How to Make Dry Italian Dressing Mix: Noreen's Kitchen

Greetings! I thought it would be fun to develop a recipe for an Italian salad dressing mix to replicate the type you can purchase at the store. Through trial and error I have come up with this blend. This is a very light and very tasty Italian dressing that you can use on your salad or as a marinade for grilled meats. You can also mix this with some sour cream and butter milk and make a lovely creamy Italian dressing.
One of the ingredients that I have used here is Xanthan gum. This is an ingredient commonly found in the listings of some of your favorite store bought products and while you may see it and express some concern that it is an artificial ingredient or preservative, you can rest your mind at ease. Xanthan gum is nothing more than a thickening agent used to increase the viscosity of liquids and help them stay blended, in this case to help marry oil and vinegar and water. You will commonly find this ingredient in many commercial salad dressings. This particular brand that I have used is Bob's Red Mill. It is all natural as well as gluten free.
Xanthan gum is bacteria that is derived from natural sources such as corn or other organic matter and it is grown and then mixed with isopropyl alcohol then extracted, dried and ground into the powder that we are using today. Yes, it is a process, but this is still a natural option. The best part about Xanthan gum is that it can be used as a thickener in cold applications, such as this salad dressing. There are myriad ways to use this ingredient and I think we should all consider having it available in our pantry as a thickening option. You know me, I'm an ingredient junkie and this one is super great!
You can adjust this blend to suit your own tastes. If you don't like a particular herb that I have used, simply omit it or increase one of the others that you like better. Make this your dressing mix.
This recipe will make between 6 and 7 recipes of dressing which will render almost 2 cups each. You can adjust the oil/vinegar ratio to suit your tastes as well. In the end, if you think the taste is right but the mixture is a bit too thick, add a bit more water. You will get it right and you will have a great homemade dressing.
You can find the full recipe on my website to print out for your own box or book.
I hope you try this and I hope you enjoy it!
Happy Eating!