Mediterranean Green Goddess Dip

This Mediterranean Green Goddess Dip is a healthy twist to the classic recipe. I’ve replaced the typical mayo and sour cream with Greek yogurt and added few more herbs to the mix. This definitely bring the Green Goddess to a new flavor level:).

You can use this recipe to make a great dip for entertaining or game day. You you can thin the mix a little and turn this recipe into a magical dressing for any green salad!

This dip is perfect with veggies, crackers, chips, pita bread and more!! It takes few minutes to prepare and you can serve it with anything. My son even drizzles it over fried chicken.

I cook with a lot of herbs, I grow some of them in my garden and buy the rest. Sometimes I have extra herbs and no time to cook so I feel bad they might go unused. This dip is an excellent way to use up all herbs leftovers and clean up the refrigerator too. It’s a great way to apply the sustainability concepts of the Mediterranean way of living too.

Classic Green Goddess Dressing

As a foodie myself, I’ll tell you that Green Goddess dressing is a creamy, herbal dressing that’s typically made with anchovies, garlic, mayonnaise, lemon juice, parsley, tarragon, salt, and pepper. It’s a popular choice for salads, but it can also be used as a dip or sauce for other dishes.

I first learned about Green Goddess recipes from Tiktok ,then I had to look up the origins and history.

According to Wikipedia, Green Goddess dressing it might have been invented in 1923 by Philip Roemer, the executive chef at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. He created it to honor actor George Arliss, who was staying at the hotel while he starred in a play called “The Green Goddess.”

Over the decades, the recipe for Green Goddess dressing has evolved somewhat. Some cooks now omit the anchovies or use a less salty variety. Others add additional herbs, such as chives or dill. There’s a version with Worcestershire Sauce in it or another version with avocado etc.

But no matter how it’s made, Green Goddess dressing is a delicious and versatile condiment that can be enjoyed by everyone.

Ingredients

The list of ingredients can be long, but keep in mind that you can adjust it to whatever herbs you have on hand. My rule of thumb to achieve a good consistency is to have volume wise twice as much herbs as Greek yogurt.

• Greek yogurt – base of the dip and adds creaminess.
• Olive oil (what Mediterranean dip doesn’t have some good olive oil)
• Lemon – both juice and zest, adjust to taste for tartness and flavor.
• Green onions – green onions add that fresh Spring flavor to this dip.
• Italian parsley & Curly Parsley – I add both, one for structure and one for flavor. It’s a green dip afterall:)).
• Basil – I grow a lot of basil so this is the herb I usually have the most of. You can slightly change the flavor of the dip by changing the ratios between the herbs.
• Mint – I love mint. If I’m serving a lamb dish, I’d double the amount of mint in the dip. It makes for a great dressing for roasted lamb too.
• Tarragon – tarragon is such an underrated herb. I add it in a tuna dip or chicken dinner recipe and they’re both wildly popular.
• Thyme – fresh thyme is not easy to come by, but if you have it add it on. Lately Aldi is selling little boxes of fresh thyme, leaves are easy to strip of the stem.
• Oregano – There are several types of oregano plant and partial the one grown around the Mediterranean. But fresh oregano leaves will add a great flavor to this dip no matter where there are grown.
• Garlic – use raw garlic for a more pronounced flavor, or roast the garlic prior for a deeper flavor. Occasionally, I use garlic confit if I have it handy to add to this dip.
• 1 green chili (pick any spicy green pepper you can find or can handle the heat).
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste

While I use a lot of dry herbs in cooking, this dip really needs fresh herbs. It won’t taste the same with dry herbs. If you can’t find a fresh herb from this list, replace its quantity with another fresh herb you have on hand.

Process

In short, I just add everything to the blender and pulse then blend until the greens are incorporated.

Something that you should be extra mindful on this recipe is to wash all the herbs carefully before blending them with yogurt. Herbs can often retain impurities in between leaves and they’ll make you feel like you’re chewing sand if not washed thoroughly.

I also add basil leaves as they are with stems. But I remove the stems from tarragon, mint, oregano. As per parsley, I only remove the thick stems but not everything.

Sonila’s Tips and Notes

Here are some of my tips to achieve a great recipe.

• Don’t be afraid to adjust some quantities to your liking or to achieve the consistency you want.
• Wash all the herbs thoroughly and let them air dry in a colander or hang them upside down in the kitchen.
• Use a whole milk Greek yogurt for best results, it will make for a creamy dip.
• Use a green chili that you like or that it’s easy to find in your region. Back in my home country of Albania we used to grow small green spicy chilis in pots and kept them in the balcony year around. Their spiciness varies on the type you use, so go slow, blend, test and then add more to your liking.
• I didn’t add cilantro or dill this time but these two are great herbs to add to the mix as well.

Extra-Tip: A favorite Mediterranean herb of mine is Marjoram. We used to grow it in pots in my balcony. If you find fresh marjoram, definitely add it to this amazing Green Goddess Dip!

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More Mediterranean Recipes

If you liked this Mediterranean dip, I bet you might like these other Mediterranean inspired recipes:

• Unstuffed Peppers with Ground Beef
• Sausage Pasta
• Chicken Pastina Soup
• Phyllo Meat Pie with Ground Beef (Byrek me Mish)
• Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette
• Spinach, Rice Casserole with Eggs (Burani)