Low Carb Italian Vinaigrette
This is my home-made low carb Italian vinaigrette dressing. Whenever I have Italian vinaigrette at salad bars, the dressing is sometimes too tangy (too much vinegar), or overly sweetened. So home-made to me is the best! This Italian vinaigrette is pleasantly tangy and balanced (you can’t taste the small bit of zero-calorie sweetener but it made a difference).
Related Recipes:
- Kenny Roger’s Garden Pasta Recipe
- Garden Pasta with Italian Vinaigrette Recipe
- Italian Garden Salad with Baked Egg Recipe
See Also:
To me, Italian vinaigrette is awesome because I can use it both as a dressing for an Italian-style garden pasta, or on a salad. It is relatively low carb, takes less than 5 minutes to make and keeps well in the fridge. It definitely qualifies for the MVP award as my to-go homemade dressing.
STEP-BY-STEP PHOTOS
Red wine vinegar is typically used for Italian vinaigrette. I happened to have a bottle for making braised red cabbage. If you don’t have it, you can use apple cider vinegar.
As a low carb substitute for honey, sugar or any syrup sweetener, I use Walden’s zero-calorie pancake syrup. I experimented and discovered this pancake syrup as a sugar substitute for my coffee. Recently I started using this pancake syrup as a sweetener for my salad dressing too. The syrup does not taste artificial in small amounts so it is really great for those mindful of using lower calorie ingredients in your cooking. I made sure to have at least 3 bottles around the house so that I won’t run out. I bought mine from iHerb (this is my affiliate link).
To make the salad dressing just add extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, a small teaspoon of zero-calorie syrup (or honey, sugar, whatever sweetener you have) and dried Italian herbs.
Whisk (I’m using a milk frother) or shake the dressing in a tightly lid bottle to emulsify the ingredients before use.
FOR MAKING GARDEN PASTA
Check here for the full Italian garden pasta recipe.
Add cooked pasta (I am using spiral/fusilli) to a large bowl.
Add assorted vegetables such as cucumber, cherry tomato, carrot, red onion & bell peppers … I am lazy so they are all ingredients that do not require cooking.
Then pour the Italian vinaigrette mixed with a few spoonful of rich chicken stock (or pasta cooking water).
Mix well and a delicious garden pasta is done! The Italian vinaigrette provides a refreshing tangy kick to the pasta.
AS A SALAD DRESSING
Click here for the full Italian garden salad with baked egg recipe.
Add salad veg (romaine lettuce) and assorted toppings to a large bowl. As this was a salad for one (me), I used a small amount of dressing. Shake the dressing in the bottle (or whisk it) so that the dressing is emulsified.
Then pour Italian vinaigrette dressing over the salad & toss to coat.
This is a light salad for one: a bed of salad dressed in Italian vinaigrette and topped with a halved baked egg english muffin.
Low Carb Italian Vinaigrette Recipe
This Italian Vinaigrette is lower in calorie because it uses zero-calorie pancake syrup as a substitute for honey, sugar or maple syrup. You can also omit the sweetener if you like your Italian vinaigrette super tangy.
This 5-minute Italian vinaigrette is great for both pastas and salads, making it a really versatile home-made dressing.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup (50 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar) to taste; build up 1 tsp at a time if needed
- 1 tsp zero-calorie pancake syrup (or honey/maple syrup/fine sugar) to taste; omit if you like it super tangy
- 1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
- salt & black pepper to taste; optional
Directions:
- Method 1: Shake. Add the ingredients in a mason or a recycled glass food jar. Cover the lid tightly and shake until the dressing is combined.
- Method 2: Whisk. Add the ingredients in a large bowl or measuring cup. Combine using a hand whisk or a milk frother to emulsify all the ingredients.
- Serving suggestion. This salad & pasta dressing keeps well in the fridge for a week. To serve, measure out the desired amount of dressing, and shake or whisk the dressing well just before drizzling over the salad or pasta.
Cooking Note(s):
- This recipe builds up well so you can freely double or triple the ingredients to make more dressing at a go to keep in the fridge.
- Most Italian vinaigrette recipes call for the ratio of 1: 2 vinegar: olive oil. I personally think that’s too much vinegar, and I prefer to build up the vinegar to taste gradually.
- You can salt the dressing first (I recommend about 1/8 tsp or less), or season with salt separately when making the dish.