A summer staple, Basil Vinaigrette is one dressing that will be on all my favorite salads, grilled foods, pastas and everything in between. It comes together in under 10 minutes. And if you happen to have a green thumb with over grown basil it’s the perfect way to use up all that basil thats going crazy this time of the year.
To make life easier, I have a few anchors that can make a meal with just a few ingredients. I call it an anchor because you can use it on just about everything! It not only makes for the most delicious salad dressing, it can be spooned over roasted salmon (my fav) grilled chicken, toss some shrimp or you can toss it in a grain bowl of quinoa, farro, or pasta salad.
Tips for delicious Basil Vinaigrette
- Look for a small shallot or use about 2 tablespoons chopped. It will affect the end result. If you can only find a large one, just use 1-2 tablespoons worth of chopped shallot.
- Use the best quality extra virgin olive oil. With so few ingredients you can taste all the ingredients.
- Season to taste!! Always! So important to try the sauce and then adjust salt as needed. I tend to go low on salt, so the seasoning I mentioned is adjustable.
- To freeze simply portion out into ice cube tray and freeze. Then needed simply pop out a cube and allow it come to room temperature and use as needed.
Basil Vinaigrette
Equipment
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 3-4 cups packed fresh basil leaves and tender stems
- 2 tbsps chopped shallot or red onion
- 2 small cloves garlic chopped
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- pinch of Chile flakes optional
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp sea salt or as needed
- freshly crushed black pepper
Instructions
- Pick the basil leaves off the main stem, you can leave some of the tender stems(they have a lot of flavor. Roughly chop them and add to a high speed food processor or blender. Pulse and chop a few times.
- Add the remaining ingredients and blend until everything is well incorporated and the leavers are finely minced or blended.
- Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Serve immediately. Or refrigerate the vinaigrette for up to 3-5 days.
- If the oil separates simply shake or stir the oil back into the vinaigrette.
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