Ranch dressing is arguably the most requested dressing out there. I guess you could make an argument for Italian, but since I’m doing the writing, I’m going with ranch. I have been making my own version of ranch dressing for a really long time, and have gone through many variations, and I still do change it up on occasion depending on my mood. The one I’m sharing with you is a family favorite and always in my refrigerator. The best part is that no one even knows it’s lightened up, thanks to my recent discovery of the many uses for plain Greek yogurt.

Many of my recipes include shortcuts, because, let’s face it, life is busy, I refer to those recipes as “halfway homemade,” and this is one of them. To make skinny ranch dressing, I replaced the sour cream with non-fat plain Greek yogurt, full-fat cream with a mix of fat-free half and half and skim milk, and I used light (and a little less) mayo. This is also the base I use for most of my dressing recipes, including my blue cheese dressing. The halfway homemade part is the use of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix. I do add a couple of additional spices; garlic and chives. Why chives? Mostly because I love the delicate onion and garlic flavor that chives bring to the table, and well garlic is like that old SNL skit, you always need more cowbell — or garlic as the case may be. Of course, depending on your own tastes, they are completely optional, but you should add them, you’ll thank me later!