My favorite summer sauces and marinades are bright, fresh, and versatile. Use them for summer pasta salads, grilling meats or vegetables, and for fresh garden salads.

Summertime is upon us people! That means vacations and low stress cooking or grilling. It also means baseball and softball games and all the activities.

We need to prep a few summer sauces and marinades that can be super versatile to add flavor to anything we are cooking for meals.

A little prep goes a long way.

I have fresh basil and cilantro this summer, thanks to my mother-in-law. Two great toppings/condiments you can prep ahead of time are bruschetta and pico de gallo.

Aside from bruschetta, I love to make a big batch of arugula and basil pesto. 

What you need for arugula and basil pesto:

• fresh basil leaves
• fresh arugula leaves
• pine nuts (pistachios or walnuts)
• garlic
• salt & pepper
• lemon juice
• grated parmesan
• extra-virgin olive oil

Pesto makes a great sauce for pasta salad, marinade for meat or seafood, pizza topping, marinade for grilled vegetables, and addition to any salad. I also love to mix the pesto with mayo and use that for weekly make ahead sandwiches.

Oh! Add pesto and fresh basil to your BLT’s! So good!

Just pop all the ingredients in a food processor, stream in the olive oil, and puree until smooth.

Next up in my rotation is a smoky, dilly, creamy sauce that is perfect for potato or pasta salads. Think of it as a pickle ranch sauce.

I love to add this to potato salads, dunk grilled veggies into it, and use on grilled salmon as a marinade.

Here is everything you need for pickle ranch sauce:

• sour cream
• mayo
• smoked paprika
• onion powder
• pickle juice
• diced pickles
• fresh dill
• garlic
• sesame seeds
• salt & pepper

Next up, is my favorite asian inspired salad dressing, that I wish was my original salad dressing recipe, sesame ginger dressing. If you follow some of my food posts on Instagram, you will see that I make a sesame ginger chicken salad on the regular. Even Mike likes it!

I can attest this is also great on grilled/baked salmon and chicken. If you want to make that salad recipe and don’t have wonton strips, you can sub in crunched up ramen noodles. Amazing!

The last summer sauce and marinade is a whole lemon vinaigrette. Yes, a whole lemon goes into a food processor along with whatever fresh herbs you have from the garden, vinegar, dijon, extra-virgin olive oil, and salt.

This is so good as a marinade on chicken and seafood. I love this as a marinade for grilled vegetables, in pasta salad, regular salads, and as the sauce in any warm pasta dish. 

Here is what you need for whole lemon vinaigrette:

• a medium whole lemon, seeds removed
• dijon mustard
• white wine vinegar
• your favorite fresh herbs; basil, dill, parsley, mint, thyme
• extra-virgin olive oil
• salt

For this recipe, I may recommend using a blender as opposed to a food processor if your food processor isn’t large or high powered. I have a mini chop food processor and it took a while to puree the lemon until smooth.

I also love to have a good Caesar salad dressing and balsamic vinaigrette on hand.

Maybe you just biy those from the store, but trust me to keep them on hand for the summer.

See below for my three new recipes and to also find a short round up of my summer sauces and marinades. 

Happy summer everybody!

Arugula and Basil Pesto

Yield: 1 - 1/2 cups

Prep Time: 7 minutes

Total Time: 7 minutes

Fresh and easy summer arugula and basil pesto with versatile substitutions.

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Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1 cup fresh baby arugula leaves
• 1/2 cup pine nuts or unsalted walnut pieces or unsalted pistachios
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Add arugula, basil, nuts, garlic, cheese, salt and pepper to a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped.
2. Add lemon juice and olive oil. Puree until smooth.
3. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up tp two weeks.

Pickle Ranch Dressing

Yield: About 1 cup

Prep Time: 7 minutes

Total Time: 7 minutes

A creamy, smoky, and dilly ranch dressing perfect for potato salads, salads, or dipping vegetables into.

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp minced dill pickles
• 1 tbsp pickle juice
• 1 tbsp fresh chopped dill
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

1. Combine all the ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Adjust salt to taste.
2. Transfer the dressing to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Whole Lemon Vinaigrette

Yield: 1 cup

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

An easy and bright marinade or sauce made from a whole lemon, vinegar, dijon, and herbs.

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Ingredients

• 1 whole medium lemon, seeds removed and chopped
• 1 1/2 tbsps white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup combination of any of the following; fresh basil, fresh dill, fresh mint, fresh parsley, or fresh mint
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Add whole lemon to a food processor or blender and chop until finely minced.
2. Add vinegar, mustard, and herbs and then pulse and scrape down a few times until almost paste like.
3. Add salt and olive oil and puree until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.

Summer Sauces and Marinades

My favorite summer sauces and marinades for easy cooking and grilling.

Pickle Ranch Dressing

A creamy, smoky, and dilly ranch dressing perfect for potato salads, salads, or dipping vegetables into.

Get the Recipe

Photo Credit: www.spoonforkbacon.com

Sesame Ginger Dressing

The most delicious Sesame Ginger Dressing that can also be used as a simple marinade and sauce for proteins like chicken, fish and shrimp.

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Photo Credit: www.chelseasmessyapron.com

Olive Garden Salad Recipe

Olive Garden Salad Recipe with crisp lettuce, crunchy croutons, and a creamy dressing that makes this salad totally crave-worthy.

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Easy Light Lemon Vinaigrette

Lemon juice and extra-virgin olive oil combine to make the perfect, light, and easy sauce/marinade/dressing for everything from veggies to chicken/fish.

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