Try this fresh tomato lime salad dressing for healthy, homemade green salads, taco salads, or even marinating foods like tofu, tempeh, or mushrooms. I am always looking for a good salad dressing and created this to pair with my many salad creations. Salads are a great way to enjoy healthy vegetables, fruits, and even nuts, ground flaxseed, and avocado. I have one most days and always enjoy new flavors to keep them interesting. This recipe was inspired by an Italian-style tomato vinaigrette that my grandfather always made.
Salad Dressings and Sodium
Have you checked the label of your favorite store-bought salad dressing lately? Many are quite high in sodium: from 140 to 400 mg plus for some tasty Caesar dressings -that’s per serving of only 2 tablespoons! One of the benefits of making your own is that you can control how much sodium is in it. This tomato lime salad dressing recipe has just about 75 milligrams per servings (and I got a generous 3 tablespoon serving from it). This is almost all from the tomato sauce – so you can always go with a reduced-sodium tomato sauce if you prefer.
High Blood Pressure and the DASH Diet
When it comes to controlling high blood pressure, we have learned that sodium is not the only dietary factor that’s important. Diets high in naturally occurring potassium, calcium, and magnesium with 4-5 servings each of fruits and vegetables daily and a reduced-sodium diet of 1,500 milligrams per day were found to have the largest reduction in blood pressure.
This National Institutes of Health publication also recommends being active for 30 minutes per day and losing weight – or at least not gaining weight if overweight already. Of course, always see your doctor and follow their recommendations regarding diet and medication.
The DASH Diet has been “Ranked the #1 Best Diet for Healthy Eating as well as #2 Best Diets Overall” by U.S. News & World Report.
According to registered dietitian nutritionist Rosanne Rust, “Almost half of all adults in the United States have high blood pressure (hypertension), with many unaware of it. According to the World Health Organization, it’s the leading cause of death, contributing to strokes, heart attacks, heart failure, kidney failure, and even dementia.
While medications are often necessary to maintain healthy blood pressure, a diet and lifestyle overhaul will greatly help you manage your blood pressure and your overall heart health.” Rosanne is the coauthor, of DASH Diet For Dummies®, along with Dr. Sarah Samaan and Cindy Kleckner, RDN.
DASH Diet for Dummies 2nd edition is an easy-to-read reference guide that helps you make gradual changes to your diet and lifestyle.
You can learn more about the DASH Eating Plan and seven recipes to get started from this publication from the National Institutes of Health. There are tips for reading labels too.
Check out my 6 Tips for Healthy Summer Salads from the Pennsylvania Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics blog.
Ingredient Tips for Tomato Lime Salad Dressing with Cilantro
Lime juice: to get the most lime juice out of a lime, microwave the halves for a few seconds. Then, insert a fork and move it around while you squeeze the lime half. I recommend fresh lime juice for this recipe for the flavor.
Cilantro: if you don’t have fresh cilantro, feel free to substitute fresh parsley or basil. I have had good success growing all of these in an indoor hydroponic garden.
Olive Oil: you can use another oil if you prefer. Avocado and peanut are also high in monounsaturated fats (learn more about fats choices from this article from Harvard Medical School.) I have made this tomato lime salad dressing to be lower in oil than standard recipes to keep the calories and fat at a reasonable level (77 calories and 7 grams of fat estimated in about 3 tablespoons)
Onion powder: This kicks up the flavor. You can substitute dried minced onion, but not onion salt.
Storage
This tomato lime salad dressing keeps in a covered container in the refrigerator for 2 days, due to the fresh cilantro.
Other Recipes You May Enjoy
- Pumpkin Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
- Easy Tahini Salad Dressing
- Asian Cabbage Salad with Peanut-Lime Ginger Dressing
- Salad with Beans, Quinoa, Rice, and Pecans and Lemon-Herb Dressing
- Stuffed Peppers with Butternut Squash and Quinoa
- Mediterranean Style Eggplant Pasta – An Easy Instant Pot Recipe
Fresh Tomato Lime Salad Dressing with Cilantro
Equipment
- Small bowl
- whisk or fork
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons water
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Mix together the lime juice, tomato juice, water, onion powder, and black pepper in a small bowl with a whisk.
- Drizzle in the olive oil while whisking.
- Stir or whisk in the chopped cilantro.
Notes
Nutrition
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How did you like this recipe? Please leave a comment and star rating in the comments below:
when you say tomato sauce, what do you mean please? ketchup or something else?
Hi Shannon,
Thanks for asking. Definitely not ketchup. You should be able to find tomato sauce in the store (well, at least in the U.S.). It is canned in 8 or 28 ounce cans. If you can’t find this where you are, you could use canned crushed tomatoes, but maybe strain them first.
This is such a wonderful recipe!! Yum
What a delicious salad dressing! Healthy too especially for those of us looking for flavour without sodium!
I made this last night and added it to a bowl of pasta and chicken. It was super tasty! Tangy, bright, and citrusy! Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Maryanne,
Thanks for taking the time to stop back and let me know you tried it. That’s a good idea!
My husband has high blood pressure so any low sodium recipes are in high demand for me. I really appreciate your expertise in nutrition, too!! Thanks for the recipe.
Best wishes to him.
I saw a salad dressing in the NIH link that has 0 or 1 mg. of sodium, but have not tasted it.
What a fresh and flavorful salad dressing…the fresh lime mixed with tomato! Yum! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
This recipe sounds delicious! I like that there is no vinegar in it. Usually every time I find a dressing recipe that looks good, it has some kind of vinegar in it. I will need to make this dressing soon
Thanks, Sue. That is a good point. Some people really don’t like vinegar: citrus juices are a good alternative for some zing in a salad dressing.