This creamy blue cheese dressing is amped up with the addition of Smoked Blue Cheese, scallions, and fresh parsley. This is super easy to make and is WAY better than anything that you can buy at the store. Toss it in your salads, use it as a dip for veggies or buffalo wings, or just eat it with a spoon directly from the jar.
Salads shouldn’t suck.
I don’t eat a ton of salads. But, when I do, I want them to not suck. Besides burying your veggies under piles of meat, dressings are the next best option to add some flavor and fun to a pile of greens. While vinaigrettes might be slightly healthier, they’re a little boring. Let’s face it, a creamy ranch or blue cheese dressing are the more exciting option. It makes the salad much more tolerable (especially for men….LOL)
How the heck do you even make The Best Smoked Blue Cheese Dressing?
Smoked Blue Cheese: The main character of this production is the Smoked Blue Cheese. I stumbled across this stuff at my local Aldis one time. It’s so freaking good! The only issue is, it’s not always the easiest thing to find. That’s why, this time, I made it myself. Check out this post for directions on how to make your own Smoked Blue Cheese. If cold smoking cheeses isn’t your thing, check out this Smokey Blue Cheese. But, if you don’t care about smokey flavors….this dressing will be just as delicious with standard blue cheese instead.
Mayonnaise: I try to use the best mayo that I can find. I am slightly autistic when it comes to avoiding overly-processed seed oils, like canola or peanut oils. I used Chosen Foods Avocado Oil Mayo for this recipe. Primal Kitchen also makes a great mayo. If you don’t care about seed oils like I do, that’s fine….Duke’s or Hellmann’s are ok. Whatever you do…..DO NOT USE MIRACLE WHIP!!!! Miracle Whip belongs in the trash heap of history. What an abysmal product.
Plain Yogurt: While mayonnaise is delicious in it’s own right, it’s also a bit too heavy on it’s own for this recipe. We need to tone it down a bit and add some brightness by adding some plain yogurt. I used Stonyfield Organic Whole Milk Plain yogurt. It has PROBIOTICS for all of you “gut health” enjoyers! This creamy-ass dressing just got super healthy! LOL But, seriously, the tanginess of this yogurt really helps balance out the heavy, salty flavor of the mayo. You can use any yogurt, as long as it’s PLAIN……..NO FRENCH VANILLA. You can also get away with using sour cream, if you already have this handy.
Fresh Herbs: Sometimes fresh herbs are the only way to go. This is one of those times. For this recipe I added fresh scallions and parsley. While you can find parsley and chives in dried forms, they will not add the same flavor or freshness that fresh herbs provide. So, don’t skimp on this part…….get the real deal.
Lemon Juice: In addition to the tanginess of the yogurt, we also add some fresh squeezed lemon juice. There are no other foods quite as refreshing and bright as the humble lemon. What a workhorse! Make sure to use an actual lemon for this recipe. DO NOT buy one of those silly lemon-shaped bottles full of funky, lemon-style liquid. That stuff sucks. Get a REAL lemon, cut it, squeeze the juice into your hand, catch the seeds, let the juice slide between your fingers, and toss the seeds into the refuse bin. Simple. Delicious. Worth the small amount of effort.
Why do I even NEED The Best Smoked Blue Cheese Dressing?
- Salad Dressing (obviously): The best memory I have of using this dressing is on a grilled romaine salad with leftover smoked brisket and grilled sourdough bread croutons. It is also great on this Pulled Pork Salad with Homemade Croutons and Smoked Blue Cheese Dressing.
- Dipping: Dip celery sticks, sugar snap peas, your fingers, pizza crust, or buffalo wings into this stuff.
Smoked Blue Cheese Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Mayonnaise
- 1 Cup Plain Yogurt
- 10 oz Smoked Blue Cheese Standard blue cheese will work in a pinch
- 1/2 Cup Fresh Parsley
- 4 ea Scallions
- 1 ea Juice of 1 Lemon
- 2 ea Cloves of Garlic
- 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper or Jalapeno Powder
- 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
Instructions
- Finely mince your parsley and garlic cloves
- Thinly slice your scallions
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise and yogurt
- Add to the bowl your minced parsley, garlic, green onions, and remaining ingredients
- Stir until fully combined
- Store in a Food Jar in the fridge for up to a week