Italian Seasoning
The everyday jar of dried herbs for pizza, pasta sauce and roast vegetables: oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary and marjoram, mixed in one minute.
Making Italian Seasoning Ahead
Keeps in a dry, airtight jar in a dark cupboard for up to 6 months. Shake before use.
Italian Seasoning: The Method
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Measure the oregano, basil, thyme, marjoram, parsley and garlic granules into a small bowl.
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Crush the rosemary between your fingers, or in a mortar with a pestle, until the needles are broken into small pieces, and add it to the bowl with the chilli flakes, if using.
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Stir well for 30 seconds, until the herbs are evenly mixed.
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Spoon into a clean, dry jar with a tight lid and label it with the date. Use 1 to 2 teaspoons for a pan of sauce, a tray of vegetables or a pizza.
A Few Pointers
- Crush the rosemary well. Whole dried needles are tough and sharp, and they do not soften in a quick sauce.
- Buy the herbs in small amounts and replace them each year. Dried herbs lose their aroma quickly, and an old jar tastes of dust.
- Rub a pinch of the blend between your palms before you add it to food. The warmth wakes up the oils in the dry herbs, and the smell tells you whether the jar is still fresh.
Why the Method Is What It Is
Italian seasoning is a blend that Italians would not recognise as a single ingredient, since Italian cooks choose the herb that suits the dish and use it fresh where they can. It is an Italian-American and British supermarket invention, a way of putting the dried herbs of the Mediterranean into a single jar for cooks who want an Italian taste without buying five separate packets. It works well for that. The mix always centres on oregano, the herb of pizza, with basil for sweetness and thyme, rosemary and marjoram for the earthy, resinous, woody notes, and some blends add a little garlic and chilli. It is the seasoning you shake into a tomato sauce, stir into a meatball mixture, scatter over pizza, mix into olive oil for dipping bread, sprinkle on roast potatoes or add to a salad dressing. Making it yourself takes a minute and costs a fraction of the price of the jar, and you can change the balance to suit your cooking. The one thing to watch is the rosemary. Dried rosemary is spiky and hard, so crush it with your fingers or a pestle before it goes into the mix, otherwise it will stay in sharp little needles in the food. Store the blend in a dark, dry place so that the herbs keep their colour and their aroma.
What to Put Next to It
Tomato pasta sauce · Pizza · Roast potatoes
If You're Missing Something
- Fresh herbs work in place of the dried oregano at roughly three times the quantity — a teaspoon of dried is about a tablespoon of fresh, chopped.
Italian Seasoning FAQ
How long does Italian Seasoning take to make?
About 5 minutes in total — 5 minutes of preparation and of cooking. The recipe serves 24.
What are the key tips for making Italian Seasoning?
Crush the rosemary well. Whole dried needles are tough and sharp, and they do not soften in a quick sauce. Buy the herbs in small amounts and replace them each year. Dried herbs lose their aroma quickly, and an old jar tastes of dust. Rub a pinch of the blend between your palms before you add it to food. The warmth wakes up the oils in the dry herbs, and the smell tells you whether the jar is still fresh.
What should I serve with Italian Seasoning?
Tomato pasta sauce; Pizza; Roast potatoes.
How should Italian Seasoning be stored?
Keeps in a dry, airtight jar in a dark cupboard for up to 6 months. Shake before use.
Is Italian Seasoning suitable for a special diet?
This recipe is vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, gluten-free, low-carb, keto and no added sugar. Those labels are checked against the ingredient list, so a dish is only marked when nothing in it contradicts the claim.
How many calories are in Italian Seasoning?
About 4 kcal per serving, with 0 g protein, 1 g carbohydrate and 0 g fat. The figures are calculated from the ingredient list and are an estimate.
Italian Seasoning Nutrition
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.
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Written and tested by Turab
One person, one kitchen — no test kitchen, no team. How every recipe on this site is checked before it goes up.