How To Make Salad Dressing

Pouring olive oil salad dressing onto tomato, mozzarella and rocket salad with basil garnish and balsamic vinegar

There are many wonderful salad dressings available in the market, but none of them provide you with the same freedom that comes from making your own. Creating your own dressing sets you loose in a unique culinary landscape where you can explore the subtleties of your own taste preferences.

Basic Recipe

The basic recipe for dressing is quite simple and adds a fresh flavor to salads that is difficult to achieve with store-bought brands.

Ingredients:

Olive or Vegetable Oil
Red Wine Vinegar
Parsley
Garlic
Salt
Pepper

Directions (For A Four-Person Salad):

1. Prepare salad to preference

2. Pour 4 tsp. oil over salad

3. Pour 2 tsp. red wine vinegar over salad

4. Add 1 T. parsley (crushed)

5. Add 1 tsp. Garlic Salt

6. Add 1 tsp. Pepper

7. Toss salad as normal, being sure to mix well

The relative measurements of each ingredient can and should be adjusted to personal taste. Just be sure to keep in mind the 2 to 1 ratio of oil to vinegar, and your variations will work out well.

Getting Creative

The basic recipe creates a fresh dressing, but it's experimentation that really expands the possibilities. The basic recipe will stay the same, but try playing around with the flavor by substituting and freely mixing the following ingredients:

Oil Substitutes: Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Vinegar Substitutes: Red Raspberry Vinegar, Balsamic Vinegar, Herb & Garlic Rice Vinegar

Garlic Salt Substitutes: Onion Salt, Celery Salt, Coarse-Ground Sea Salt

Parsley Substitutes: Basil, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme

Pepper Substitutes: Lemon Pepper, Cayenne Pepper, Paprika

The variations listed above are merely suggestions. No doubt you will be inspired to add your own favorite spices to the list. Remember, great salad dressings come from being adventurous in combining various dressing options with different kinds of salads.

With this simple recipe for salad dressing, you now have the power to easily create new dressings personalized for your taste and the kinds of salads you love to eat. Enjoy!

Experimentation with the basic recipe possibilities to expand the opportunities