There are many types of salad dressings to pair with salads, such as lighter vinaigrettes and Japanese-style dressings, or thicker Thousand Island and Caesar dressings. These are all common types.

Of course, you can get creative and create all sorts of interesting salad dressings, but with any type of salad dressing, you might end up with more than you need. So, why not use it in your dishes?

Using salad dressing to make marinades

Simply pour a thinner salad dressing like Italian vinaigrette or Japanese-style dressing into a container suitable for marinating meats. Add a little salt, black pepper, or other suitable seasonings, and you can use it to marinate any meat.

For a richer flavor, add a generous amount of Worcestershire sauce or any other barbecue sauce. Marinate the meat in the marinade for at least two hours, or overnight if you have time. The longer the marinade, the more flavorful the meat will be.

Using Salad Dressing as a Barbecue Sauce

If you have a rich honey-mustard dressing or other mustard- or honey-based dressing, you can use it as a barbecue sauce, especially for chicken.

Because chicken is one of the leaner meats, especially chicken breast, the leaner it is, the less flavorful it is. Therefore, using barbecue sauce can enhance the flavor and moistness.

To use salad dressing on barbecued meat, sprinkle a little salt and black pepper on the meat first, then use a baking brush or other suitable tool to rub the dressing all over the meat. Then, bake it in the oven until cooked through.

Alternatively, you can first roast the meat, sprinkle it with salt and pepper, and then pour the honey-mustard dressing over it.

Using Salad Dressing with Potatoes

First, cut the potatoes into small pieces. Then, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in the oven until the insides are tender. Once the outside is slightly crispy, remove the potatoes from the oven and place them in a large bowl.

Add a light vinaigrette made from olive oil and balsamic vinegar (or other vinegars like red wine vinegar) to the bowl, toss with the potatoes, and serve.

Use salad dressing as a dipping sauce for snacks

If you have unexpected guests, quickly prepare a plate of small snacks using salad dressing as a dipping sauce. For example, consider richer dressings like ranch dressing (also known as country dressing, garden dressing), Thousand Island dressing, Caesar dressing, or Japanese sesame dressing.

Use it as a dip for chopped vegetables like celery and carrots. It’s also delicious as a dip for tomatoes, cucumbers, French fries, pancakes, bread, and more.

Use salad dressing with pasta, pizza, or burgers

Greek yogurt salad dressing is perfect as a pasta sauce. You can add your favorite seasonings like salt, black pepper, and paprika, or mix it with chopped onions, tomatoes, broccoli, olives, and other ingredients. Yogurt salad dressing also provides a good source of protein.

If you’re making your own pizza, you can simply pour the yogurt salad dressing over it after it’s baked. For homemade burgers, simply add a generous amount of yogurt salad dressing to your burger.