Recipe Spotlight

Turn Leftover Sun-Dried Tomato Oil into an Instant Salad Dressing

That neon-orange oil packs a sweet, tomatoey punch. 
By

Published Mar. 10, 2022.

Everyone should have a jar of sun-dried tomatoes in their fridge. They’re sweet, plump little tomato gems, perfect for adding to pasta, salads, sandwiches, and more.

That sun-dried tomato oil, though. 

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That bright, neon-orange oil your sun-dried tomatoes are packed in is a gold mine of flavor. It makes perfect sense to use the oil instead of dumping it down the drain. How about as a salad dressing? You can use sun-dried tomato oil in lieu of olive oil for any of your favorite dressing recipes. 

I discovered this magical ingredient while working on our Bowls book. While adding sun-dried tomatoes to our Mediterranean Tuna Salad Bowl, I thought, “Why waste this?” and into the dressing it went. 

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It’s so simple: thinly sliced shallot, lemon juice, Dijon, salt, and pepper. Drizzle in a few tablespoons of sun-dried tomato oil and voilà, a simple salad dressing jazzed up with sun-dried tomato flavor. 

How sweet it is to get the most out of your jarred condiments. 

Sun-Dried Tomato Oil Dressing

Makes about ¼ cup

  • 1 shallot, sliced thin
  • 1½ tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ¼ teaspoon table salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 3 tablespoons sun-dried tomato oil 


Whisk shallot, lemon juice, mustard, salt, and pepper together in small bowl. While whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in tomato oil until combined. Serve.

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