Easy Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe

There are plenty of dressing types to choose from, but one of the most popular and classic of them all is undoubtedly balsamic vinaigrette. It's light and flavorful, and it complements greens and vegetables incredibly well. But don't be fooled into thinking that this dressing can only be used for salad. Nope, there are plenty of other ways to serve it up. You could also add it to a sandwich, use it as a dipping sauce, or even sprinkle it over pasta salad to jazz things up. Recipe developer Jaime Shelbert of Wholly Nourished came up with this quick and easy recipe with special meaning to her. "I wanted to share this classic recipe we regularly use in our family," Shelbert says. "Your guests will be impressed that you whipped up your own dressing rather than popping a bottle of store-bought."

She also gives a great description of the dressing flavor. "The flavor profile of your vinaigrette will rely on the quality of the balsamic vinegar used," Shelbert explains. "While you don't need to use a top-of-the-line vinegar for vinaigrette, a balsamic vinegar of Modena is fairly standard and will offer slight acidity and slight sweetness. Combined with the other ingredients, this vinaigrette is the perfect combo of sweet, salty, earthy, and tart."

To get started, head to the grocery store and grab all the necessary ingredients. You will only need a few things, including extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, fresh ground pepper, and garlic, which you'll need to mince.

From beginning to end, this recipe is simple. The first thing you will need to do is grab a jar and add all the ingredients. This includes the extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, fresh ground pepper, and minced garlic. "Honey is a special ingredient in this dressing. It adds a touch of sweetness to offset the tang of the vinegar," Shelbert shares.

Put the lid back on the jar and give it a few good shakes to combine all of the ingredients well. This shouldn't take more than a few seconds. Alternatively, you could add the ingredients to a bowl and whisk them together.

Wasn't that easy to make? Now, you can serve this easy balsamic vinaigrette however you wish. One of the most common ways people like to serve this dressing is on a salad, but there are plenty of other things you can add it to. "It can be used as a marinade, as a condiment on an Italian sandwich, as a sauce for grilling or roasting vegetables, or it can be stirred into a pasta salad," Shelbert says.

This recipe is great to make ahead of time and use for a variety of different things. "Store any unused dressing in an airtight glass container for up to two weeks," Shelbert notes.