The Ina Garten Recipe I Have Memorized and Use at Least 3 Times a Week

There’s no denying that Ina Garten is a wealth of kitchen knowledge. As a kid, I grew up watching her "Barefoot Contessa" show on TV with my Grandma and thumbing through her cookbooks on my aunt’s shelf in high school as my interest in cooking grew. In college, I got my first job in a restaurant out of necessity. Over the next decade, I developed a career as a cook, working in many restaurants, from fast-casual vegan to fine dining and almost everything in between. One thing every restaurant I’ve ever worked in had in common is salad. You can find a simple green salad on almost any menu in every cuisine—each with its own take on dressing. But anytime I was creating a special with a salad component, dressing an herb mix for garnish, or even simply flavoring greens for a sandwich (yes, you should always dress your sandwich lettuce), I always found myself going back to Ina’s four-ingredient vinaigrette I stumbled upon way back when.

How to Make Ina Garten's Easy 4-Ingredient Vinaigrette

This dressing recipe is so simple, yes somehow, more than the sum of its parts. I’ve been devoted to this vinaigrette for years, and recently, I’ve seen it resurface on social media. Because it’s so straightforward, I’ve committed it to memory and still mix up a batch for a pre-dinner salad at least three times a week.

To make Garten's classic recipe, simply whisk together:

• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup “good olive oil"
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Take a page from Ina and mix it all in a large glass measuring cup to use fewer dishes. You can also combine all the ingredients in a sealable jar and, with the lid sealed tightly, vigorously shake to emulsify. It keeps in a sealed container for about a week but I’ve never had it around that long. 

How to Use Ina Garten's Lemon Vinaigrette

Beyond its perfectly balanced simplicity, what I love most about this recipe is how easily riff-able it is. It’s the perfect base recipe that can be customized for nearly any meal. I love to add a healthy scoop of whole grain mustard and a squeeze of Dijon to dress salads topped with chicken, or whisk in a few tablespoons of chives once Spring rolls around for an herby variation. Or to take it in a different direction, I'll add in a pinch of sumac to dress a crisp cucumber and onion salad.

This recipe is so flexible and can easily accommodate a seemingly endless combination of herbs, spices, and other flavorings. And don’t just stop at salad! Liven up some middle-of-winter roasted veggies by tossing them with this bright vinaigrette right out of the oven, spoon it over grilled fish, and use it to marinate beans. The opportunities are endless. You can even cook it slightly; it’s my secret ingredient for the perfect green beans—sauté blanched green beans, then in the last seconds of cooking, pour over a few tablespoons of this vinaigrette for the perfect low-effort side dish.

As Ina herself says, "How easy is that?"