Homemade Italian Dressing

Yield: 1 cup

Adapted from: Carlsbad Cravings

This Homemade Italian Dressing is quick and easy to make, 1000X better than store bought, fresh and natural and is wonderfully versatile! It’s a balanced tangy and testy blend of olive oil, red wine vinegar, pantry herbs and spices and the best part – Parmesan Cheese! This Italian Dressing recipe elevates and enlivens everything it touches from salads to vegetables and makes an excellent marinade for chicken, fish, pork and steak. This Italian Dressing also keeps for 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator!

• ¾cup olive oil
• ¼cup red wine vinegar
• 2TBS lemon juice
• ¼cup finely freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1tsp dried parsley
• 1tsp dried basil
• 1tsp garlic powder
• 1tsp onion powder
• ¾tsp salt
• ½tsp dried oregano
• ½tsp paprika
• ½tsp pepper
• ½-1tsp sugar or more to taste

Add all the ingredients to a mason jar, cover and shake vigorously OR combine add all ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk to combine.

Taste (most accurate taste comes by dipping lettuce in dressing) and adjust according to taste. For less acidity- add more sugar, less tang – add more olive oil, more tang – add additional vinegar.

Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. Shake to recombine before serving.

Notes

The sugar mellows out the acidity of the dressing, but you may add more or less to taste.

Grate the Parmesan on the smallest hole of your grater.

Don’t substitute the garlic for fresh unless you expect to use your Italian Dressing within a few days because minced garlic does not keep very long.

For a great shortcut, you can whisk up the dried herbs and spices in advance and keep them in a sealed container or bag.

Vinaigrette

Yield: About 1 cup

J. Kenji López-Alt / Serious Eats

A super-simple vinaigrette appropriate for all lightly dressed green salads.
A 3-to-1 ratio of oil to vinegar makes for a perfectly smooth, thick emulsion.
Dijon mustard helps emulsify the oil and vinegar/water while shallots add mild sweetness.

• 1small shallot, minced (about 2 TBS)
• 1small clove garlic, minced (about ½ tsp)
• 2tsp Dijon mustard
• 3TBS white wine vinegar
• 1TBS water
• ¾cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine shallot, garlic, mustard, vinegar, and water in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in olive oil. Alternatively, place all ingredients in a tightly sealing jar, seal, and shake vigorously until emulsified. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Vinaigrette will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

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Italian Dressing

Yield: 1 cup

Adapted from: FiveHeartHome

• ½cup extra-virgin olive oil OR neutral vegetable oil, such as sunflower or safflower
• ¼cup white wine vinegar OR red wine vinegar OR a combo of the two
• 2TBS water
• 1-2tsp honey
• 1tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3TBS freshly grated Parmesan
• ¾tsp garlic salt
• ¾tsp dried parsley
• ¾tsp dried basil
• ⅛tsp dried oregano
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Add all the ingredients to a jar, cover and shake vigorously OR combine add all ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk to combine.

Caesar Salad Dressing

Yield: About ¾ cup

J. Kenji López-Alt / Serious Eats

When it comes down to it, an emulsified Caesar salad dressing like this one is essentially a flavored mayonnaise. But because of the Parmesan and black pepper it contains, it’s far easier to emulsify a Caesar dressing than a standard mayonnaise. The absolute easiest way to do it is using my Foolproof 2-Minute Mayonnaise technique.
An emulsified dressing clings well to the surface of waxy, hydrophobic lettuce leaves, for even coating and better flavor in each bite.
This recipe calls for up to a half dozen anchovies for plenty of savory depth, though you can scale back that amount if you like.

• 1egg yolk
• 1TBS juice from 1 lemon
• 2-6anchovy fillets (see note)
• 1tsp Worcestershire sauce (see note)
• 2medium cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tsp)
• ½oz Parmesan cheese, finely grated (about ¼ cup)
• ⅓cup canola oil
• ¼cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine egg yolk, lemon juice, anchovies, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and parmesan cheese in the bottom of a cup that just fits the head of an immersion blender, or in the bottom of the mini-chopper attachment of a food processor. With blender or processor running, slowly drizzle in canola oil until a smooth emulsion forms. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl.

Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in remaining ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil. Season to taste generously with salt and pepper. Caesar dressing can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.