Spinach Salad with Basil Buttermilk Dressing
If I could make the perfect salad for this exact moment, it would be this Spinach Salad with Basil Buttermilk Dressing. Why? Well let me tell you!
I like to Play in the Kitchen
I do, I really do. And sometimes I have no idea what I’m about to do. That’s kind of what happened here. A sort of kitchen experiment, if you will. It went a bit like this…”So, I’ve got leftover buttermilk from making waffles annnnnnnnd a bunch of basil that’s about to go bad….what to do….oh, yes! I will make salad dressing. So that’s what I did.
It Started with the Dressing
From there things got really fun. I jammed that basil and that remaining buttermilk into the processing cup that came with my stick blender and then said, “what else?” Well, salt and black pepper, of course. And then how about some garlic and a little touch of mayo fo creaminess? All of that went in too and then I pureed it up, stuck my finger in and DING! DING! DING! It was a winner.
Now What do I do with this Spinach?
Did I mention that I had a bunch of spinach too? I did! So while I enjoyed slurping my new dressing off my spoon, I figured I should do something civliized like pour it all over some lettuce. So, you can imagine what comes next. Yep, I pile up some spinach, look around for other food that needs to get used up and put that on top. Then drizzle the whole thing with my dressing. And it was AMAZING! So now I’m sharing the magnificence with you! Enjoy!
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Spinach Salad with Basil Buttermilk Dressing
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Homemade Basil Buttermilk Dressing is the star here! It helps the flavors of the spinach salad shine!
Ingredients
Basil Buttermilk Dressing
- 1 cup fresh basil
- ¼ cup lowfat buttermilk
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
Spinach Salad
- 1 (8 ounce) bag baby spinach
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 ripe avocado, sliced
- 1 cup strawberries, sliced
- 1/2 cup toasted walnuts, cooled
- 1/2 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
Instructions
To Make the Basil Buttermilk Dressing
Place ingredients in the bowl of a small food processor and blend until smooth. Alternatively, finely chop the basil and whisk with the buttermilk, garlic, salt, pepper and mayonnaise until combined.
To Make the Spinach Salad
- Place the spinach in a serving bowl. Drizzle half of the dressing over the spinach and toss to evenly coat. Garnish with the red onion, avocado, strawberries, walnuts and Parmesan cheese. Drizzle with remaining dressing.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- Salad dressing can be made up to 3 days in advance. Store covered in the refrigerator.
- Toast walnuts by spreading them out on an ungreased pan. Bake at 350’F for 7-8 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking time, until golden brown and fragrant.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Salad
Keywords: spinach, salad, basil, buttermilk, quick salad
