Easy Salad for Two (with Creamy Italian Ranch Dressing) from Parm to Table

Looking for the perfect dinner-for-two salad that feels a little fancy but takes five minutes?
Meet your new go-to: An Easy Salad for Two from our February Cookbook Club pick, Parm to Table.

It’s crisp iceberg. It’s Parmigiano-Reggiano. It’s buttery breadcrumbs.
And it’s drenched in the dreamiest Creamy Italian Ranch Dressing you’ll ever blend.

Why You’ll Love This Easy Salad for Two

• Perfect for date night at home

• Ready in minutes

• Crunchy, creamy, cheesy magic

• Uses homemade Creamy Italian Ranch Dressing

• Feels indulgent. Is technically a salad.

This recipe comes straight from Parm to Table, our February Cookbook Club pick — a love letter to bold flavors, big cheese energy, and Italian-American classics done right.

Creamy Italian Ranch Dressing

Makes 1 quart

“One of my favorite dressings: a combination of a red sauce joint classic with its creamy Italian dressing vibes but brought into the American realm with the addition of ranch flavoring. Toss with crunchy greens to make a Caesar-type salad or serve with veggie sticks for a great crudité.” - Christian Petroni, author of Parm to Table 

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs

• 2 to 3 tablespoons granulated sugar

• ½ cup lemon juice

• ½ cup red wine vinegar

• 1 cup blended oil

• ½ cup whole milk

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

• 1 tablespoon dried Sicilian oregano

• 1 tablespoon crushed red chile flakes

• 4 ounces Greek yogurt

• ¼ bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley

Instructions

Combine it all in a blender.
Refrigerate in a mason jar for up to 1 week.

Pro tip: Make it once and suddenly everything in your fridge wants to be dipped.

An Easy Salad for Two

This is not your sad desk salad. This is a fork-and-knife situation.

Ingredients

• Torn iceberg lettuce (remove as many layers as needed to keep only the primo leaves)

• Creamy Italian Ranch Dressing (See above)

• Chopped fresh parsley

• Buttery breadcrumbs

• Parmigiano-Reggiano

• Lemon zest

• Optional: fried onion rings or frizzled onion

Instructions

1. Toss torn iceberg lettuce with Creamy Italian Ranch Dressing and chopped fresh parsley.

2. Add a generous handful of buttery breadcrumbs.

3. Shave Parmigiano-Reggiano over the top.

4. Zest fresh lemon over everything (a couple swipes on a Microplane).

5. Toss really well.

6. Plate it. Add another handful of breadcrumbs.

7. If you’ve got them, top with fried onion rings or frizzled onion.

Serve immediately. Preferably with something bubbly.

The Secret to This Salad’s Magic

It’s all about contrast:
Cold, crunchy iceberg.
Herby, tangy dressing.
Sharp Parm.
Buttery crumbs.
Bright lemon zest.

It’s simple. It’s nostalgic. It’s wildly craveable.

And yes — the Creamy Italian Ranch Dressing is the hero. It transforms a humble head of lettuce into main-character energy.

Cooking Along With Our February Cookbook Club Pick

We’re featuring Parm to Table in our February Cookbook Club because it delivers exactly what we want this time of year: bold comfort, big flavor, and recipes that make weeknights feel like occasions.

If this salad is the starter, imagine what the rest of the book can do.