This simple salad dressing recipe uses balsamic vinegar and other pantry staples to make a tangy, umami-rich homemade vinaigrette.
Equipment | No Equipment Needed |
Difficulty | Very Easy |
Vinaigrette salad dressing recipe for an easy, healthy lunch.
Confession: I don't like salad. Or rather, I don't like traditional salad. I could eat pasta salad or fruit salad all day! But, depending on what ingredients you use, salads can be a very healthy lunch or side dish. The health benefits motivate me to eat a side salad or lunch salad more often than I would prefer, but that doesn't mean the salad has to be bland.
Tangy and sweet balsamic vinegar is an easy way to jazz up an otherwise boring salad!
Salad dressing can dress more than just basic lettuce salads. I recommend drizzling this balsamic vinaigrette over bruschetta, sliced tomatoes, burgers, or even sandwiches!
About Purchasing Balsamic Vinegar:
Traditional balsamic vinegar is produced entirely from grape must and is syrupy and sweet, but very expensive. A good option for this vinaigrette recipe is to buy "Balsamic Vinegar of Modena". It has had red wine vinegar added to make it more commercially available (and affordable), but is still held to a standard for the amount of grape must required.
If you buy a balsamic vinegar without "vinegar of Modena" on the bottle be sure to check the ingredients. If there are no grape musts then the product might be a cheap knock-off without the correct flavors.
Money Saving Tip |
You can often buy cheaper olive oils from middle eastern grocery stores. Spanish and Greek olive oils are also very good and can often be cheaper than Italian. |
Gather your ingredients. Be sure you use the best balsamic vinegar and olive oil that can.
Prepare the garlic, use your knife to make it almost into a paste: Mince the garlic as fine as possible.
Press the flat side of your knife against the mince and drag it against the board.
Mince the garlic again.
Sprinkle with salt, then press the flat side of your knife against the mince and drag it against the board. The salt will help grind the garlic.
Repeat mincing and dragging until the garlic is nearly a paste, this will take about 2-3 minutes. It doesn't need to be a complete paste.
In a bowl add the 3 Tbs balsamic vinegar, 1 Tbs maple syrup, 1 1/2 tsp yellow or french mustard, 1 1/2 tsp soy sauce, 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, the garlic paste, and a few cracks of fresh black pepper (optional).
Mix it together with a whisky until completely emulsified.
Pour it into a jar to store, shaking before use. Enjoy!
What can I serve with this salad dressing?
This vinaigrette recipe can be used to elevate all kinds of recipes! I recommend trying it on:
side salad
Mexican chef salad
taco salad
burgers
barbeque
sandwiches
bruschetta
etc!
Storage.
The oil and vinegar will separate, so storing the vinaigrette in a reused jar or salad dressing jar that can be shaken before use makes storing this recipe much easier.
This balsamic dressing recipe will last in the fridge for 3-4 days.
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