Italian Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette

Before I even came up with the concept for this salad, I could hardly wait to try out the vinaigrette that I was pairing with it. Champagne Vinaigrette is something that I like to make from scratch, with no recipe, instead letting my tastebuds guide me until I get it just right. The Champagne Vinaigrette from Dress it Up Dressing is everything you could ask for in a vinaigrette, in both flavor and consistency. It has just the right amount of acidity without being overpowering as some vinaigrettes tend to be, and it mingled perfectly with the other flavors in this Italian salad.

— About Dress it Up Dressing —

This is where our story begins. My mother began making her own salad dressing in the 70s when my father was told he was pre-diabetic, and she couldn’t find a dressing that didn’t contain sugar. Every night, my mother would toss two spoonfuls of her vinaigrette into a bowl of iceberg lettuce with some spring onions and ask the nearest child to “give it a toss”.

It was one of the many recipes I took to college and then into adulthood. Once I began working, dinner was often just a large salad made from fresh greens and whatever lurked in the fridge, but the Red Wine Vinaigrette ensured it tasted magnificent.

These days, my mother still makes a salad every night, but she no longer makes her own dressing. She prefers to buy it from us. We give her a 100% discount.

These amazing dressings and vinaigrettes couldn’t have come at a better time, as we’ve decided to be more vegetarian-focused in 2023 and I can’t wait to share all of the dishes that we continue to create with them in the coming weeks (including a pasta salad recipe that I’m currently working on perfecting!)

— Italian Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette —

Ingredients —

• Champagne Vinaigrette (c/o Dress it Up)
• Butter Lettuce
• Red Grapes (halved)
• Mini Cucumbers (sliced)
• Cippolini onions (diced)
• Walnuts (halved)
• Goat Mozzarella (shredded)
• Salami (sliced)

Directions —

Wash butter lettuce and add to bowls, wash and prepare other veggies and grapes, and add to bowls. Top with shredded goat mozzarella and walnuts. Drizzle with Champagne vinaigrette and garnish with salami slices.

The Champagne Vinaigrette was provided by Dress it Up, all thoughts, and opinions are my own.