I love Pinterest.

I love it so much, it’s become my new Google. Need to know how to get sticker residue off your refrigerator? Pinterest! Need inspiration for a shabby chic tea party? Pinterest! Want to find a really good recipe? Search Pinterest!

So when my husband read an article that said you should never buy salad dressing because it’s so much easier and tastier when you make it yourself, I hopped on Pinterest to put this claim to the test.

After trying out a bunch of recipes and fine-tuning my favorite, I’ve come up with my tried-and-true, delicious, tangy, quick and easy, shelf stable (you read that right!), BEST Italian dressing recipe. It’s a true multi-purpose ingredient. Put it on a green salad, use it as a marinade, drizzle it over cold pasta for an amazing pasta salad…the list goes on. I mean, you could almost drink it with a straw, but that would be weird.

First, grab something to dispense your dressing. I love the OXO Good Grips Salad Dressing Shaker because it’s dishwasher safe and holds one batch of dressing perfectly, plus it’s got those nifty measuring marks on the side. Whatever container you pick, make sure it’s completely watertight, ‘cuz we’re fixin’ to do some shakin’!

Pour in your oil and vinegar….

Then add all the spices.

If you want to be a little adventurous, you can do some experimenting here. If you don’t have one of the spices, it’ll still taste fine. Thyme was a recent addition because I only just bought some.

Finish it off with a squirt of Dijon mustard. This is crucial, not just for taste, but for getting your oil and vinegar to really get along. You’ll notice in the first picture that the oil and vinegar separate, but the mustard acts as an emulsifier and helps to blend everything together.

Now, there’s lots of different things you can use as an emulsifier: mustard, raw egg, honey, mayo. Obviously, I chose mustard. The combination of shelf-stable + flavor + won’t give anyone freakin’ salmonella was a winner in my book. Even if you don’t like mustard, just trust me on this. Go get a small bottle. It’s like $1.50. Oh, and make sure it’s Dijon. This ain’t no hot dog.

Shake shake shake! Shake shake shake! Shake your dress-ing! For your saa-laaad!

Okay, I’m done.

And so are you. You’re done. You have salad dressing now. I told you it was quick and easy.

Now, you can make any changes you want to this. You can try mayo if you want or add some Parmesan cheese, but remember that you’ll have to store it in the refrigerator if you do that. And then your oil might solidify a little.

Here’s the full recipe! Sorry, I don’t do “printables.” Save a tree and pin this page to your Pinterest board for easy reference.

1/2 c. olive oil
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
2 t. sugar
2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. basil
1/2 t. oregano
1/2 t. rosemary
1/2 t. thyme
1 t. Dijon mustard

Add all ingredients to a watertight container and shake the ever-loving daylights out of it. Enjoy on anything you want.

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