Who needs to buy bottled dressings when you can make Light Caesar Dressing at home in just about 5 minutes? Easy and delicious!
Before I get too deep into the recipe process, I thought I’d just lay it all out there: this is honestly the BEST caesar dressing I’ve ever had, regardless of being light or not. I really see reason to order this out anymore. It really rivals my Asian Peanut Dressing and The Best Light Ranch Dressing as my my all-time favorite.
So, let’s dive in. To anchovy or not to anchovy? I might as well address the elephant in the room first. People have very strong opinions about this, and I get it. I personally love anchovies, but I totally get that they’re not for everyone. For that reason, I’ll give you a couple of options.
Creating Depth of Flavor
If you’re afraid to use whole anchovies in your dressing, you’ll still need to supplement with an ingredient that has a deep, salty, umami flavor. Otherwise, it’s just not really a Caesar dressing. I experimented with a lot of different options, and here’s what worked for me, ranked in order of taste.
Anchovy Paste: This really does taste the best, and buying it as a paste in a tube is a good way to ensure that it will last a while in your refrigerator if you don’t use anchovies often. I promise that this doesn’t make the dressing taste fishy–just really complex.
Fish Sauce: If I could avoid it, I wanted to find a dupe that I already have around. After rummaging around in my pantry, I thought I’d try this out. If you do a lot of cooking with Asian flavors, like I do, you probably have it around, too. If not, pick up a bottle in the Asian foods section of your grocery store. It will be cheaper than anchovies and last longer. Plus, you can use it for other recipes, like Pad Thai or Thai Coconut Curry Soup (recipes coming soon!). And the best part is that I really couldn’t tell much of a difference between this and the anchovy paste
Extra Worcestershire Sauce: If you’re still not sold on the “fishy” ingredient options, you can just add more Worcestershire sauce. It won’t have quite the depth of flavor, but it will still be REALLY good Light Caesar Dressing.
Making Croutons
A proper Caesar Salad needs croutons. Of course, you can buy some at the store, but since I’m already going through the trouble to make my own dressing with real, whole ingredients, I thought I’d do the same with the salad toppings.
All I did was preheat my oven to 375 degrees, then cut my favorite low-point bread, Milton’s Thin Sliced Whole Wheat, into chunks. Spray with nonstick cooking spray, then season with salt and pepper and bake until crispy, about 5-10 minutes depending on how small you cut them. Since 1 slice of bread is only 1 Freestyle SmartPoint, I get a good amount of croutons for 1 SP.
Beyond Lettuce
One of my favorite meals of all time it a Chicken Caesar Salad, so I’ve been making them a lot with this dressing. A local restaurant around here even puts bacon in their Chicken Caesar, so I’ve been doing that as well. Salmon or shrimp would also be delicious instead of chicken.
But you don’t need to think just salad or this. It’s so creamy and tangy that it makes a great marinade for chicken or fish. You could even use it as a binder for breaded chicken. Or toss it with some cooked potatoes for a light take on potato salad.
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you make it, be sure to tag me on Instagram or Facebook (@litecravings) and use the hashtag #litecravingsrecipes. I sometimes miss a tag here or there, but I always check in on the hashtag. And don’t forget to add the image to your Pinterest boards!
Print Recipe
4.96 from 22 votes
Light Caesar Dressing
Who needs to buy bottled dressings when you can make Light Caesar Dressing at home in just about 5 minutes? Easy and delicious!
Ken's Lite Caesar Dressing offers the delicious, distinct flavor of Caesar dressing in a style that more closely resembles a traditional vinaigrette. With its visible spices, pronounced flavors of Romano , anchovy and garlic, and a subtle lemony twist, it's the perfect choice for marinating seafood dishes and entrees.
Caesar Dressing – The main ingredient in caesar dressing is anchovies, which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Consuming foods rich in omega-3 reduces your triglyceride levels, slows the buildup of plaque in arteries, and lowers blood pressure.
These ingredients produce a dressing that is often high in saturated fat and sodium. While light and fat-free Caesar dressings exist, they typically only reduce fat and not sodium. Of course, enjoying Caesar salad dressing in moderation shouldn't pose any health concerns.
This is a great one folks, all of the zip and tang of a classic caesar salad dressing, but in a lighter style! You'll defiantly want to make this one and keep it on hand for the summer. It hits all the marks of a great salad dressing; creamy, tangy and super bright.
“This is a great option, because it won't have any added sugar or salt,” says Allers. “But the type of oil is important. Opt for olive or avocado oil over an alternative like canola or soybean oil.” These healthy oils are packed with antioxidants, and can even help lower cholesterol.
Broken down, a burger is a much better choice. Check out these salad options that are really not so healthy: Crispy chicken Caesar salad: Even before you add the salad dressing (about 200 calories), this salad can easily reach 700-plus calories, just from the crispy chicken pieces.
Caesar dressing. Made up of mayonnaise, cheese, salt and oil (and all too often, anchovies), Caesar tends to be one of the least healthy options out there. Those ingredients cause it to be high in both saturated fats and sodium.
All they add to your salad are calories (around 120 per half cup) and fat (half of those calories, at around 60 grams). Same goes for tortilla strips or wontons.
Based on these tips, some of the best salads for weight loss are:
Spinach and strawberry salad with poppy seed dressing. This salad is refreshing and easy to make, with tender spinach, crunchy almonds and juicy berries. ...
Pungent but not too strong, Caesar dressing comes together easily with a lineup of common ingredients—eggs and oil (or an even easier option, mayonnaise); garlic; lemon or white wine vinegar; a splash of Worcestershire; a dollop of Dijon; and ideally, a few anchovies.
Caesar salad dressing comes in a few basic forms. First, some are creamy, like ranch dressing, while others are more like vinaigrette, with a visible separation of oil and water-based ingredients.
Opting for a nonfat dressing with your salad may not be the best choice — and not just because of how it tastes. Research shows that fat helps your body absorb certain nutrients from vegetables, so adding a full or reduced fat dressing or sauce to your next bowl of veggies could make it even better for your body.
Introduction: My name is Patricia Veum II, I am a vast, combative, smiling, famous, inexpensive, zealous, sparkling person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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