My mom was a single working mom of three daughters who managed to get five square meals on the table for us every single night. I don’t know how she did, but it was as if dinner magically appeared on the table; she was a superwoman in my eyes, and she still is. Dinners ranged from lasagna, to lentil soup, to salmon patties, but regardless of the main, there was almost always a simple side salad, and it had the most amazing dill-Parmesan dressing.
Flash forward to this incredibly hot summer, where all I’ve been craving are crisp, refreshing salads. I usually pack them with romaine or iceberg (the most underrated lettuce, in my opinion), tomatoes, shredded carrots, red onions, olives, Parmesan cheese, and some sort of protein on top. But I had been in a dressing rut. While I love a good premade dressing from Trader Joe’s, even that hadn’t been doing the trick. I had completely forgotten about my mom’s dressing until I saw my sister. Thankfully she reminded me of the herby, tangy delightful goodness that it was. It hits every note, and now I’m making it all the time.
What Makes My Mom’s Dressing So Good
With vinegar, olive oil, and Parmesan, the base of this vinaigrette is not too dissimilar to a basic Italian dressing. But dill makes things 100 times more fun and delicious than parsley. The flavor combo makes everything taste fresher. My mom’s vinaigrette is also less fussy than a lot of recipes. It seriously takes two minutes to make. It’s the perfect complement to any salad, truly, and has been making my weekday lunches so much better.
