The Best Homemade Italian Dressing Recipe

I couldn't live in a world without homemade Italian Dressing. It's quick, easy, and works delicious magic on anything from baby greens to a plate of homegrown tomatoes. So much better than Olive Garden, and not a filler or artificial ingredient in sight. 

This popular cold pasta salad relies on this dressing for its delightfully zippy taste. It's economical, creative, and a great lesson in balancing flavors when you're cooking. Are you new to DIY, but not sure where to start? Try Homemade Red Wine Vinaigrette, then move on to Asian Salad Dressing, which also makes a fantastic marinade. Before you know it, you'll be skipping the salad dressing aisle at the store.

Run - don't walk -  to the kitchen to mix up a batch of this Italian vinaigrette for your salads this week. One taste and you'll be hooked. It's bright, tangy, fresh, and even a little rich, thanks to the grated Italian cheese. Of course I love it in pasta salad, but you can drizzle it over anything--even a sandwich.

None the other big brands (Wishbone, Newman's, Good Seasons, Kraft, or Olive Garden) even compare. They're made in factories, so they often have preservatives and other added chemicals you just don't need when you're eating healthy.

No matter how hard you try, you simply couldn't convince me that a store-bought salad dressing tastes better than something you can make yourself. It just DOESN'T. Whether it's ranch dressing or blue cheese or French, homemade is ALWAYS better. (By the way, have you tried Green Goddess dressing? No?!? Get over there! It's the best way to use up extra green herbs in the garden.)

This is a crazy easy recipe that comes together in a single jar, bowl, or blender.

Making a larger batch for a big, huge bowl of pasta salad? Just click and slide the number next to “servings” on the recipe card below to adjust the ingredients to match how many you’re feeding—the recipe does the math for you, it’s that easy.