Do you prefer to make your own salad dressing like we do? Now that it’s heating up, I like to have frequent main dish salads, but I have been looking for a change from my normal vinaigrette. Enter this creamy tomatillo ranch dressing. I already like ranch, but the addition of tomatillo and jalapeno makes it even better! It’s so versatile, too. Besides dressing, it also works as a dip and a marinade.
So, this is one of those semi-homemade recipes. You’ll use the packet of ranch dressing mix and add in your own mayo, buttermilk, tomatillo, jalapeno and lime. It’s so easy and the taste is superior to similar store bought dressings in my opinion.
What is a tomatillo, anyway?
Photo from Pixabay
A tomatillo, also known as a husk tomato, looks a lot like a tomato when the papery husk is peeled away. It has a tangy, kind of citrusy flavor. They can be eaten raw, which is how they’re used in this dressing. They can also be roasted. They’re native to Central America and Mexico and widely used in South of the Border cuisine in sauces and braising liquids as well as in more familiar salsas and dips.
Customize Your Creamy Tomatillo Ranch to Suit Your Tastes
If you look for this dressing on the internet, you might see it referred to as Cafe Rio Creamy Tomatillo Dressing. I found it within a post from Chef In Training called Southwest Chicken Salad. So while I can’t attest to its authenticity, I can say it earned the grandsons’ seal of approval. They happily dipped their veggies into it.
If you’re worried about the heat, feel free to use less jalapeno. If you’d like more heat, add more peppers. Or leave the seeds in. You could even add a little cayenne pepper to the mix.
Ingredients
- 1 packet buttermilk ranch dressing mix dry
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup mayo
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro
- 2 tomatillos, husked, and roughly chopped
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
- juice from 1 lime about 2 tablespoons
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Use a blender or food processor to chop the cilantro, tomatillos, jalapeno together with the lime juice until finely chopped. Transfer to a small bowl.
- In the same food processor, blend together the dressing mix, powdered garlic and mayonnaise and buttermilk. Whirl together.
- Add about half the tomatillo and jalapeno mix and pulse two or three times.
- Taste and adjust the consistency by adding more tomatillo. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Add more mayo and buttermilk if desired.
- Transfer to a container and refrigerate for at least a half an hour before serving.
The amount of tomatillo mix to add to the base dressing depends on the size of the fruits you’ve purchased. My first batch was very runny and it didn’t want to thicken no matter how much mayo I added. It tasted fine, I just like my dressing and dip to be a little thicker. The second batch was prepared as described and I was happier with the results.
If you don’t have access to tomatillos where you live buy salsa verde and use that instead. You could also use your favorite store bought dressing instead of the powdered mix. This is what I’ll do when we return to Spain. I’ve yet to see tomatillos but I can easily find salsa verde, jalapenos and ranch dressing.
This post is part of a wider monthly Pinterest Challenge. The idea is to make something you’ve pinned to one of your Pinterest boards. It can be a recipe, a craft, a DIY project…whatever you like! Check out what I’ve made in the past year in my archives.
To join next month’s #pinterestchallenge, click here to sign-up ⇒ June Pinterest Challenge
Let’s meet this month’s Pinterest Challenge hosts!
My Pinterventures • Cookies Coffee and Crafts
Sew Crafty Crochet • Sum of their Stories • Eye Love Knots
This Autoimmune Life • Love My Little Cottage
Across the Boulevard • Suzerspace • Simple Nature Decor
Purple Hues and Me • Decorate and More with Tip
Mom Home Guide • Our Unschooling Journey
Intelligent Domestications • Alayna’s Creations
Lydia’s Flexitarian Kitchen • K’s Olympic Nest
Our Crafty Mom • Hello Central Avenue • Making Manzanita
Now, let’s see what the other hosts have created ⇓⇓
That looks nice and fresh, Lydia.
I’ve never ever heard of a tomatillo, you learn something new everyday!
This sounds so versatile, I love to have a selection of great dip recipes so I’m pinning this.
Another fabulous recipe! so many from this challenge, it’s a great place to find what I am going to make next for dinner.
This one is just enough of a change to make it different. Thanks for dropping by!
My girls love dipping veggies in hummus, so this might be a good change of pace for them. I don’t think I’ve ever made a dip with tomatillo. Pinning for later.
This was my first tomatillo dip, too. Thanks for pinning!
Ranch is one of my favorite dressings and it’s great for dipping veggies. Looking forward to trying this.
Ranch is one of my faves, too. I’ve made it a couple different ways and love the buttermilk varieties the best. I hope you like it!
Ranch and Jalapeno…yes. Add tomatillo and I am like, wait…what??? I have seen these but have never purchased. Not sure what to do with them. Like that you share how they taste and what you need to do to prepare. This sounds delicious. If you were to use as a marinade what would you suggest?
For a marinade I think chicken would probably be the best choice, but I’d try tofu, too (not sure I’d like it, but I’d try, hahaha). Thanks for dropping by!
I do like to make my own dressings! I had never heard of a tomatillo though it sounds interesting. Pinned.
The tomatillo is what drew me to the recipe, too. Thanks for pinning!
Neat dressing! I’ve had plenty of ranch dressing, but never with tomatillo. Fun stuff! Thanks.
I hope you get a chance to try it. Thanks for visiting 🙂
My crew would lap this up in no time. Such a yummy combination of flavors and great for summer food.
It would be a great choice for a bbq. Thanks for dropping by!
Great recipe. I am always making dips for gatherings. I love fixing different types of dips. Thanks for sharing.
I like making my own dips and dressings, too. This one is just different enough to qualify as “something new.” Thanks!