This is a recipe from a fellow viewer. Her favorite restaurant, Luigetta’s, is located in Altoona, PA. I hope you enjoy this vinaigrette as well. This Italian salad dressing tastes just like it does at the restaurant.
This is a recipe from a viewer based on an Italian salad dressing from her favorite restaurant located in Altoona, PA. Now you can also enjoy this zesty Italian dressing.
It seems that this 50-year old restaurant is now just named Luigetta’s and has been owned and operated by the Luigetta family for 22 years. It’s an Italian eatery that is also well known for its hoagies.
This Italian dressing recipe has many ingredients – oil and vinegar, beef base, soy sauce, mustard, garlic and onion powders, and pepperoncini juice. However, don’t let that put you off – this dressing is wonderful and all you have to do is mix everything together. Let’s talk about a couple of ingredients that you may be unfamiliar with.
Beef base is like beef bouillon, but it comes in a paste. It is sold in the same section of the grocery store as bouillon.
Pepperoncini juice – Pepperoncini is a type of chili pepper that is a blend of hot and sweet. This pepper is a staple of the Mediterranean diet and is very popular in Greece and Italy, where it is known as both peperone and friggitello. This pepper adorns antipasto platters, imparts heat to arrabbiata sauce, and adds a sweet crunch as a pickled condiment on sandwiches.
You can find pepperoncini in stores such as Walmart. Of course, you need a jar of these peppers in order to have pepperoncini juice. If you are not acquainted with these golden-colored and mildly piquant peppers, click here for some ways to use them. And, of course, you can put them on your salad. BTW, did you know that you can also make a pepperoncini martini!!
- Tip: This dressing is even better if you let it sit overnight for all the flavors to meld together.
- Tip: It’s also great on hoagies and french fries.
Table of Contents
Italian dressing Ingredients
- Oil
- White vinegar
- Balsamic vinegar
- Beef base
- Soy sauce
- Dry mustard
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Pepperoncini juice
- Salt and pepper
Why we love this recipe
Homemade salad dressing always tastes better than storebought. This recipe has beef base to give it some depth, and pepperoncini juice to give it a bit of spice. These two elements along with a touch of soy sauce for some salt make it simply divine.
How to make Italian dressing it’s Super easy to make!
Simply mix together all ingredients in a bowl.
Serve immediately or allow to sit overnight.
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- French Dressing Recipe
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- Buttermilk Salad Dressing
- Creamy Pesto Dressing
Favorite Salad toppings
Be sure to take a look at even more restaurant salad dressings and easy copycat salad recipes.
Luigetta’s Italian Salad Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 cup oil
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon beef base
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp. onion powder
- 1 teaspoon pepperoncini juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a bowl blend all ingredients together well. You can allow this to sit overnight before serving. Mix with salad putting pepperoncini peppers and cheese on top.
I have some really good recipes, etc. I have picked up along the way by experimenting and cooking in high end restaurants. Yes usually the simpler the better but amounts are critical on the measurements of ingredients. Joe Hunt’s Restaurant back in the 70’s in Scottsdale, Az had a Caesar salad dressing that was so good I could hardly wait to get to work to have it again. I was the pantry man as they called it back then. The salad was made table side by the waiter. They used the house Italian for the base and then added in the extra ingredients into a teak wood bowl that never got washed with water and added and smashed the extra ingredients. Anyway if you find a good Italian dressing like Bernsteins Restaurant Recipe for the base, then add fresh crushed garlic, anchovy’s, pinch of dry mustard couple dahes of Tabasco, dash of Worcestorshire and fresh lemon juice you can’t go wrong. Pisses me off about these secret family recipes, so they feel special when they die and take them to the grave? The Chef at Joe Hunt’s wouldn’t give out his dressing recipes. On another note, I very seldom can find a good anything at most restaurants in today’s world. Most people have never tasted really excellent to die for food!
This is Randy about the Joe Hunt’s Caesar Salad, I forgot to add sprinkle on Parmesan cheese while tossing and top with Hand grated pepper.
2 tbs accent
2 tbs dry mustard
2 1/2 tbs beef base (better than boullion)
2 tbs garlic salt
1 tbs onion powder
1 c red wine vinegar
2 c Crisco oil or other vegetable oil
Warm the vinegar, mix all ingredients except the oil, then blend oil & vinegar together..
Addicting!
Excellent it really does taste like Luigetti’s thank you so much!
This was a great homemade salad dressing. I never heard of Luigetta’s.
I tried this as written and thought it was fairly close.
I’m from Altoona, Pa. Luigettas was originally Charlie and Catherine’s. My great grandmother knew them and swapped family recipes with them. Growing up, my aunt and uncle owned a hair salon not from there. I was sent up for lunch often. Vinegar, accent, dry mustard, peperoncino juice, garlic powder, celery salt, kitchen bouquet are used. This recipe is in our family cookbook. I def will not tell exact measurments.
Todd, my husband also grew up in Altoona and knew the restaurant when it was Charlie and Catherine’s. He introduced me to Luigetta’s Hoagies and I love them. We now live in South Carolina and have very little occasion to go back to PA. My husband’s cousin gave me a recipe that she thought was their salad dressing recipe but when I make it I know that something is missing. As a fellow Altoonian would you be willing to share the recipe you have. Would greatly appreciate it as we miss their hoagies so much and as I said have very little opportunity to go home.
Fellow Altoonian here. They opened a store in Holidaysburgh that ships. I just had 6 its delivered to South Carolina
No not totally like it but close.
Thank you for letting me know.
I worked at the one in Hollidaysburg about 20 years or so ago and I was the one who made the dressing and the meatballs
I worked at the one in Hollidaysburg about 20 years or so ago and I was the one who made the dressing and the meatballs
My gram also worked at the Altoona location decades ago & gave me the recipe for the dressing & this is NOT EVEN CLOSE!! I no longer have the recipe but I do remember it wasn’t nearly this complicated. I had swapped au lis base for the beef base…I just always done what gram said to do.
Au jus…
Close but not exact
Im from Altoona and have my grandmother’s copy of the recipe. This is not the recipe for Luigetta’s sub dressing
Use malt vinegar instead of cider and balsamic vinegar. I grew up in that area and everyone new the recipe.
NO they didnt
this is nowhere near the real way to make it (sigh) and allso to note the new woodies2 does not make it right either
Somone who worked there told me its beef base, cider vinegar, water , and mozola corn oil
Dressing is good, but not an exact–I think the balsamic takes away from the taste. I have another recipe that I cannot tell the difference between it and the original, however, there is Accent in it. I have also tried it without the Accent and it is still good, just a tad less flavorful.
Just for the record, who ever made up this recipe is way off……They’re guessing…..I know the real mix and you know it’s a family secret…..
The original owners of luigettas have been long gone but I knew the owner that took it over and it wasn’t bad then but something went arie after they sold it. It was no way as complicated as this recipe. I remember that it had oil, vinager and beef base but not much more if any. And the original site was around kettle street and 5th Ave in Altoona pa. It may still be there still but I know that there is a spin of at Hollidaysburg pa on Allegheny st. ( not sure of the street but think so)
How well do you know the recipe? I’ve been trying various recipes, but yet can’t get it precisely.
*precise
What is beef base
It’s like beef bouillon but comes in a paste. It is sold in the same section of the grocery store as bouillon.
Just for the record, its “Luigetta’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania….
Holidaysburg! Not Altoona
There is one in Altoona and one in Hollidaysburg.
Just for the record, it’s “Pennsylvania.”
Just for the record its Lugetta’s… the recipe is almost accurate :). It definitely tastes the best after you let the dressing wilt the salad for a while. It is also great on hoagies and over french fries.
I’ve lived in Altoona all my life and the recipe came from Charlie and Catherine’s. It was in the 50’s. Then it became Luigettas. The recipe does have accent and beef base in it but I don’t know of anyone that has the exact recipe.