Name: Skinny Kitchen’s Thousand Island Dressing (21 calories a tablespoon)
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 1 cup The BEST Skinny Ranch Dressing (3 ingredients); ¼ cup chili sauce, (see food facts); 1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish; 1 teaspoon yellow mustard; ½ teaspoon paprika ((don’t use smoked paprika for this recipe))

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Thousand Island was extremely popular back in the 1950s. After you try this coral-colored dressing you’ll clearly see why it’s still so popular today! Normally quite fattening, my skinny remake uses my very low calorie ranch dressing as its base. With just a handful of ingredients, it comes together really quickly. Each tablespoon of this nostalgic dressing has just 21 calories and 1 gram of fat.

Skinny Kitchen’s Thousand Island Dressing (21 calories a tablespoon)

Why You'll Love Skinny Kitchen’s Thousand Island Dressing

Imagine indulging in your favorite creamy, tangy Thousand Island dressing without the usual calorie guilt! You'll absolutely love Skinny Kitchen's Thousand Island Dressing because it delivers all the classic, beloved flavor you crave – that perfect blend of sweet, savory, and a hint of tang – but with a remarkably low calorie count of just 21 calories per tablespoon. This is a game-changer for anyone looking to enjoy delicious salads, sandwiches, or dips while managing their calorie intake or following a healthy eating plan. Say goodbye to sacrificing taste for health; this skinny version lets you drizzle generously and savor every bite, making healthy eating truly enjoyable. It's the ideal dressing for salads, burgers, and even as a dip, allowing you to enjoy your favorite meals without compromise.

Ingredients For Skinny Kitchen's Thousand Island Dressing

The BEST Skinny Ranch Dressing (3 ingredients): This is the foundational hero of our Thousand Island dressing, providing the essential creamy base and a significant portion of its beloved tang. By starting with a "skinny" ranch, we immediately cut down on calories and fat while ensuring a rich, palatable texture. This particular ranch is designed with only three ingredients, suggesting a focus on simplicity and a cleaner flavor profile that allows the other Thousand Island components to shine through beautifully, without being overwhelmed by a complex base dressing. It's the secret to achieving that luscious mouthfeel without the guilt.

Chili Sauce: Don't let the name mislead you – while it contributes a subtle, pleasant warmth, the primary role of chili sauce in Thousand Island dressing is to provide a sweet, tangy, and mildly savory tomato base. It’s not about intense heat, but rather a rich depth of flavor that is distinct from regular tomato paste or ketchup. This ingredient is crucial for developing the characteristic reddish-orange hue and the complex, slightly zesty taste that sets Thousand Island apart from other creamy dressings. It marries well with the creamy ranch and other savory elements.

Sweet Pickle Relish: This ingredient is indispensable for that signature Thousand Island flavor. Sweet pickle relish brings a delightful combination of finely chopped cucumbers and a sweet-tangy brine. It provides tiny bursts of juicy, slightly crunchy texture and a crucial balance of sweetness and acidity that cuts through the creaminess of the dressing. It's the "pickle" in Thousand Island, adding a bright, zesty counterpoint that makes the dressing so appealing and versatile.

Yellow Mustard: A seemingly small addition, but yellow mustard plays a vital role in elevating the overall flavor profile. It contributes a subtle, pungent tang and a hint of spice that rounds out the sweetness of the relish and the richness of the ranch. Beyond flavor, mustard also acts as an emulsifier, helping to ensure that the dressing remains smooth and well-combined, preventing separation of the ingredients. It adds that classic, familiar "deli" note without being overpowering.

Paprika (Don't use smoked paprika for this recipe): Paprika is included primarily for its beautiful vibrant color and a mild, earthy sweetness. In this recipe, it's crucial to use regular sweet paprika, not smoked paprika. Smoked paprika would impart a strong, woody, and intensely smoky flavor that would overpower the delicate balance of the Thousand Island dressing, taking it in an entirely different direction. Regular paprika enhances the visual appeal of the dressing, giving it that characteristic warm, reddish hue, and adds a subtle background note that complements the other ingredients without dominating them.

How to Make Skinny Kitchen's Thousand Island Dressing

Step 1: Prepare Your Skinny Ranch Dressing Base

The very first step to unlocking the amazing flavor of this Thousand Island dressing is to prepare your BEST Skinny Ranch Dressing (3 ingredients). This will serve as the creamy, low-calorie foundation for our vibrant Thousand Island. Follow the instructions for that recipe precisely. What's fantastic about this particular Thousand Island recipe is that you do not need to refrigerate the skinny ranch dressing before proceeding to make the Thousand Island. This saves you valuable time and allows for immediate preparation, making the entire process even more "easy peasy."

Step 2: Combining All the Flavorful Elements

Once your skinny ranch dressing is ready, gather a medium-sized mixing bowl. To this bowl, you will now add the specific ingredients that transform plain ranch into the iconic Thousand Island dressing. Carefully measure and add 1 cup of your prepared skinny ranch dressing to the bowl. Next, pour in ¼ cup of chili sauce – remember, this is for its sweet, tangy tomato notes and not intense heat. Add 1 tablespoon of sweet pickle relish, which is crucial for those delightful bursts of tang and texture. Follow this with 1 teaspoon of yellow mustard for its subtle pungent kick and emulsifying properties. Finally, sprinkle in ½ teaspoon of paprika (ensure it's regular paprika, not smoked, to maintain the classic flavor profile).

Once all the ingredients are in the bowl, grab a whisk. Mix everything together thoroughly using the whisk to ensure all the components are completely blended. You want a smooth, cohesive dressing where the colors and flavors are evenly distributed. Whisk until you see a uniform, inviting reddish-orange hue throughout the dressing.

Step 3: Chilling to Perfection for Optimal Thickness and Flavor

While the dressing is now technically ready, a crucial final step is chilling. Refrigerate your freshly made Thousand Island dressing for at least ½ hour. This chilling period serves a dual purpose:

Thickening: Refrigeration allows the dressing to thicken slightly, achieving that desirable, luscious consistency that adheres well to lettuce and other ingredients.
Flavor Development: More importantly, chilling gives all the individual flavors a chance to meld and deepen. The subtle notes from the chili sauce, relish, mustard, and paprika will fully integrate with the creamy ranch base, resulting in a more harmonious and delicious final product.

Storage: This versatile dressing can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least 1 week. This makes it a fantastic make-ahead option, allowing you to enjoy your favorite lightened-up Thousand Island dressing whenever the craving strikes!

Helpful Tips About this Recipe

Makes 1⅛ cups total (18 tablespoons)

Food Facts
The origin of this dressing seems to have come from the Thousand Islands region in upstate New York and Canada that borders Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. The dressing contains chunky ingredients that resemble thousands of tiny islands.

Chili sauce is a ketchup-based sauce used as a condiment. You can usually find it in the grocery store aisle near the ketchup and barbecue sauces. Heinz is a major brand.

Serving Tips
This is such a versatile dressing. It tastes great on all types of salads such as taco, seafood, chef and dinner salads. In addition, it makes a wonderful spread for sandwiches and a dip for veggies.

WW Freestyle SmartPoints 1-Blue
WW SmartPoints 1–Green
WW POINTS PLUS 1

SKINNY FACTS: for 1 skinny tablespoon
21 calories, 1g fat, 0g sat. fat, 2mg chol, 1g protein, 3g carbs, 0g fiber, 164mg sodium, 1g sugar