Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix, Italian Seasoning Mix & Taco Seasoning

I am SO excited about this post I can hardly stand it! I hope this post will save you as much $$ as it will me. I spent the entire afternoon today playing in my kitchen with spices up to my elbows. I think I have officially solved our problem of ever having to purchase dry seasoning mixes again. Not only dry seasoning mixes, but store bought salad dressings. I think I have come up with three amazing recipes for a homemade ranch dressing mix, Italian dressing mix and homemade taco seasoning (SO much better than store bought). I am so thrilled to share these with you. I calculated that homemade mixes are pennies per ounce compared to the packets you can buy at the store. I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as I have! (These dressing mixes also have the added bonus of being MUCH healthier for you--no MSG, no dextose, maltose, etc., ALL 'real' spices and seasonings)

As you can tell from my kitchen counter today, this was quite the undertaking. I had to test and re-test all of the recipes until I think I have them just right. My stomach is chuck full of carrots and dip! (Don't worry, your kitchen won't have to look like this, I have done all of the messy work for you ;)

Here are the seasonings that I used today to make up all three of the seasoning/dressing mixes. There are no unusual spices that you probably don't already have in your pantry. I would recommend making up a large batch of these seasoning mixes (the amounts I have below will fill up a small jar) and then you can use them by the tablespoons as needed. Most of the seasonings I purchased at Walmart or Maceys in their .50-$1 spice section. I have found these most of the time are less per ounce than Costco. If you have a Winco near you, I hear their bulk spices are even less per ounce than these spices, so go stock up on your favorites there. Bulk spices would work perfectly when putting together large amounts of these seasoning mixes.

Here we go with the recipes..

PRINTER FRIENDLY RECIPES

HOMEMADE RANCH DRESSING MIX

Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix:
8 T. dried parsley
2 T. dried minced onion
1 T. dried chives (optional, but gives it a good scallion/green onion flavor)
2 T. black pepper
2 T. garlic powder
1 t. paprika
2 t. thyme
2 t. oregano
3 t. salt
2 t. seasoning salt
2 t. dried dill
1/2 t. cayenne pepper
Place all ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth (you will want to do this or it will be too chunky with all of the parsley). Store in a cool, dry place.

Ranch Dip:
1/2 c. mayonnaise (good quality--not lowfat)
1/2 c. sour cream
1 t. lemon juice
1 T. ranch dry mix
*If you want ranch dressing, just add buttermilk or milk to your desired consistency is achieved--you may need a pinch more salt once you thin it out.

HOMEMADE ITALIAN SEASONING/DRESSING MIX

Italian Seasoning Dressing Mix
2 T. garlic salt or powder
2 T. dried minced onion
2 T. sugar
4 T. dried oregano
2 t. black pepper
1 t. dried thyme
2 t. dried basil
2 T. dried parsley
1/2 t. celery salt
4 T. salt
1/2 t. paprika
Place all ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Store in a cool, dry place.

Italian Salad Dressing:
1/4 + 2 T. white vinegar
2/3 c. canola or vegetable oil
2 T. water
1 1/2 T. dry Italian Seasoning Mix
Blend or whisk together until smooth. Serve over your favorite salads.

HOMEMADE TACO SEASONING FOR TACOS OR TACO DIP

Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix
6 T. dried minced onion
2 1/2 T. salt
2 T. chili powder
1 1/2 T. flour or cornstarch
2 t. red pepper flakes
2 t. garlic powder
1 t. oregano
2 T. cumin
Combine all of the ingredients together and store in a cool, dry place.

Favorite Taco Meat:
2 lbs. lean ground beef or turkey
2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
2 T. taco seasoning mix (above)
3 T. brown sugar
3 T. sour cream
Brown the ground beef and drain off excess grease. Add the tomato sauce, taco seasoning, and brown sugar. Simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in sour cream and serve in taco shells or tortillas with all of your favorite fixings.

Creamy Taco Dip:
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1 t. lime juice Chopped cilantro (optional..can use dried)
1 T. dry taco seasoning mix
Combine together and serve with tortilla chips, with bean dips or with your favorite tacos. (I will be blogging soon about our Street Pork Taco recipe that we serve with this dip that is incredibly good!!)