Caesar dressing, whether store-bought or homemade, is a glorious thing. Its garlic, cheese, and anchovy-packed flavor with its rich and creamy texture is the key to one of the best classic salads around. But if it’s so good, why limit it to only salad? In fact, why not use it to make 10 other dishes infinitely better? We were asking ourselves the very same question, so we answered it.
- Use it as a marinade for meat.
Toss chicken in Caesar dressing and let it refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. Then grill or roast to your heart’s content. All the garlicky goodness of the rich dressing soaks into the meat while tenderizing it and making it ridiculously moist.
- Toss it with vegetables before roasting.
Pick your veggies — broccoli, cauliflower, root vegetables, and potatoes all work well — and then toss them with dressing instead of olive oil and roast until they’re extra-caramelized and crispy.
- Use it as a dip for crudité.
Just like crisp lettuce loves Caesar dressing, so does just about any other raw vegetable. Pour it in a little bowl and get dunking.
- As a dressing for pasta or potato salad.
If you’re making pasta or potato salad, ditch your usual dressing and use Caesar instead. It’s thick enough that it will coat every inch of your ingredients and instantly boost the flavor.
- Spread it on a burger bun or sandwich bread before assembling.
Forget plain ol’ condiments like mustard or ketchup and slather Caesar dressing on your burger bun instead. Or spread it on your bread before making pretty much any sandwich — it plays well with turkey, ham, roast beef, and any mix of veggies.
- Use it instead of mayo for tuna or chicken salad.
Caesar dressing makes for a much more interesting tuna or chicken salad. Replace the mayo in any recipe with it and it will be one you actually want to eat.
- Use it to coat chicken wings.
Instead of Buffalo sauce, try tossing chicken wings in Caesar dressing before baking them for a fun twist on the crowd-pleasing snack.
- Make a better coleslaw.
Just like for pasta or potato salad, using Caesar dressing for coleslaw is a win. It adds instant flavor and brings that touch of richness that coleslaw desires. Try it instead of mayonnaise or buttermilk next time and you won’t be disappointed.
- Spread it on fish before baking.
Use Caesar dressing as a quick and flavorful sauce for fish fillets like salmon or cod. Just spread some evenly over the top of each piece and bake as usual.
- Drizzle it over corn on the cob.
Corn on the cob is wonderful with nothing more than a little butter and salt, but try switching up your routine next time by drizzling a little Caesar dressing over the cooked ear.