- 1 tablespoon garlic powder (not garlic salt)
- 1 tablespoon onion powder (not onion salt)
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar*
- 1½ tablespoons kosher salt**
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes***
- ¼ teaspoon celery seed
Homemade Zesty Italian Dressing Mix
Yield: ~ 6 tablespoons or 3 “packets”
Make your own "packets" to have on hand with this fast, fresh, economical (and endlessly versatile!) copycat recipe.
Ingredients
Instructions
Mix all ingredients and store in a jar, spice bottle, or airtight container. When using fresh spices, the mix will keep for at least a year when stored in a cool, dark place.
Tip: the olive oil with separate and firm up slightly when refrigerated; this is normal. Simply let the dressing stand at room temperature for 15 minutes or so and then shake well just before serving.
To make the vinaigrette: Mix 2 tablespoons of seasoning with ¼ cup vinegar, ⅓ to ½ cup olive, and 2 tablespoons water. Shake well. For an added flavor component, you can add ½ tablespoon of Dijon mustard to the dressing. For a more pronounced Dijon vinaigrette, I’ve increased the amount to 1 tablespoon.
What kinds of vinegar work best? My favorites are balsamic and apple cider vinegar. Red wine vinegar is also quite good. White wine vinegar provides the mildest flavor, while basic white distilled vinegar tastes good but is less nuanced. When using white wine or basic white vinegar, my taste testers have preferred the addition of the optional Dijon.
Notes & Tips:
Two tablespoons = 1 Good Seasons spice packet. I like to divide the recipe into three equal portions for three homemade packets at the ready. Be sure to stir well before measuring, as the finer ingredients tend to settle.
*The sugar balances the vinegar that is added to the vinaigrette later. If preferred, you could omit and add 1 teaspoon of honey (or sweetener of choice) to the vinaigrette when preparing. You may also omit the sugar if you’d like to use the mix as a dry rub for chicken or to season ground beef for burgers. You could even use it as an herby topping for garlic bread.
**For a lower-salt option, you may reduce the salt to 1 tablespoon. I’ve made the mix this way and it still has good flavor. The higher amount, however, pops the flavor somewhat more and is reasonable in the context of how many servings are created through three generous batches of vinaigrette.
***This amount of red pepper flakes provides flavor but does not make it spicy; may increase to 1 teaspoon, or more to taste.