely leave it out.
Judy says
July 9, 2016 at 4:40 pmI do not have anchovy paste made it without it! This is best new dressing recipe I have tried from Pinterest. I put it in a gluten free spaghetti salad.
My picky husband loved it????
Erica says
July 10, 2016 at 7:21 pmSo glad that you liked it! I like the idea of using it in a spaghetti salad, yum!
Nicki truesdell says
February 3, 2018 at 4:24 pmThis looks great! I LOVE basil, so I’m printing this right now to make this weekend. Found you on Pinterest!
Favorite Family Recipes says
February 5, 2018 at 7:01 pmSo glad you found us! Hope you keep coming back for more recipes! 😀
Evelyn says
June 19, 2018 at 8:27 pmWhen I make this, I add some jalapeños to give it a kick. I love the original recipe as well.
Favorite Family Recipes says
June 19, 2018 at 8:42 pmGreat idea adding jalapeños! Yum!