Thousand Island Dressing is Not Just for Salads

I grew up eating salads dressed in Thousand Island. My parents always stocked it in our refrigerator. Not only does it make a tasty salad, it is widely used in fast-food restaurants and diners, where it is often referred to as “special sauce” or “secret sauce” for burgers, hot dogs, and various sandwiches.

Making dressings from scratch is great because you have complete control over the ingredients and can tweak them to your liking. Most of the ingredients are items you already stock in your refrigerator or pantry so they can be whipped up on the fly. You can make as much as you need and don’t have to fear a whole bottle of store-bought going bad in the refrigerator. And, fresh is always best!

For camping trips, this dressing can easily be made a couple days in advance and kept in the cooler. Just be sure to keep it in a plastic container that has a tight seal.

So, for your next camping trip or backyard BBQ, whip up a batch of Thousand Island for a tangy, zesty, “secret” sauce that’s equally at home on a burger or a salad. It is less expensive than store-bought and it tastes, well, a thousand times better!

For more dressing recipes, check out my Raspberry Vinaigrette and Caesar recipes.

Ingredients
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
2 teaspoons finely diced onion (I use red onion but yellow or white works also)
¼ teaspoon finely minced garlic
1 teaspoon vinegar (I use apple cider but white works also)
pinch of salt
2-3 dashes Tabasco sauce (optional)

Prep
Add all ingredients to a small bowl, mason jar, or plastic container and mix well. Add additional salt if desired. Refrigerate for at least an hour to allow the flavors to marry. Serve.

Keep refrigerated for 3-4 days. It may keep longer, but mine never seems to last that long!

Makes about ¾ of a cup, which is about 6 (1-ounce or 2 tablespoons) servings.

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