Best of Basic: Italian Vinaigrette

YOU GUYS. I’m about to spill a major secret – the secret to the best homemade Italian Vinaigrette you’ve ever tasted. I feel like every recipe developer says “the best” about all of their recipes, and I honestly don’t say that very often because… come on… that’s a lot of ego. But for real, everyone who tries this dressing LOVES it and it’s because of one super simple ingredient – shallot.

Shallot adds so much to this dressing. Firstly, flavor – lots of it too, but also not too over-powering. Just make sure you’re using a small- to medium-size shallot (small if you’re sensitive to onion). And don’t be afraid to play around with it – add half a shallot at first, if you’re hesitant. Repeat after me, recipes are meant to be customized.

Second, the shallot creates a slightly thicker consistency in this dressing, meaning it takes the vinaigrette from a super liquid-y, thin dressing to something with a little more body – which I love because it mimics the store-bought Italian dressing I grew up loving.

This dressing makes plain lettuce taste amazing, perfect for a weeknight side salad. But it’s also the dressing I use for my mom’s Classic Italian Chopped Salad, and also the dressing I use for my Antipasto White Bean Salad (shown above), recipe available on my Patreon page. Clearly I use this dressing A LOT, and I’m excited for it to become your go-to vinaigrette too. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Italian Vinaigrette Dressing
makes 1-1/3 cup

Ingredients

1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons honey or sweetener of choice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon garlic granules or powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 small-medium shallot, roughly chopped

To Make

Blend ingredients together until super smooth and emulsified.

You can also blend all ingredients except for the olive oil and then add olive oil in a slow and steady stream while blending (takes longer/patience, but prevents separation).

Notes

For homemade vinaigrettes that separate (like mine always do), I take them out of the fridge 20-ish minutes before using, as the cold temp of the fridge can solidify the the oil portion. Once the dressing has had a chance to sit at room temp, just shake or stir vigorously to recombine.