This is the dressing that I make and have in my fridge for everyday use on salads. It's simple and delicious. Use good quality ingredients in this dressing and your salad, and you can't go wrong.
For years our family has enjoyed the salad at The Pasta House Company in St. Louis. I'm pretty sure it's the most popular salad in town. (See my copycat recipe for Pasta House Salad: Everyday Italian Tossed Salad.) The key to this popular salad is the dressing. Pasta House Famous Salad Dressing is now available in stores here. I'm not sure if it is distributed outside of St. Louis; but I was surprised to find it available on Amazon. As bottled dressings go, it's a good one.
However, I prefer to make my own salad dressings. It's easy, less expensive, and I can control the ingredients and avoid preservatives, fillers, and mystery ingredients. This recipe is as close as I could come to the Pasta House version, which is really just a slightly seasoned, simple vinaigrette.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION (per tablespoon of dressing): 77 calories, 8.7g fat, .1g carbs, 0g fiber & protein. Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 2
Step 1. Assemble the ingredients: red wine vinegar, kosher salt, pepper, garlic powder, extra virgin olive oil, and a neutral tasting oil (grapeseed, vegetable, canola).
Step 2. Combine the ingredients. Here are 2 easy methods:
view on Amazon: Oxo Salad Dressing Shaker Bottle
Done! Easy, right?
This dressing is good on any combination of greens and veggies. I often drizzle it over a plate of sliced tomatoes or use it as a marinade for chicken. It's, of course, also perfect with my Everyday Italian Tossed Salad. Here's that recipe:
Click to view Everyday Italian Tossed Salad recipe
How long will it keep? I keep Everyday Vinaigrette in a shaker bottle in my fridge door to have on hand for dressing salads throughout the week. It's good for at least a month--if it lasts that long! As soon as the bottle is empty, I mix up another batch to have on hand. This dressing is so simple, yet versatile. It's a staple in my kitchen.
Make it a Yummy day!
You might also enjoy these salad dressing recipes: