Hot summer weather calls for lighter eating, and if your rich, creamy salad dressings aren’t doing it for you on those hot summer days, then it’s time to whip up Martha Stewart‘s go-to four-ingredient vinaigrette. It’s a light and zesty dressing that won’t leave you feeling weighed down, and it’s so easy to make, you can mix up a fresh batch every single night (and you’ll want to — it’s that good!).
“Maybe you’ve thought about making your own salad dressing, but it feels too complicated,” the caption of a recent Martha Stewart Instagram post reads. “Which one should you choose? Will you even have the right ingredients—or the right kind of lettuce? Years ago, Martha gave Senior Food Editor @victoriaspencers a simple piece of advice: don’t overthink it. Ever since, Martha’s favorite vinaigrette has been her effortless, go-to dressing.”
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You likely already have the ingredients to make this dressing ready in your cabinet. This recipe calls for rice vinegar (or substitute with white wine vinegar), mustard (something grainy would be best, but use whatever you have on hand!), granulated sugar, and extra-virgin olive oil.
Stewart likes to make her salad dressing directly in the bowl she’ll be serving her salad in, using a whisk to help emulsify all the ingredients together. The mustard is what helps bring the entire thing together, so don’t skip it, or else you may deal with a separating salad dressing. You can also assemble your dressing in a jar and shake it up before you pour. This method allows you to make a larger portion of dressing that you can use throughout the week!
First, whisk the vinegar with a dash of salt until the salt fully dissolves. Then, add a pinch of granulated sugar to cut the acidity just a bit. Next, whisk in the mustard and finally drizzle your olive oil in while you rapidly whisk everything together. The drizzling will help the oil blend in with the rest of the ingredients rather than sit on top of them.
From here, you can add other ingredients to customize your vinaigrette. Add some fresh herbs or diced garlic, or sweeten it up even more with a bit of jam or chopped dried cranberries. Stewart’s vinaigrette is a great jumping-off point for experimentation.
Grab the full recipe here and treat yourself to fresh, lighter dressings this summer. Be aware: this simple recipe is utterly addictive!
Before you go, check out our slideshow below:
