Made with a handful of pantry staples, this quick and classic Italian dressing is perfect for all of your chopped salad needs! It comes together in no time and will last for at least two weeks in the fridge. It’s great on pasta salad, too.

A Weck jar filled with Italian dressing.

More than any other time of the year, this one feels the most chaotic, an endless stream of end-of-year school parties, graduations, field days, ice cream socials, weekend tournaments, and moving-up ceremonies … to high school! 😢. When I bump into friends dashing through the grocery store, I get the sense the feeling is shared.

Often I leave the house at 3:45 in the afternoon and don’t return till 8, and, well, if I haven’t planned dinner before departing, it will mean Jersey Mike’s or Chipotle for dinner. It could be worse, but it’s not ideal either.

Determined to make it through this week without serving a single dinner in the car, I took some time over the weekend to prep: I made a batch of these slow-cooker chickpeas (no soaking, so good), and I whisked up a batch of the Italian dressing recipe included here. Twice this week, I prepped the ingredients for a big chopped salad and pulled the dressing from the fridge before heading out for afternoon activities. Upon returning home, I tossed everything together, and dinner was served.

It was such a reminder that a little prep goes a long way and more specifically: Is there anything better than having a batch of homemade salad dressing on hand? It feels like such a godsend at the dinner hour.

This Italian dressing recipe and the salad pictured above comes from my cookbook Pizza Night. The dressing is similar to this 5-Ingredient Greek Salad Dressing recipe in that it’s an emulsion of red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, and extra-virgin olive oil but this one also includes some fresh lemon juice, a little oregano, and garlic. It’s slightly thinner and sharper than the Greek dressing, but still palatable for the youngins. My children, who don’t love very sharp dressings, love this chopped salad.

The dressing yields enough for three if not more large salads, which I find satisfying and filling, and everything I want to eat right now. I hope you’ll agree.

PS: A few more favorite dressings:

How to Make Italian Dressing, Step by Step

Gather your ingredients: olive oil, vinegar, mustard, lemon, garlic, oregano, salt, and sugar.

Ingredients to make Italian dressing on a countertop.

Measure everything out…

The ingredients to make Italian dressing measured out on a countertop.

… then combine everything with the exception of the olive oil into a medium bowl. You’ll want to finely mince the garlic or grate it using a Microplane.

Italian dressing ingredients added to a 4-cup liquid measure.

Whisk those ingredients together…

A liquid measure filled with red wine vinegar, lemon juice, salt, sugar, mustard, garlic, and oregano all whisked together.

… then stream in the olive oil while whisking constantly.

A liquid measure filled with red wine vinegar, lemon juice, salt, sugar, mustard, garlic, oregano, and olive oil all whisked together.

Transfer to a storage vessel and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

An overhead shot of a Weck jar filled with Italian dressing.
A Weck jar filled with Italian dressing.

Use on your favorite chopped salad (see recipe box).

A classic chopped salad in a large salad bowl with tongs.
A bowl of classic chopped salad.

From my book, Pizza Night.

Pizza Night.
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A Weck jar filled with Italian dressing.

Quick & Classic Italian Dressing

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Description

From my cookbook Pizza Night, this classic Italian dressing is perfect for all of your chopped salad needs. It takes no time to whisk together and yields enough for at least 3 large salads. Don’t be afraid to double it, too. 

If you’d like to make the chopped salad pictured in the post above, you’ll need:

  • 1 head romaine lettuce, finely sliced
  • ½ head radicchio, optional, finely sliced
  • 1½ cups cooked or canned chickpeas (from a 16-ounce can), drained and rinsed
  • 2-3 ounces salami, thinly sliced
  • 1 small red onion, finely sliced
  • 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
  • 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch (or smaller) pieces (about 1 cup)
  • 1 cucumber, peeled and roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
  • ½ cup cubed or thinly sliced provolone cheese (2 to 3 ounces)
  • ½ cup wrinkly black oil-cured olives or olive of choice or thinly sliced pepperoncini
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Flaky sea salt

Toss everything in a large bowl with Italian dressing to taste. 

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 garlic clove, finely minced or grated on a Microplane
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • ¾ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or half as much Morton or fine sea salt)
  • 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

In a medium bowl, whisk together the mustard, oregano, garlic, sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, and salt. Stream in the olive oil, whisking constantly until the dressing is emulsified. Transfer to a storage jar and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. 

  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Category: Dressing
  • Method: Whisk
  • Cuisine: American, Italian