This fresh and flavorful Italian Vinaigrette tastes great on everything! From pasta salads to green salads to marinating vegetables, meats and seafood, you can’t go wrong. The dressing is so easy to make, you’ll never want to purchase a store-bought version again.
Why Make Your Own Italian Vinaigrette
The quick answer is because it TASTES SO GOOD!
Homemade vinaigrettes have so much more flavour and you have complete control of the quality of the ingredients which means you can tailor them to suit your tastes – don’t like garlic then leave it out, don’t like parsley use mint or another soft herb instead.
They are preservative and chemical free, therefore so much better for you. Well worth the few minutes it will take to blitz it up in your blender.
Let’s talk Olive Oils
When choosing an olive oil always choose “virgin” or “extra virgin” varieties as this means that the oil has been extracted by mechanical and not chemical means. This ensures the flavour and health benefits are not compromised during processing.
Olive oil does not improve with age and is at its peak when young. It is rich in monounsaturated fats that are better for you and contain a wide variety of valuable antioxidants.
CHOOSING AND STORING YOUR OLIVE Oil
As oils are sensitive to heat, light and exposure to oxygen it is best to choose dark glass or metal cans; if it’s in clear glass, select a bottle from the back of the shelf, as these will have less exposure to light.
Olive oil can be kept up to 12 months but must be stored properly in sealed dark, coloured bottles or cans in a cool, dark place.
WHAT CAN I USE ITALIAN VINAIGRETTE ON?
- Mix it in with potato or pasta salad.
- Toss it with a green salad.
- Spoon it on fresh vegetables.
- Use it as a marinade for steaks and grilled chicken.
- As an alternative dressing to classic Caprese salad.
You Will Need
How to make it
- Wash your parsley and basil stems, then shake to remove excess water and pat dry.
- Pick the leaves from the stems, then roughly chop them. You will need one tablespoon of basil leaves and two tablespoons of parsley leaves.
- Place all your vinaigrette ingredients in a small food processor or high-speed blender, season with sea salt and cracked black pepper.
- Blitz the ingredients until the herbs are broken up and the dressing is well combined.
- Taste and adjust seasonings according to your personal preferences.
- Store it in a sealed container such as a glass jar and keep it in the fridge for up to one week.
PICK LEAVES FROM STEMS ROUGHLY CHOP PARSLEY ROUGHLY CHOP BASIL ADD INGREDIENTS TO BLENDER BLITZ WELL TO COMBINE
How Much does it make
This recipe makes approximately just over half a cup which equates to approximately ten tablespoons which is enough vinaigrette for one salad that serves four people.
The nutritional information has been calculated per tablespoon.
We have used it on
Italian Cucumber Salad (say tuned for the recipe!).
ITALIAN CUCUMBER SALAD
Try It As An Alternative Dressing ON…
HOW LONG CAN I STORE ITALIAN VINAIGRETTE FOR?
Store the vinaigrette in a tight jar with a lid so that it’s easy to shake when you need to mix it up before serving. The vinaigrette can be stored in the fridge for 4-5 days in your fridge.
Ingredients
- 6 tbsps olive oil
- 2 tbsps wine vinegar either red or white
- 2 tbsps chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tbsp fresh basil chopped
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
- Sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash your parsley and basil stems, then shake to remove excess water and pat dry.
- Pick the leaves from the stems, then roughly chop them. You will need one tablespoon of basil leaves and two tablespoons of parsley leaves.
- Place all your vinaigrette ingredients in a small food processor or high-speed blender, season with sea salt and cracked black pepper.
- Blitz the ingredients until the herbs are broken up and the dressing is well combined.
- Taste and adjust seasonings according to your personal preferences.
- Store it in a sealed container such as a glass jar and keep it in the fridge for up to one week.
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