Homemade Catalina Dressing

Have you had Catalina dressing? It is slightly sweeter, redder, and spicier than French dressing. You can use this homemade Catalina dressing recipe to add a unique flavor to your salads.

I was creating a dressing for my Southwest Pasta Salad and it wasn’t quite working. The dressing needed something but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was. Salsa would be too spicy and I already had taco seasoning. Then I saw some leftover spaghetti sauce in the refrigerator and decided to add some. The result was a truly amazing salad dressing.

The flavor of the homemade salad dressing reminded me of something, but I couldn’t quite figure out what it was. And then it hit me, the flavor was similar to a Catalina dressing – sweet and spicy with a tomato undertone.

The leftover spaghetti sauce is the secret ingredient. I don’t always have leftover spaghetti sauce on hand, so I came up with a plan. I have started freezing a cup of two of leftover spaghetti sauce in ice-cube trays. Once the cubes are frozen I transfer them to an airtight container. Each ice-cube equals 2 tablespoons. I can thaw the spaghetti sauce quickly and add it to recipes when I need a little something something.

Homemade Catalina Dressing Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup lime juice (use this tip when limes are on sale)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/3 cup Spaghetti Sauce (or ketchup + 2 teaspoons Italian seaoning mix)
• 2 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

Add all of the ingredients to a small bowl or cruet. Stir or shake well to combine all of the ingredients.

This dressing is not as thick as a store-bought Catalina. If you want it to be thicker, place the mixture in a small sauce pan, add 1 teaspoon of cornstarch and cook over a medium-low flame until the dressing has reached its desired consistency.

Refrigerate it until you are ready to serve the salad. Keep unused portion in a covered container in the refrigerator.

Printable Recipe for Homemade Catalina Dressing

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Homemade Catalina Dressing

Course Salad Dressing

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Author Alea

Ingredients

• ▢ juice and zest of 2 limes ~ 1/4 cup lime juice (use this tip when limes are on sale)
• ▢ 1/4 cup olive oil
• ▢ 1/4 cup water
• ▢ 1/4 cup honey
• ▢ 1/3 cup Spaghetti Sauce or ketchup + 2 teaspoons Italian seaoning mix
• ▢ 2 tablespoon brown sugar
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

• Add all of the ingredients to a small bowl or cruet.
• Stir or shake well to combine all of the ingredients.
• Refrigerate it until you are ready to serve the salad.

More Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes

Honey Mustard Salad Dressing Recipe

Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing

Honey Lime Dressing

Raspberry Vinaigrette

Apple Walnut Vinaigrette

Asian Salad Dressing