A speedy and Unfussy Buttermilk Dressing made with low-fat buttermilk and fresh herbs. Drizzle it on top of one of my most go-to summer salads.

If I had to pick my go-to things in life to eat, it would have to be from-scratch pizza and a genuinely good salad.

My idea of a dependable salad and Pat’s idea of a dependable salad are two completely different things. His idea of a dependable salad is iceberg, pepperoni, cubed cheddar and croutons. Oh and ranch… with lots of black pepper. *meh*

My dependable salad has a little bit of everything in it. Bright greens, colorful veggies, bacon, croutons and a good dressing. Luckily we both are on the same page when it comes to ranch. We both like it on the thin side… and with lots of coarse black pepper.

Ranch dressing is pretty much a universally loved dressing, am I right? But making ranch dressing in a home kitchen can take a bit of time to prepare and I personally don’t always have the ingredients on hand. So I’ve adapted this method over the years, scaling down, omitting stuff… adding stuff, to which I now call buttermilk dressing, because… you guessed it, it has buttermilk in it.

Grab a shallot, a clove of garlic, some fresh parsley and thyme. Peel, smash, strip and mince…

And add it to your regular jar or container. Of course you can play with the herbs and add fresh chives or dill… a tablespoon of both would be flavor-packed in this dressing as well!

Add in two teaspoons of cider vinegar…

Then measure and add 6 tablespoons of mayo… for the creamy factor. For a thicker buttermilk dressing, simply reduce the buttermilk a smidge.

Finally pour in a half cup of buttermilk…

… And season with about 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt and lots of coarse black pepper.

Stir… stir… stir until nice until smooth.

The whole thing takes 10 minutes tops! Now you can pop it in the fridge until you want it… or serve right away. I’ve done it both ways and both are fab. More time in the fridge will of course bring out more of the flavors.

Now… let’s talk my go-to salad.

First is the spring herb mix. Besides different lettuce leaves, there is a little cilantro here-and-there and other herbaceous goodness and this summer, my life it’s all about the herbs. LOVE <3. Then comes the tomatoes. I think most peeps can buy a container of the mixed variety at any major grocery store. But these are a mixture of sungolds, chocolate cherry, grape tomatoes and ones I have no idea what they are except that they’re GOOD. Then there is the usual; cucumbers, red onion, croutons, crispy BACON and lots of coarse black pepper.

I grilled pizza {post coming soon} and this salad with the straightforward buttermilk dressing was the makings of a reliable summer dinner and mighty fine leftovers too!