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Made-at-Home Italian Herb Dressing
This made-at-home Italian Herb dressing recipe is incredibly simple to make and tastes far superior to store-bought versions. I can assure you that I am well-versed in the subject. Despite its name, Italian Herb Salad Dressing is an American pantry staple made with Italian ingredients such as garlic, extra virgin olive oil, oregano, and basil. Most of us are familiar with Italian dressing, a bottled product that includes some of these flavors as well as stabilizers and emulsifiers to prolong its storage life. By making a delicious fresh version of Italian dressing, you can control the quality of the ingredients and adjust the flavor to your liking. Additives and preservatives are not used in our easy-to-customize, fresh-tasting recipe.
Italian Herb Other Uses
Apart from salad, this fantastic dressing can be used for a variety of other things:
- By adding homemade Italian dressing to a pasta salad or potato, you can make it a standout. Combine your favorite vegetables, black olives, chopped sundried tomatoes, sliced red onions, and a couple of tablespoons of capers with cooked short pasta, farro, quinoa, or rice. Add a couple of teaspoons of mayo and a squeeze of lime for a tangy kick to the dressing.
- Before roasting or grilling, marinate beef, pork, or fish. Marinate haddock steaks in the dressing for 10 minutes for a beautiful and simple fish recipe. Depending on the thickness of the fillets, bake en papillote for 6 to 10 minutes at 400°F.
- To make a delicious crudité and chip dip, combine 4 tbsp of the dressing with 8 ounces of cream cheese.
- Drizzle the dressing over a round of ricotta, Brie, or Camembert baked-on store-bought puff pastry before cutting.
Variations on the Recipe
Feel free to modify the recipe to suit your tastes:
- For a milder vinaigrette, use vegetable oil.
- To increase the heat, add crushed red pepper flakes to the dressing.
- For a more complex flavor, add bacon and onion powder.
- To make a honey-mustard dressing, add honey.
- Mix the vinegar, salt, oil, and pepper with mayonnaise or sour cream to make a creamy vinaigrette.
- Add 1/4 cup full-fat Greek yogurt and an extra pinch of salt to make a thicker dressing.
- For a little extra zing, add 2 to 4 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese and freshly ground black pepper.
- To make a balsamic vinaigrette, replace the red wine vinegar with balsamic vinegar.
- Fresh basil and parsley are optional but, don’t keep leftovers of this version for more than two days because the herbs will become mushy and the dressing will spoil quickly.
White or Red Wine Vinegar?
This dressing works well with both red and white wine vinegar. You are free to use whatever you have on hand. I prefer red to white, but it makes no difference other than to create a dressing that looks more like what you see in stores (in terms of color).
How Do You Keep Your Dressing Leftovers Safe?
Keep any leftover dressing in an airtight container with a lid in the refrigerator. I prefer to use a jar that has a good seal. It will keep for up to two weeks in the refrigerator. You’ll notice some separation, so give it a good shake before using.
Try Our Italian Herb Salad Dressing Recipe:
Italian Herb
Ingredients
- 4 oz red wine vinegar
- 12 oz olive oil
- kosher salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp maple sugar
- ⅓ tsp black pepper freshly ground
- 1-2 tsp Italian herb blend, dried, or Italian seasoning
- 2-3 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic crushed and finely minced
Instructions
Instructions
- Gather all ingredients
- Combine all of the ingredients in a glass jar with a screw-on lid or another container with a tight-fitting lid.
- Tighten the lid and shake vigorously for 1 minute.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate. Enjoy!
Nutrition
You are going to love this!
I would love to hear from you! Just leave a comment below!
READ MORE:
Italian Cuisine – Not Just Pasta
Italian Lentil Soup, Mediterranean Cuisine
Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing
Green Goddess Dip (or Dressing)
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