Not all that long ago, I relied on a dry Italian dressing mix from an envelope for my basic pasta salad. I bought store brand, of course, but it still seemed expensive. I was thrilled to realize that a very similar recipe could be mixed at home – from herbs and seasonings I always have in my pantry. Not only does it save me a trip to the store, but it saves me money!
Italian Dressing Seasoning Mix (and Easy Italian Pasta Salad)
Dry Dressing Mix Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon parsley
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon table salt
- 1 tablespoon seasoned salt (I like Lawry’s)
- 2 tablespoons oregano
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
Instructions
- Mix all dry ingredients together and store in sealed container.
- To mix as dressing, add 2 tablespoons dry Italian dressing mix with the following liquids and incorporate well:
1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup white vinegar and 2 tablespoons oil (canola, olive, vegetable, etc).
Easy Italian Pasta Salad
This is my favorite mild dressing to use in pasta salad – and a great lower fat alternative.
Cook one box of pasta (12-16 oz dry), drain and rinse under cold water until chilled. Add your choice of fresh vegetables (use whatever is seasonal!) and/or cheese with the homemade dressing and chilled cooked pasta. I think it tastes better than fat free bottled dressing (and it has no preservatives!).
You’ll find the original full fat recipe and instructions here: Italian Dressing Seasoning Dry Mix Recipe 
It may be low fat but it certainly contains a ton of sodium.
Technically no dressing is actually good for you.
That may be true of bottled dressings, but I feel when you decide to make them on your own you CAN control how good it is for you. Regular salt and seasoned salt are an overkill in this recipe. Just my opinion as someone who has to control their sodium intake and does make her own dressings.
Do you have a low sodium Italian dressing mix recipe you could share? I haven’t been able to find one!
Thanks for the recipe, Jolyn! I look forward to trying it! 🙂