When you need an easy homemade salad dressing this Italian Dressing recipe is just the ticket! It's bold and tangy made with Italian seasoning, vinegar, and oil shaken in a jar and ready to toss with salad, pasta and to use as a marinade!
Homemade salad dressings and condiments are one of the easiest ways to add your own flavor to recipes. It is totally natural without preservatives and unnecessary high amounts of sugar. This Italian Dressing Recipe is best for escarole, red leaf, or green leaf salads.
Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil is the base of this homemade dressing.
- Red wine vinegar works best rather than white vinegar for Italian dressing.
- Italian herbs seasoning are a blend of dry Italian seasonings already mixed together for convenience. The one I use is a combination of marjoram, basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, savory, and sage leaves.
- Dijon mustard soothes the sharpness of vinegar and helps oil and vinegar combine.
- Salt and pepper just a dash to bring out the salad dressing flavors and add more to taste as needed.
How to make homemade Italian dressing
Using a jar or a dressing bottle, add the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, Italian seasoning, and a dash of salt and pepper. Close the jar with a lid and give it a good shake to blend the ingredients together. Use the dressing on your favorite salads and recipes.
White wine vinegar or red wine vinegar
Italian salad dressing is made with red wine vinegar rather than white vinegar. White wine vinegar is similar to red wine vinegar yet has a mellow flavor and softer tang. It is perfect for most condiments and classic dressings. Red wine vinegar is a fermented wine byproduct with a unique twist to its taste. It is sharp in flavor and we like to use it for the best Italian dressing flavor.
How to store extra salad dressing
How long do you store homemade Italian dressing? Store any leftover salad dressing in a sealed jar in the refrigerator. It will last for up to 1 week for the best quality and flavor.
Perfect places to use this Italian dressing
Take this salad dressing beyond just salads! Use it in various other ways:
- Marinade - use it as a marinade for seafood, meat, and roasted vegetables.
- Pasta Dressing - Toss it into this pasta salad with Italian dressing recipe or bowtie pasta salad.
- Pizza Topping - Drizzle Italian dressing over any favorite pizza like our arugula prosciutto pizza or avocado crust pesto pizza.
Frequently Asked Questions
Italian dressing is made with dry herbs- a blend of marjoram, basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, savory, and sage. It is an aromatic seasoning perfect for flavoring seafood, meat, veggies, pizza, pasta, and salad.
Balsamic vinegar is an Italian classic sweeter vinegar that contains more sugar. Balsamic vinaigrette is a slightly sweet dressing and is not the same as Italian dressing even though the ingredients are similar.
This Italian dressing recipe is very healthy! It contains no extra sugars or large amounts of salt. It is made with a base of olive oil which is extremely good for heart health and is low in saturated fat. According to studies extra-virgin olive oil intake in the context of a MedDiet was associated with a reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease in older high cardiovascular-risk individuals.
Healthy Salads
- Cucumber Tomato Salad
- Simple Salad With White Beans, Tomato and Cucumber
- Detox Kale Salad
- Detox Citrus Salad
- Fennel Apple Salad
- Arugula Spring Salad With Asparagus and Pears
- Kale Salad With Chickpeas and Cranberries
Related Recipes
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Italian Dressing Recipe
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Ingredients
- ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning (dry herb mix)
- salt and pepper (about ¼ teaspoon each)
Instructions
- Using a jar or a dressing bottle, add the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, Italian seasoning, and a dash of salt and pepper. Close the jar with a lid and give it a good shake to blend the ingredients together. Use the dressing on your favorite salads and recipes.
Notes
Nutrition
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