Homemade Italian Salad Dressing

Spiriteds, salad season is in full bloom. For about nine months out of the year, I strive to eat well. Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, healthy fats, and filling proteins. Salads are often my conduit. So when it comes to dressings, I want the tantalizing flavors without all the excess. You, too? Then spoon up a little Homemade Italian Salad Dressing, because it’s time to have our salads and eat them, too.

Speaking of spoons, remember when I gave K-Hubs side eye for eating the Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing with a spoon? Yes, well, now I do the same thing with this Homemade Italian Salad Dressing. I actually tried to stop myself. “Morgan, just go get a salad. Good grief. Enough with the spoon.” And then I ignored myself and kept slurping.

So it might surprise you that I almost didn’t pursue this recipe for the blog because a salad dressing seems so unimaginative. Who are we? The Boringtons? Geez. But then I went to work on it, skeptical smirk and all. Holy. Crap. First bite = breathtaking. This mouthwatering dressing is restaurant-style quality, Spiriteds. And I mean that literally. With each bite of oregano, parsley, fresh garlic, sea salt, and cracked black pepper, I feel like I’m sitting in a bistro, just waiting for my pizza to come out of the wood-fired oven. Hence the spoon-slurping tendencies. My only regret is I didn’t share this with you sooner.

Homemade Italian Salad Dressing would have come in handy back in the day, too, when Mom and I had a salad and bread scene of our own. Our bistro was a galley kitchen sans wood-fired oven. But we knew how to make a mean salad that, by the time we were finished assembling ingredients, barely resembled anything even remotely healthy. Eating well can be so difficult, especially when your rational self is rooting for carrots and your indulgent self is pining for potato chips. #Strugglebus

Homemade Italian Salad Dressing is proof there’s more than just carrots and potato chips to choose from. For once, the murky middle is were it’s at, Spiriteds. It’s the new flavor scene. Why? Because Homemade Italian Salad Dressing goes perfectly with salads of just about any kind. Even those containing carrots. It’s also the perfect marinade for poultry, and it pairs well with bread. Seriously, you can’t go wrong. And it only takes a few minutes to throw everything together. This mouthwatering dressing also happens to be vegan and paleo, which, because of the latter, also means it’s gluten-free. Food allergies aside, I won’t be going back to store-bought dressings any time soon. I mean, sure, heath and all. But really, that taste. It’s too good to pass up.

For this recipe, I doubled the amounts of oregano and sea salt I planned to use because flavor knows no bounds. I chose not to add basil this time, but you absolutely can. And if you don’t want the zing of cracked black pepper, then use regular pepper instead. Store your dressing in the refrigerator for about a week, and use it anywhere you would an Italian dressing. It may solidify during that time. If it does, then give it a good stir before serving. Regardless of its consistency, speaking from experience, the taste remains awesome. And if you like to adjust flavors, ingredients, quantities, and uses, then you’ll love Homemade Italian Salad Dressing. It’s the perfect complement to that which piques your palate.

Homemade Italian Salad Dressing

• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Total Time: 10 mins
• Yield: 1 cup 1x

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 1 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 clove garlic, pressed
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (I used cracked pepper for extra flavor)
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon basil, optional

Instructions

1. Combine ingredients in glass jar and stir with a fork.
2. Store in refrigerator for up to one week.
3. If ingredients solidify, stir vigorously before serving.

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