A Delicious Basic Salad Dressing

I love fresh salad dressings. But they take time to make, and recipes that I find never seem to make enough for more than one or two salads. If I’m putting in the effort, I’d like enough dressing for at least three or four salads.

And that’s what I found in this great recipe for “Big Batch Basic Vinaigrette” from Carla Lalli Music;’s, That Sounds So Good: 100 Real-Life Recipes for Every Day of the Week: A Cookbook. This recipe makes a “big batch,” enough to last a week or two stored in the fridge. I always have the ingredients on hand, except for the shallot, so it’s a simple recipe for me to make.

When I don’t have a shallot on hand, I use about 1/8 cup chopped red onion, The shallot does give the dressing a mellower flavor than the red onion, so it’s worth the effort to get one. I’ve been known to skip the shallot completely, but the vinaigrette is never as flavorful. So lately I’ve been keeping a shallot handy in my pantry.

This Big Batch Basic Vinaigrette is easily adaptable to adding in other ingredients. Often I’ll add about 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or dried Italian herbs for when I use this dressing in my pasta salad. Even 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder has been added a time or two, adding a little zip.

When I add extra herbs, I divide the recipe into two separate jars before adding the dried herbs. I then give each jar of dressing another quick blend (or shake). It makes this recipe twice as good.

The original recipe suggests mixing the ingredients in a bowl. I always use my handheld “stick” blender to make salad dressings. It’s such a time saver as a can add all the ingredients to a bowl at one time and blend away. And cleanup is simple, too. I can’t live without mine. But a regular blender and even hand mixing in a bowl will work.

What’s In Big Batch Basic Vinaigrette

Dijon mustard
shallot
salt
freshly ground black pepper
balsamic vinegar
red wine vinegar
extra-virgin olive oil

How to Make a Big Batch Basic Vinaigrette

Place the Dijon mustard and shallot in a blender.
Add salt and pepper, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil.
Blend the mixture until well combined.
Taste the dressing. Add more vinegar if needed, a little at a time. Taste as you go.
You can use a bowl and whisk to combine the ingredients or place the ingredients in a lidded jar and shake to combine. Be sure to mince the shallots into a very small size if you’re not blending the recipe.

Storing Big Batch Basic Vinaigrette

After blending the vinaigrette, I store the dressing in a wide-mouth lidded 16-ounce Mason jar.
I love this flip cap lid that I bought on Amazon. I use it for Big Batch Basic Vinaigrette and also for my fresh almond milk that I make weekly. It doesn’t leak and keeps jar contents fresh. I can’t say enough good things about it.
The oil in the vinaigrette will harden after sitting in the fridge for a few hours. To remedy this, remove the lid from the jar, pop it into the microwave, and heat it for about 20-30 seconds. Replace the lid and give the vinaigrette a couple of quick shakes to combine the ingredients.

Other Favorite Salad Dressings

Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette

Caramelized Apple Vinaigrette

Garlic Basil Vinaigrette

Print Recipe