I’ve long been on the hunt for a simple, perfect Caesar dressing. My requirements are: easy to pull together and in-your-face flavor. Too many Caesar dressings are creamy, with maybe a bit of pepper to flavor and nothing else. While I’ve made a classic Caesar with raw egg (guided by Alton), it isn’t something you can make a batch of and leave in your fridge (though, it does make for impressive dinner party fare). In my Caesar search I made this vegan version from The First Mess, which is excellent and worth a try. The pine nut parm and roasted chickpeas are full of flavor and wonderful toppings. But all together they take a good amount of work, and involve ingredients I don’t have on hand all the time (in fact, the only reason I have nutritional yeast in my pantry is to make this recipe). Since I’m not vegan, I adopted this flavor profile to fit ingredients I more often have on hand. The result is a simple and intense dressing that you can double or triple easily.

The result is dominated by the flavor of garlic, so if you are sensitive then scale back to smaller or fewer cloves. But it’s worth giving a try at full power – you might be surprised. Instead of the usual romaine (which would still be delicious), I like a mix of kale and cabbage to make more of a slaw as done in The First Mess recipe linked above which is more nutritious than just lettuce and has the added benefit of not getting wilty and watery as leftovers. For a simple side salad you could add grated cheese, croutons, or try the pine nut parm and chickpeas. For a full meal the classic grilled chicken is an easy route, or you could try a vegetarian option. I topped mine with roasted cauliflower and these chickpea burgers for a break from heavier holiday fare.

Simple Caesar Dressing

This makes 3/4 of a cup, about enough for 4 meal salads or 6-8 side salads.

• 1/4 cup full fat mayonaise
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves of garlic, grated
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl or put them in a jar and shake it up. Either way: move them about until fully combined.