One of my all time favorite places to go for dinner is the Old Spaghetti Factory. I love the ambiance inside and it’s one of the last sit down restaurant establishments where you are served and it won’t break the bank. That’s a rarity in this day and age. Are you like me? Do you always order the same exact thing every time? My absolute favorite is a plate of the spaghetti with Mizithra cheese and a salad topped with their creamy pesto salad dressing. It’s nothing fancy really. Just crisp green lettuce leaves, some shredded carrot and cabbage, topped with a few croutons and the most luscious, dreamy, creamy dressing to ever grace a plate of salad! I’ve been wanting to recreate that dressing at home for ages and never got even close, until I found a copycat recipe for it online. Only problem was that it wasn’t exactly the same as what they serve up at the Old Spaghetti Factory. It was close, but not quite right. But after some experimenting and a little tinkering around I’m happy to report that I finally nailed it! Keep reading to find out how utterly easy it is to make it at home. Spoiler alert…there’s no pesto in it. I know…crazy…right?
How To Make The Copycat, Old Spaghetti Factory, Creamy Pesto Salad Dressing:
Prepare the dressing:
Place Parmesan cheese in a grinder or blender.
Process the cheese until it’s super fine in texture. This will result in a smoother, creamy dressing, which is what we’re shooting for.
Place all the ingredients in a glass jar; buttermilk, mayonnaise, salt, sugar, dried basil, super fine Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce.
Screw on the lid and shake the jar vigorously to combine all the ingredients.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (overnight is better) before using the dressing to allow it to thicken and for the flavors to fully develop.
Prepare salad:
Chop lettuce. Use a crisp green lettuce such as Romaine or Iceberg.
Peel and julienne a carrot.
Finely shred cabbage. The Old Spaghetti Factory uses a purple cabbage but all I had was green. Either will work, the purple just looks prettier on your plate.
Toast croutons, or use your favorite packaged kind.
TO MAKE YOUR OWN CROUTONS: Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once oil is hot add cubed bread pieces. Toss in the pan to coat the bread cubes in the oil and cook them until light golden brown. Remove toasted croutons from the pan and drain them on a plate lined with a paper towel. Sprinkle with some salt or your favorite seasoning like Ranch, Parmesan cheese, or Everything but the Bagel seasoning. Allow croutons to cool fully before tossing them on your salad.
To serve:
Place a bed of crisp green lettuce, julienned carrot, and shredded cabbage onto a chilled salad plate. Drizzle with chilled dressing. Top with croutons and freshly cracked black pepper to serve.
Go ahead, give this recipe a try and tell me it doesn’t taste exactly like the dressing at the Old Spaghetti Factory. If I blindfolded you, you wouldn’t be able to the difference between the restaurant version and this one. Yep, it’s that good. This one is a must try! And it’s a great way to use up any buttermilk you have sitting in the fridge that needs using up.
Now that you can easily make the Creamy Pesto Salad Dressing at home, why don’t you give the Old Spaghetti Factory’s Spaghetti with Mizithra Cheese a try? It only calls for 5 ingredients and comes together in under 30 minutes. Easy-peasy!!! And it’s oh so delicious! Pair it with a creamy pesto salad and some French bread, you’ll think you were at the restaurant for dinner, but only better. It’s home made with fresh ingredients so you know exactly what you’re feeding your family. And they’re gonna love it!!!
Salad with Creamy Pesto Dressing
Equipment
- glass jar with tight fitting lid
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- 2½ tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
For the salad:
- ½ head iceberg or Romaine lettuce, roughly chopped
- 1 small carrot, julienned
- ¼ head purple or green cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1 cup croutons
- freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
Prepare dressing:
- Place Parmesan cheese in a grinder or blender and process until it's super fine in texture.
- Place all the ingredients in a jar.
- Screw on lid and shake vigorously to combine all the ingredients.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight before using to allow the flavors to fully develop.
Prepare salad:
- Chop lettuce.
- Peel and julienne carrot.
- Shred cabbage.
- Toast croutons, or use your favorite packaged kind.
To serve:
- Place a bed of crisp green lettuce, julienned carrot, and shredded cabbage onto a chilled salad plate. Drizzle with chilled dressing.
- Top with croutons and freshly cracked black pepper to serve.
Did You Make This?
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