The Old Spaghetti Factory Creamy Pesto Dressing

There is nothing better than freshly made salad dressing. You can make Old Spaghetti Factory Creamy Pesto Dressing quickly with a few simple ingredients. If you have any leftover you may want to use this as a chicken marinade or dipping sauce.

a bottle of homemade Old Spaghetti Factory creamy pesto dressing

Creamy Pesto Salad Dressing

This creamy salad dressing will make you crave a big plate of greens. Now, you can make this terrific creamy pesto dressing quickly and easily. And, if you have any leftover, you may want to use it as a chicken marinade.

  • Tip: It’s best to make this pesto dressing and let it meld in your refrigerator overnight. This will really bring out the flavors.

I adore The Old Spaghetti Factory – it’s a restaurant with great food and amazing recipes. If you just look at the ingredients, you can tell that this copycat Old Spaghetti Factory Creamy Pesto Dressing is really and truly creamy! You’ve got a creamy salad dressing containing mayo and buttermilk combined with Romano cheese. Add in vegetable oil, garlic, a touch of hot pepper sauce, and, of course, basil, and what’s not to love!

  • Can I use fresh basil? This pesto salad dressing recipe uses dried basil, which gives it a distinctive signature flavor. I actually wouldn’t recommend substituting fresh basil here.

6 Pro Tips for Making a Good Salad

  1. Season your greens. Don’t just rely on the seasoning in your dressing; chefs make a point of also seasoning their greens. Fresh produce shines with just a touch of salt and pepper.
  2. Use a mix of greens. Keep flavor and texture in mind when you mix. Iceberg and romaine have more of a crunch than arugula and spinach. Arugula or watercress will add a peppery bite.
  3. Don’t overlook fresh herbs. Go beyond lettuce and include some fresh herbs. Leafier herbs such as parsley and cilantro can count as greens in their own right. Cilantro is also good in a taco salad. Use fresh basil in a tomato-mozzarella salad, and toss in some mint with a feta-olive salad.
  4. Think beyond greens. While most people think of greens when it comes to salads, greens don’t necessarily need to be the stars. Think about other vegetables, nuts, dried or fresh fruits, croutons, and grains.
  5. Don’t be afraid of fat. Chefs don’t do away with fat, and neither should you. Fat equals flavor – it makes salads taste better and be more filling. Include some fat in your dressing (olive, avocado, or peanut oil) or add ingredients like bacon, smoked salmon, cheese, avocado, and toasted nuts.
  6. Dress it before you plate it. Dressing your salad this way allows the dressing to coat all the ingredients evenly. Leaving the dressing on the side encourages people to pour on too much and overwhelm the flavors. Add the dressing just before you eat and go slowly – a salad can go from great to overdressed very quickly!

Creamy Pesto Salad Dressing Ingredients

This is what you need to make the salad dressing:

  • Vegetable Oil
  • Mayonnaise
  • Buttermilk
  • Romano Cheese
  • Dried Basil
  • Salt
  • Garlic
  • Hot Pepper Sauce

Old Spaghetti Factory creamy pesto dressing ingredients

How to Make Creamy Pesto Dressing

  1. Whisk together oil and mayonnaise.
  2. Add remaining ingredients and stir or whisk to combine.
  3. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

homemade Old Spaghetti Factory creamy pesto dressing in a bowl

Serve Old Factory Creamy Pesto Dressing with your favorite salad. It goes wonderfully on a grilled chicken salad.

You can also use it as a pasta sauce or dipping sauce. Creamy pesto dressing would be awesome with hot wings as a change from ranch or blue cheese dressing.

Homemade Old Spaghetti Factory creamy pesto dressing in a bottle next to a bowl of salad

Love homemade salad dressings? Try these recipes

Popular Dinner Salads with Chicken

Be sure to look at my restaurant salads and copycat salad dressing recipes.

a bottle of homemade Old Spaghetti Factory creamy pesto dressing

The Old Spaghetti Factory Creamy Pesto Dressing

Pesto makes salad dressing taste flavorful and fresh. 
5 from 7 votes
Print Pin Rate Add to Collection
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Keto, Low Carb, Pesto, Salad Dressing
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 10
Calories: 310kcal

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 2 tablespoons grated Romano cheese
  • 2 tablespoons crushed dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • Hot pepper sauce

Instructions

  • Whisk together the mayonnaise and oil. 
  • Add the cheese, buttermilk, basil, garlic, salt,and hot pepper sauce to your liking. Mix well. 
  • Cover and allow flavors to blend and mature overnight in your refrigerator. 

Nutrition

Calories: 310kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 290mg | Potassium: 49mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 50IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 0.8mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ms. Robin

    5 stars
    Not that I think this will last long (it’s a delicious and precise replica of the real deal. yum!!!) but how long will this keep in the fridge. Forgive the redundancy if this was already mentioned and I simply missed it.

  2. Erin

    5 stars
    Absolute 100% match for the recipe. Worked perfect. I put all ingredients in a blender and let it go. I couldn’t tell a difference and followed the recipe exactly

  3. Sharon

    5 stars
    I was definitely skeptical as well, but WOW! I couldn’t believe it. Especially when other copycat recipes didn’t have the oil in it, I was kinda giving your recipe the stink eye. But I just made it and it is SPOT ON. I skipped the hot pepper sauce because I don’t have any, but it didn’t seem to make a difference for me. I will try some next time to see if it makes it seem any closer, but this is so perfect as-is…I am just thrilled to have found this page. Thanks!

  4. carla

    5 stars
    holy cow!! i was a total skeptic that this could really taste EXACTLY like OSF’s creamy pesto, but i gave it a try anyway. i’m a believer!! i used canola oil and left out the hot sauce since it’s “to taste” and it seemed perfectly perfect without it. so happy!!

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