‘Italian’ Salad Dressing

This ‘Italian’ Salad Dressing is easy to make and comes together with ingredients you already have on hand. Making your own salad dressing is not only quick but also allows you to manage all the flavors and ingredients.

Contrary to its name, Italian salad dressing is not Italian in creation. *gasp* It’s an American creation inspired by Italian ingredients. I grew up on that Italian ‘seasoning’ mix that actually is still sold in the grocery store. Fast forward to wanting to create an Italian pasta salad so I knew I needed to first make a homemade ‘Italian’ salad dressing. Making your own salad dressings allows you to adjust the different spices to your liking. In this recipe I left out oregano and salt. and while I know oregano is a staple Italian spice (I’m 1/4 Italian), unfortunately it is not my favorite. Or maybe it’s that oregano doesn’t like me.

The other day I was talking with a patient about salads and salad dressings. How much is ‘too much dressing’ came up. One important component in salads is the dressing. Fat provides flavor, fullness, and absorption of vitamins and minerals. And while the salad is most likely combined with the rest of your meal, it’s important to note the dressing helps people eat their salad. Here’s to a variety of greens and a salad dressing literally dressing up your next salad.

Ingredients: Italian Salad Dressing

• Extra-Virgin Olive Oil – Use a nice high quality olive oil here. Extra-virgin olive oil is best for salad dressings.
• Red Wine Vinegar – Either red wine or white wine vinegar works here.
• Garlic Powder – opting here for the dried version as fresh can sometimes have too much bite (for me).
• Basil, Parsley, and Rosemary – a trifecta of flavor here. Swap the dried herbs for 3x the amount of fresh herbs. Using a mix here as I had some in my herb garden.
• Parmesan Cheese – this amps up the flavor and should be added right before serving. I added it here as all the dressing was used.
• Black Pepper – I always use black pepper and no salt. Use just 1/8 teaspoon if adding salt as the Parmesan cheese can be salty.
• Red Pepper Flakes – optional, but just a smidge and it gives a little pop of heat.
• Mayonnaise OR Dijon Mustard – These act as emulsifiers and help the oil and vinegar come together. While the mayonnaise isn’t required, it does help the dressing keep from separating.

How To Make ‘Italian’ Salad Dressing

1. Add all the ingredients to a mason jar. (You can also whisk in the olive oil to help with emulsion, however, mixing in a mason jar with the Dijon mustard and/or mayonnaise does the trick).
2. Cover and shake vigorously. OR as mentioned above, once all herbs have been added to a bowl, stream the olive oil in and whisk to combine.
3. Taste the dressing and adjust to your personal preferences. One way to taste test is by dipping a lettuce leaf into the dressing vs a spoon.

Tips and Tricks

• Parmesan cheese is optional, but highly recommended. Only skip it if you need to make a dairy-free dressing. However there are vegan versions of Parmesan that can be used in its place as well.
• I had fresh herbs on hand and did use all of the dressing up at once. Interestingly, if you use dried herbs they make for a better texture. If you do use fresh herbs, use the dressing within a few days. Whereas if you want the dressing to stay fresh longer, use dried. And as mentioned, we almost always have dried herbs in the pantry and we want to be able to make this dressing as needed, quickly!
• You can also mix up the dried herbs and spices ahead of time. Keep them in a sealed container and/or bag, just like that Italian seasoning mix they sell in the store! (sans oregano for me only as a preference).

Other Summer Salads

• Iceberg Wedge Salad
• ​Stone Fruit and Burrata Salad
• ​Strawberry Spinach Salad
• Iceberg Wedge Salad

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