Copy Cat Cafe Rio Dressing

The final installment in my Cafe Rio Copy Cat series finally arrives. You can't have a Cafe Rio Sweet Pork salad without the Creamy Tomatillo Dressing! Tart tomatillos. Fresh cilantro. Zippy lime juice. I'm smiling just thinking about it. Oh baby!

Ok, this dressing is more like a sauce. It is thin. Don't think it is going to be anywhere near the consistency of Hidden Valley Ranch. But this tastes way better, and it is thin when you go to Cafe Rio, too. That way it mixes with the sweet pork sauce, and it seeps into the tortilla and it gets onto every shred of lettuce you fit into your salad. Delicious....

I poured it all over my dad's tamales this last Christmas Eve, and I wasn't sorry.

So I added a cup of cottage cheese to my dressing. It didn't change the flavor at all. It did make the dressing a little saltier, which I really liked. It also felt like there was a bit of cotija in the dressing, and a bit of added protein. I almost convinced myself to just substitute cottage cheese for the mayo, but then mayo tastes soooo good. So, just add cottage cheese and don't tell anyone what makes our dressing so much tastier.

Copy Cat Cafe Rio Dressing

Ingredients:

• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/2 - 3/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2-3 tomatillos, hulled and chopped
• 1 package dry ranch dressing mix
• 1 small jalapeno, seeded and diced
• 1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• juice from 1/2 a lime

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender. Pulse until smooth.
2. Douse salads, drench burritos, and dip everything in this dressing.

Check out the recipes below to complete your Copy Cat Cafe Rio Experience.

Copy Cat Cafe Rio Sweet Pork

Copy Cat Cafe Rio Rice

Bake the bread. Share the slices.