Lucille Ball was more than just a famous face on TV. She was a bold performer with a sharp sense of humor, known for making people laugh in I Love Lucy and beyond. Her bright red hair, quick wit, and strong presence made her unforgettable. She didn’t only act, she also ran her own production company and shaped how television worked behind the scenes.
Off-camera, she had a taste for the finer things too. She liked her bourbon before dinner, and when asked to share a favorite recipe in a 1938 cookbook, she offered up something simple but surprising: her personal salad dressing.
What is Lucille Ball’s salad dressing recipe?
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The recipe first appeared in a cookbook called Famous Stars’ Favorite Foods. It was titled simply “Salad Dressing,” but it wasn’t the plain kind you might expect. It followed a basic vinaigrette style with vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, oil, and a few spices. However, she had ketchup.
That one ingredient changed the flavor completely. It gave the dressing a sweet and tomato-like taste, kind of like French dressing or Catalina, though not exactly the same. With its mix of zesty, savory, and sweet, it sounds like it would go perfectly on a fresh salad full of crunchy veggies like tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce.
How to prepare the Lucille Ball salad dressing recipe
The steps take a little time, but they’re easy to follow.
- First, mix one cup of water with just under a cup of sugar and boil it until it thickens slightly, let that cool.
- While it cools, grate a small onion and a clove of garlic into a bowl with two tablespoons of vinegar and half a cup of lemon juice.
- Then strain the mix and keep the liquid.
Next, add one teaspoon each of paprika, salt, celery salt, and dry mustard. Pour in a cup of salad oil and a quarter cup of ketchup. Once the sugar water has cooled, pour it in and beat everything together with a hand mixer. It’s not your usual five-minute dressing, but it does bring something fun and different to the table.