Freshly squeezed Sicilian lemon juice and baby Datterino grape tomatoes make up the base of this delicious vinaigrette recipe. Add in a few fresh herbs, a little sweet onion, some dijon, honey, and extra virgin olive oil and you’re on your way to one of the best salad dressings you’ve ever had. This is one of our absolute favorite salad dressings — it’s quick and easy to make and brightens up any salad in just a matter of minutes. It can be found in our fridge pretty much all year round, but we especially enjoy it when these sweetest of grape tomatoes are in season and fresh from the garden. Use this healthy and delicious salad dressing tossed over your favorite greens, a pile of mashed potatoes, as a dipper for chicken fingers, or drizzled over grilled octopus. Once you taste it, you’ll know why we love it so much.
What is Summer Starburst Vinaigrette?
We love lemons, especially Sicilian lemons — they’re a little sweet, super fragrant with some lovely floral notes. We always have several in the fruit basket for brightening up a salad or water, but when I really want a salad dressing that feels special without much work, this is the dressing that I like to make. I like to use the sweetest variety of grape tomatoes I can find (usually Datterino tomatoes), Italian borretane onions (because they’re less pungent than normal onions and are also a bit sweet and never bitter), . I had the fresh parsley and oregano growing in my window garden and the rest is history! The combination of the floral acidity of the lemons, the sheer sweetness from the grape tomatoes mixed with the perfectly oniony flavor, honey, herbs, and dijon, well it doesn’t get much better than this. If you’re wondering why I named this salad dressing after a favorite childhood candy? Besides the fact that this dressing is bursting with flavor, the color combinations it goes through as you’re mixing it all together reminded me of the full range of Starbust candy colors — lemon yellow, bright red, soft pink, and orange.
Making Homemade Summer Starburst Vinaigrette is Easy + Healthy
When you make your own vinaigrette at home you get to control every ingredient that goes into it. It can help you avoid inflammation or excess calories because of unnecessary added preservatives or low-quality oils and ingredients found in many ready-made dressings and vinaigrettes. For this Summer Starburst Vinaigrette, you’ll reap the benefits of all the various ingredients, plus it’s really delicious and inexpensive to make.
- Lemon Juice is a great detoxifier (especially for your liver), promotes good skin quality and so much more.
- Pure Extra Virgin Olive Oil is full of antioxidants and is also great for your skin.
- Tomatoes are a great source of the antioxidant lycopene, which helps reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer and they’re a great source of vitamin C, potassium, folate, and vitamin K.
- Onions contain Add in some fresh herbs (which are also good for you) and you’re already on your way to eating a healthier meal.
- Fresh Parsley is a great source of Vitamin A and is also rich in vitamin C and other antioxidants that reduce the risk of diabetes, stroke, and heart disease.
- Fresh Oregano or Marjoram depeding on which one you use in this recipe, are both full of health benefits. Marjoram has anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties and may even be beneficial to hormonal health in women. Oregano is loaded with antioxidants that prevent cell damage and it’s a great antibacterial agent and contains phytonutrients (thymol and carvacrol) that fight infections like staph. If this wasn’t enough it’s also an excellent source of vitamin K, manganese, iron, vitamin E, tryptophan, and calcium.
- Honey has been shown in some studies to help prevent memory disorders and may even have antidepressant, anticonvulsant and anti-anxiety benefits. Plus, when used topically, it’s a great wound-healer for burns (this is what I use immediately after burning myself) and it works like a charm every single time. Even without all of these benefits, we love to use honey as a natural sweetener.
- Dijon Mustard even may have a few health benefits. Mustard itself may protect against certain types of cancer and lower blood sugar levels.
Summer Starburst Vinaigrette Ingredients
This dressing is so good. But, if you don’t have access to Borretane onions, Sicilian lemons, or fresh oregano, you can totally substitute Vidalia onions or another sweet onion, regular lemons (or limes) and dried oregano. That said, it’s not going to taste exactly like this dressing, but it’ll still be great and homemade. And if you don’t like eating raw onion, simply omit it or substitute chives or scallions. This is a versatile recipe that is really well-balanced and delicious, but it doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t change it up a little bit depending on what you have in your fridge and pantry.
- 3 ounces sweet Datterino grape tomatoes finely diced, (about 8 tomatoes)
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 to 2 tablespoons Borretane sweet onions, minced (or substitute Vidalia onion)
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard (5g)
- 1 heaping teaspoon honey (9g)
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (50g)
- fresh marjoram or oregano, chopped, to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
How to Make Summer Starburst Vinaigrette
For this recipe, you can mix it all up very quickly in the food processor, or use finely mince the onions and tomatoes, etc. and combine the vinaigrette using a mixing bowl and a whisk.
- Squeeze the lemon juice into a mixing bowl and add the Dijon, honey, chopped herbs, and salt and whisk to incorporate the ingredients and dissolve the salt.
- While whisking vigorously, drizzle the olive oil slowly into the mixture until the ingredients have emulsified slightly. Add the tomatoes to the vinaigrette mixture, add freshly cracked black pepper, and onions, and whisk everything until combined.
- Adjust the seasonings and serve immediately over your favorite salad greens, sliced mozzarella, or grilled chicken, and Enjoy!
Summer Starburst Salad Dressing + tricks + FAQ’s
- Make the vinaigrette ahead. This salad dressing can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for 2-3 days in a sealed jar or similar container.
- Scale this recipe up. Double or triple the recipe for serving larger crowds, or to have it ready for a few quick healthy meals during the busy week.
- If you don’t have a food processor, no problem. Simply smash then chop the tomatoes as finely as possible, and mix everything in a mixing bowl using a whisk to incorporate all of the ingredients.
- Always use the sweetest tomatoes you can find. Any variety of tomato works well in this recipe as long as they’re garden-fresh. Use Roma’s or beefsteak varieties or grow your own Italian Datterino grape tomatoes.
- Where does vinaigrette come from? Using oil and vinegar to dress vegetables and salad greens is as old as ancient Egypt, Greece, the Romans, and the Babylonians. But the term vinaigrette and how we think of it today as a dressing actually originated in France and was popularized in London by a Frenchman in the late 1800s and was known to Londoners simply as “French Dressing”.
- What is vinaigrette? The word “vinaigrette” comes from the word “vinegar” in French. According to Larousse Gastronomic, there is no exact fixed recipe for vinaigrette, but rather it should include: “Vinaigrette. A cold sauce made from a mixture of vinegar oil, pepper, and salt, to which various flavorings may be added…Vinaigrette is used especially for dressing green salads…It is considered to be a typically French sauce and is often called “French dressing” in Britain.It was a French emigre, Chevalier d’Albingac, who started the fashion in London high society for salads dressed in this way.”—Larousse Gastronomique, Jenifer Harvey Lang [Crown:New York] 1988 (p. 1137)
- What are the most popular Sicilian lemon varieties? The Sicilian Femminello St. Teresa lemons have unique characteristics that make them particularly alluring — they can be less acidic, juicier, and have more oil in their skin and they can have some seeds or no seeds at all depending on the strain. There’s also the Monachello and the Interdonato varieties (and it’s even been rumored that the British Royal family requests the Interdonato lemons to be used in their tea!)
Looking for Other Ways to Use Summer Starburst Salad Dressing
The uses for this vinaigrette recipe are many. Here are a few of our favorites to get the ideas flowing.
- spooned over a Italian Caprese Salad (l’insalata Caprese)
- spooned over 5-Minute Pan-Seared Flank Steak For Two (or a Crowd)
- as a dipper for basil-parm panko-crusted chicken breast
- as a dipper for Extra Crispy Fried Chicken Tenders (crunchiest ever)
- as a dipper for Mozzarella Parm Butter Garlic Bread
- drizzled over a Lazy Day Refrigerator Salad (w/crispsy fried shallots, avocado, eggs, and sunflower seeds)
Let’s get started!
Print
Summer Starburst Vinaigrette
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 2-4 servings depending on the hunger level 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
If you’re looking for a delicious, bright summer salad dressing this house favorite vinaigrette is the place to start! Super sweet and juicy Datterino grape tomatoes, freshly squeezed lemon juice, a little dijon, honey, and sweet onions make up the base of this packed-full-of-flavor salad dressing! Add a little EVOO, and salt and pepper to taste and you won’t be able to stop putting it on everything!
Ingredients
- 3 ounces sweet Datterino grape tomatoes finely diced, (about 8 tomatoes)
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 to 2 tablespoons Borretane sweet onions, minced (or substitute Vidalia onion)
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard (5g)
- 1 heaping teaspoon honey (9g)
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (50g)
- fresh marjoram or oregano, chopped, to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Squeeze the lemon juice into a mixing bowl and add the Dijon, honey, chopped herbs, and salt and whisk to incorporate the ingredients and dissolve the salt.
- While whisking vigorously, drizzle the olive oil slowly into the mixture until the ingredients have emulsified slightly. Add the tomatoes to the vinaigrette mixture, add freshly cracked black pepper, and onions, and whisk everything until combined.
- Adjust the seasonings and serve immediately over your favorite salad greens, sliced mozzarella, or grilled chicken, and Enjoy!
Notes
- Make the vinaigrette ahead. This salad dressing can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for 2-3 days in a sealed jar or similar container.
- Scale this recipe up. Double or triple the recipe for serving larger crowds, or to have it ready for a few quick healthy meals during the busy week.
- If you don’t have a food processor, no problem. Simply smash then chop the tomatoes as finely as possible, and mix everything in a mixing bowl using a whisk to incorporate all of the ingredients.
- Always use the sweetest tomatoes you can find. Any variety of tomato works well in this recipe as long as they’re garden-fresh. Use Roma’s or beefsteak varieties or grow your own Italian Datterino grape tomatoes.
THE FOOD PROCESSOR METHOD TO MAKE SALAD DRESSING:
- Wash and roughly chop the tomatoes and place them into the bowl of a food processor.
- Add the remaining ingredients except for the olive oil to the food processor and pulse a few times.
- With the motor running, drizzle the olive oil slowly into the chute to allow the vinaigrette to emulsify. This will make a smoother vinaigrette. Adjust the seasonings and serve immediately to over your favorite salad greens, sliced mozzarella, etc. and Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Vim + Vinegar
- Method: Food Processor or Whisk
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 cup
Starburst Salad Dressing step-by-step recipe instructions and photos
