Ranch Dressing: Misunderstood Condiment or Potential for Gourmet Food?

It's amazing how much our tastes change as we grow older. As a child, I was completely obsessed with Brussels sprouts, cheese curls, and just about anything involving chocolate. Whereas many of those culinary infatuations remain in tact, I have become in my adulthood one of those people I looked at in sheer disgust as a child: I dip everything in ranch dressing. I don't know when, why, or how it happened, but ranch dressing has become quite the staple of my diet these days. As a true foodie, I say this almost in shame. Thinking of taking a delectable organic Panini and dipping it in what? Ranch, of all things?

To redeem myself, I am going to suggest that perhaps ranch dressing is not a sign of uncouth, unrefined culinary taste, but rather a misunderstood flavor with excellent potential. I've offered three delicious recipes for the ranch lover-all of which are incredibly easy to make and a great showcase for our (well, at least my) favorite condiment.

Buffalo Ranch Pizza

1 Pizza Crust
1-1½ cups ranch dressing of choice
1½ lb. chicken tenders, diced and fully cooked (whether you buy them that way, or quickly fry them in a skillet with a bit of olive oil, it doesn't matter)
¾ c. Frank's Red Hot
1 tbsp. butter
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
Other toppings of choice

Putting the pizza together certainly isn't rocket science. Instead of using pizza sauce, cover the pizza crust in the ranch dressing. If you prefer, you could also mix a bit of the Red Hot into the ranch, but that is entirely up to you. Sprinkle the cheese over the ranch, covering the entire pizza. Melt the butter and mix with the Red Hot. Coat the diced chicken liberally in the hot sauce mixture. Arrange the chicken on the pizza along with whatever toppings you prefer on pizza, then bake according to the directions on the pizza crust you purchase. Voila.

Mexican Green Salad with Ranch Picante Dressing

Salad greens (of your preference)
1 Haas avocado, diced
½ c. Black beans
½ c. Whole kernel corn
½ Green Bell Pepper, diced
1 lb. fully cooked chicken, diced (optional)
½ c. shredded Mexican blend cheese

Dressing:
¼ c. Salsa of your choice
½ c. Ranch dressing
¼ c. sour cream

Assemble the salad using the ingredients listed. Mix the dressing ingredients, and then drizzle over top of the salad. There's nothing else to it!

Bacon Ranch Grilled Cheese

2 slices quality bread (I prefer rye, but it can be accomplished with any variety)
1 slice provolone cheese
2-3 slices fully cooked, crispy bacon
¼ medium tomato, sliced
¼ Haas avocado, sliced
2 tbsp. ranch dressing
butter, for frying

Though grilled cheese doesn't scream "gourmet," it is certainly possible to jazz it up and take it further than your kid's standard lunch option. Assemble the sandwich using the ingredients listed-making sure to hit both sides of the sandwich with ranch dressing, and attempting to keep all of the components in the sandwich (this is the tricky part). If you prefer a different kind of cheese, by all means concoct your sandwich with cheddar, mozzarella, or whatever your heart desires.

As you can see, there are many applications for our lovable underdog. Ranch may seem unsophisticated, but with a little help we'll pull it into the culinary limelight. Happy cooking!