You could choose from the hundreds of salad dressing bottles available at any grocery store—or, you could remember a bit of salad-dressing arithmetic and know how to make vinaigrette anytime, anywhere, and with common ingredients in your pantry. Bonus: It'll taste better, and you'll probably spend less money in the long run.
Here's a well-tasted recipe from Cookie and Kate that's easy to make and taste great! You can double or triple the amount of ingredients to make a big batch and use it over the course of the week (or two!)
INGREDIENTS
Recipe yields ¾ cup dressing, enough for about 6 medium salads (assuming 2 tablespoons per salad).
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons vinegar of choice (balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar)
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
- 2 medium cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a liquid measuring cup or bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Stir well with a small whisk or a fork until the ingredients are completely mixed together.
- Taste, and adjust as necessary. If the mixture is too acidic, thin it out with a bit more olive oil or balance the flavors with a little more maple syrup or honey. If the mixture is a little blah, add another pinch or two of salt. If it doesn’t have enough zing, add vinegar by the teaspoon.
- Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for future use. Homemade vinaigrette keeps well for 7 to 10 days. If your vinaigrette solidifies somewhat in the fridge, don’t worry about it—real olive oil tends to do that. Simply let it rest at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes or microwave very briefly (about 20 seconds) to liquify the olive oil again. Whisk to blend and serve.