A Secret Family Recipe for Creamy Balsamic Salad Dressing

Looking for a quick and versatile salad dressing recipe to add a pop of flavor to your favorite salad?  This recipe is a family favorite, in fact, it was the house salad dressing recipe for my uncle Kaz’s restaurant – The White House in Goshen, NY.  It comes together in just 5 minutes with basic pantry ingredients.  Gluten and nut free! 

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Creamy Balsamic Dressing Ingredients

To make this dressing, you need a total of under 10 basic ingredients! 

• red wine vinegar
• balsamic vinegar
• dijon mustard
• salt
• black pepper
• fresh garlic
• dried oregano
• olive oil
• egg yolk

Watch how I make it in this video

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Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette Storage & Tips

This dressing is so satisfying because of it’s silky texture and gratifying mouthfeel.

• Keep dressing refrigerated when not being used. I like to meal prep it on the weekends and use it throughout the week. 
• Don’t have olive oil? Use any neutral oil that you have on hand instead.
• Concerned about using a raw egg? Those with a potentially compromised immune system such as children, the elderly, pregnant women and those suffering from cancer, are particularly susceptible to infection and should not consume raw eggs.  Instead, you can substitute a squeeze of store-bought mayonnaise instead!  When using raw eggs, the USDA recommends using pasteurized raw eggs only¹.
• Too much zing? If you taste your dressing after adding 2 cups of oil and feel it’s a bit too strong, you can add an additional ½ cup of oil. 
• Instead of pouring onto your salad – Drizzle around the bowl and toss salad ingredients until coated. This will avoid overdressing and encourage consumption!  There’s nothing worse than a glob of dressing followed by dry greens. 

How to Use

• Combine romaine, tomato, red onion, radishes and carrots
• Try it on your favorite pasta salad
• Pour it over chicken pieces and let marinate over night before grilling
• Use as a dip for crusty whole grain bread
• Drizzle over your preferred grain bowl combination

Benefits of homemade salad dressing

• You get to control the ingredients and limit added sugars, salt and saturated fats
• Those who eat salad dressings were found to have considerably higher levels of key nutrients including vitamin C, E, and folic acid²
• Salad dressing improves the absorption of fat soluble nutrients
• Dressings with monounsaturated fats such as olive oil are a good option for those looking for a lower fat salad dressing option that is effective in absorbing nutrients such as carotenoids³. Polyunsaturated and saturated fats were effective, but absorption increased as quantities of dressing increased!
• Family favorites like my Creamy Balsamic Salad Dressing make salads crave-able and something we look forward to!

Common nutrients to gain from your salad!

• Beta Carotene – a form of pre-vitamin A that is converted into vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A is needed to help maintain a healthy immune system and eyesight
• Lutein – form of pre-vitamin A that also prevents damage to the eye from UV light
• Lycopene – high intakes of which are linked to a reduction in prostate cancer risk in men
• Vitamin E – antioxidant vitamin which also protects the body from the damage caused by free radicals
• Vitamin K – essential for normal blood clotting
• Vitamin A – important for healthy vision and maintaining healthy immune function

References

1. https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/eggs/shell-eggs-farm-table
2. https://dressings-sauces.org/why-salads-are-good-for-you/#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20study%3A,alpha%2D%20and%20beta%2Dcarotene.
3. https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/research/2012/120619FerruzziSalad.html