Leftover Sun-Dried Tomato Oil Vinaigrette

Name: Leftover Sun-Dried Tomato Oil Vinaigrette
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: ½ cup leftover sun dried tomato oil, drained from jar; 3 tablespoons white wine or red wine vinegar; 1 teaspoon dried herbs (basil, oregano, thyme); ½ teaspoon dijon mustard; Pinch of salt and pepper; Optional: 2-3 small slices of sun dried tomatoes (to blend for a thicker dressing)

published Apr 24, 2020 // 0 comments

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Leftover Sun-Dried Tomato Oil Vinaigrette, a simple vinaigrette salad dressing recipe using the oil from a jar of sun-dried tomatoes. A deliciously easy way to reduce food waste!

a mason jar with orange salad dressing and a gold spoon on a wooden table

Have you ever used up a jar of sun-dried tomatoes and then thrown out the oil it’s packed in? Don’t waste that oil! That tasty tomato-infused oil is delicious in homemade vinaigrettes and salad dressings.

Too often we throw away perfectly edible foods like oils and other liquids that foods like sun-dried tomatoes, capers, and artichokes when the fragrant juices they’re packed in are a great way to add flavor and depth to recipes.

In this food waste recovery recipe, we’ll show you how to reuse sun-dried tomato oil in a simple, yet delicious homemade vinaigrette that’s ready in 5 minutes. Let’s do it!

a white plate with small bowls of sun-dried tomato oil, vinegar, herbs, mustard, salt, and pepper next to a plant on a white table — Only six ingredients for this dressing: sun-dried tomato oil, white wine vinegar, mustard, herbs, salt, and pepper.

How to make a vinaigrette using leftover sun dried tomato oil

The first step to making any homemade vinaigrette is to know the generally-accepted basic vinaigrette formula — 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar.

Once you have this formula down, you can add your extra spices, herbs, and other ingredients to your homemade dressings. We also like to add a bit of mustard as an emulsifier to our vinaigrettes to keep the oil and vinegar blended as much as possible.

three small ramekins of sun-dried tomato oil and one small ramekin of white wine vinegar on a white countertop — The basic formula for every vinaigrette: 3 parts oil + 1 part vinegar

The first step to making this vinaigrette using leftover sun-dried tomato oil is to remove the sun-dried tomatoes from the jar and reserve the remaining oil.

a hand pouring oil from a jar of sun-dried tomatoes into a small white bowl — Strain the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes, or reserve the leftover oil after using the tomatoes in other recipes.

NOTE ON AMOUNT OF OIL FROM SUN-DRIED TOMATO JARS: We typically buy 8 ounce (227 grams) jars of sun-dried tomatoes. This size yields about ½ cup of oil after the tomatoes are removed. However, if you’re able to buy larger jars in bulk to reduce packaging waste, increase the serving size in the recipe below for proper portions of all ingredients.

To make the vinaigrette, combine the fragrant tomato oil with a vinegar, a small amount of mustard (we like dijon in this recipe), whatever dried herbs you have on hand (we used basil and oregano), and a pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk or blend together until the dressing begins to thicken, and serve.

a hand whisking salad dressing in a glass mixing bowl on a wooden table — Whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients in a bowl, shake in a jar, or blend to combine ingredients.

NOTE ON VINEGARS: We prefer using a white wine vinegar as it has a tangy light taste that compliments the strong oil, however we’ve also tested this recipe using red wine vinegar and it’s super tasty as well. We tried balsamic vinegar and it’s good, but does have a very strong flavor (which isn’t a bad thing if you like bold dressings!).

Want a thicker dressing than a vinaigrette?

For a thicker sun-dried tomato dressing that’s not just oil and vinegar, there are two ways to incorporate a few sun-dried tomatoes:

For a thin dressing with pieces of sun-dried tomato: add a few pieces of sun-dried tomatoes to a blender or food processor with the other dressing ingredients and pulse to get small chopped pieces of tomatoes throughout the dressing.
For a thicker dressing that holds up to sturdier greens: add a pieces pieces of sun-dried tomatoes, but puree the dressing ingredients so the tomatoes are completely blended and provide a nice thickness to the dressing. This will be a better dressing on thicker salad greens like kale and chard, or as a nice coating to grain bowls, etc.

two small bowls of tomato vinaigrette dressings on a white table, one dressing is a darker color because it was blended and another is lighter and more oily — The oil on the left has 2-3 small slices of sun-dried tomato blended with the dressing for a thicker consistency, compared to the thinner dressing in the standard recipe on the right.

What to serve with this vinaigrette

This homemade dressing is perfect for any type of salad green, but would be especially delicious with other Mediterranean ingredients like chickpeas, artichokes, spinach, eggplant, etc. It would also be a great dressing in Mediterranean-style bowls with grains like farro, wheat berries, or barley.

Here are a few of our favorite recipes that would be delicious with this vinaigrette:

Sustainable tips, tricks, and tools

Here are a few tips and tricks to make the most out of your vinaigrette ingredients and continue to build your sustainable kitchen skills:

Buy sun dried tomatoes in bulk: To reduce packaging waste buy sun-dried tomatoes in bulk. They store well and can be used salads, bowls, and pizzas, and the oil is edible as well. Reuse the jars for smoothies, to use at the grocery for bulk bin items, or to freeze homemade foods (I like to use the jars to freeze our Food Scrap Vegetable Broth)
Other ways to use up fragrant tomato oil: Use the aromatic oil in dressings, in pastas, or as an oil drizzle on pizzas or flatbreads.
Eco-friendly kitchen tools to make this recipe: a simple set of glass mixing bowls and whisk will do, or use a food processor or handheld blender

a mason jar with tomato salad dressing on a wooden table with a bowl of arugula and green plant

Love this simple food waste recovery recipe? Check out our other recipes using leftovers and food scraps, like:

Did you make this sun-dried tomato oil salad dressing? Leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let us know how it turned out. Save it for later by pinning to your favorite sauces and dressings Pinterest board and make sure to tag me on Fork in the Road’s Instagram to show me your homemade salad dressing creations!

Yield: 6 ounces