Old Spaghetti Factory Copy Cat Pesto Dressing

After going to the Spaghetti Factory with a friend, I fell in love again with their pesto dressing. I was inspired to make my own at home: I mixed together store bought pesto and ranch dressing expecting similar results...epic fail! Nowhere near as good! Barely edible actually; I don't recommend it! I was excited when I remembered that I pinned a recipe a few weeks back claiming it was a copy cat of the Old Spaghetti Factory's dressing. 

This is what the pin said:

Make it at home in under 5 minutes - The Old Spaghetti Factory's Creamy Pesto Salad Dressing. Tastes just like the Dressing at OSF, but with a thicker consistency.

The recipe called for:

• 1 cup mayonnaise (I used a lower calorie canola oil blend)
• 1 1/4 cups low-fat buttermilk (I had the full-fat variety)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup freshly, finely grated Parmesan cheese

Luckily, I had all the ingredients at home:

 The instructions were easy:

Combine all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth and creamy. Pour into an airtight container and refrigerate 1 hour (this will help the flavors develop, I don't always do it if I don't have an hour to wait). Serve over salad or use as a dip.

Here's what it looked like: 

I tasted it before I put it in the refrigerator, and it was promising!  I put the mixture into a mason jar and refrigerated it overnight.  

I used the dressing for a simple garden salad for lunch the next day and...it was awesome!  Tastes just like OSF but with a thicker consistency; exactly what the pin claimed.  I was really pleased because it did take less than 5 minutes, and it tastes better than anything you would buy in a store!  I will definitely be making this often! 

Bottom line: LOVED IT!