Valerie Bertinelli’s Favorite Vinaigrette Is So Good

Since interviewing Valerie Bertinelli back in July, I’ve been thinking about all of the delicious recipes she talked about in our conversation. From chocolate-covered dates to her favorite Trader Joe’s pantry dinner, I couldn’t wait to start trying out her go-to dishes.

I wanted to start off simple, so I tried her vinaigrette recipe that she raved over. For a quick and easy side dish, Bertinelli uses this homemade vinaigrette to dress sliced vegetables for a gorgeous coating.

“[It’s] really delicious and it just brings up a lot of the flavors in the veggies,” she tells EatingWell. The dressing in question is her Ginger-Miso Vinaigrette, which is the star of her Ginger-Miso Pasta Salad. Here’s how I made it and why I can’t stop putting it on all of my greens.

I chose to stick to the recipe as-is. Here are the ingredients listed that I used: 

• 3 tablespoons white miso paste
• 3 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil 
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

You may need to stock up on some of these ingredients, but they will easily become your new favorite pantry staples. You’ll be able to find a good use for sesame oil and rice vinegar like in our highly-rated Chicken & Broccoli Stir-Fry.

Back to the vinaigrette: I simply added all of the above to a jar with a lid, closed it and shook up the dressing until emulsified as directed. You can also mix it up in a bowl with a whisk or spoon until smooth, but it may take a little longer and require more elbow grease.

The result is a vibrant vinaigrette that’s ready to be poured on anything you desire. To taste test, I just added it to a simple green salad so I could really get a grasp of the flavor. The immediate punch was a savory umami, but the taste of the fresh ginger and sesame seeds quickly popped through. That’s when I realized Bertinelli’s go-to vinaigrette was the real deal, and I stored it away to use it on basically everything throughout the week.

Since making it, roasted broccoli, spinach side salads and zucchini skewers have all embraced the deliciousness of this magic dressing in my household. This vinaigrette definitely is full-on savory, so if you need a bit of sweetness to add to your salads, try adding a teaspoon of honey—a little goes a long way! This dressing recipe will not only help me eat more vegetables, but now that I have all of the ingredients on hand, it’s earned a spot in my regular recipe rotation.