We’ve been Lighter Green Goddess obsessed ever since Virginia brought a little crock of herby dressing home from a playdate and said, “This is the best dressing ever.”
When a child has that sort of enthusiasm about anything related to vegetables, it’s smart to listen up. We promptly put it on our cooking “to do” list.
A few days later my friend asked if she could come over to snap some pictures of me and the kids in the kitchen for a photo essay. Virginia was home, along with one of her friends, so it seemed the perfect occasion to tackle Green Goddess Dressing.
Where Does Green Goddess Dressing Come From
We did a little research on the dressing and learned it actually hails from here in San Francisco, created in the 1920s by the Palace Hotel to honor an actor starring in a play called, you guessed it, Green Goddess.
Traditionally, the dressing is made with a variety of herbs, which are what give it the signature green hue. This Lighter Green Goddess version is adapted from an Ina Garten recipe. If you know anything about Ina, you know she isn’t shy with fat or salt. I’ve scaled back the fat and sodium, and made the anchovies optional, since that can be a deal breaker for kids. It remains delicious nevertheless.
How to Use Lighter Green Goddess Dressing
The dressing is excellent over salad, and is particularly well suited to the salads of summer, abundant as they are in tomatoes and cucumbers. Here are a few other ways to enjoy Lighter Green Goddess:
- Serve with tender new potatoes
- Spoon over grilled or roasted fish
- Use it to dress steamed broccoli
- Toss with shredded chicken and diced celery for chicken salad.
- Swap it for mayo on a veggie or turkey sandwich
- Use it as a dip for crunchy vegetables.
For more dressing recipes, check out:
Healthier Ranch Dip and Dressing
Greek Yogurt Poppyseed Dressing from Real Mom Nutrition
Lighter Green Goddess Dressing
This makes a thick, creamy dressing that is delicious for a vegetable dip or to dress a salad. If you like a thinner dressing, you can drizzle a little olive oil and vinegar onto your salad along with the Green Goddess. You can bump up the healthy fats in this by adding 1/2 medium ripe avocado and cutting the mayo down to 1/4 cup.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup light sour cream
- 1/2 cup chopped scallions , white and green parts (3 to 4 scallions)
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- 1 medium clove chopped garlic (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon anchovy paste or 1 small anchovy (optional)
Instructions
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Put the mayonnaise, sour cream, scallions, basil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper into a blender or food processor and whirl just until silky smooth.
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Store in the fridge for up to four days. Makes about 1 1/4 cups dressing.
Adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home by Ina Garten (Clarkson Potter, 2006)
Photos by Kimberly Koch (www.kocreations.com)