How to Make Homemade Italian Dressing

Here’s yet another recipe that I found out was simple to make as an adult; Italian dressing. My mother is not a great cook, but one thing she could make was a garden salad. My dad would cook everything else and even cut the tomatoes for the salad (there was an incident. I get it, tomatoes are round and slippery) but my mom would chop up everything else and arrange it in a bowl. Thanks for the veggies mom!

Then, when it was time to eat, the bottled salad dressings would make their way to the table. There were some variety of other choices, but without fail, there was always Italian dressing in the mix. I remember the brand being Wishbone… was this a thing outside of the New England area? In any case, it was really good! But, in the spirit of reducing waste, saving money, and eating less processed food, let me show you how quick and easy this is to make. All you need is a jar to shake and store it and this homemade Italian dressing comes together in 5 minutes tops.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup white vinegar

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon of oregano and basil

1/2 teaspoon of garlic, minced (about 1 small clove)

Pinch of chili flakes and thyme

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

1 sliver of parmesan rind

Instructions:

1. Add everything into an airtight jar of your choice and give it a good shake and that’s it! This will keep well for a month or so in the fridge. Separation of the oil and vinegar is normal, so give it a shake at room temperature for a REEEEMIIIIIX! if this happens to your batch. You could also add water to prevent the separation.

If you like this dressing recipe, be sure to try my tahini salad dressing!