In the middle of a big fridge-door cleanout, I found at least 2 half-used, expired jars of giardiniera taking up precious real estate. Fast forward a few days later while strolling the grocery store for yet another jar because I was making Chicago beef sammies, it hit me: why isn’t there a homemade giardiniera recipe on my site?
After developing this easy condiment, I thumbed through my family cookbook and found my grandma Josie’s relish recipe. Our dressings were almost identical except I had left out the sugar. So thanks, Gram…a bit of sugar added and giardiniera dressing complete!
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Let’s face it: store-bought pickled giardiniera, while decent, is sort of meh. It’s loaded with heavy olive oil that overwhelms the flavors of the vegetables. And speaking of the vegetables, they end up a bit soggy and aren’t always veggies that are crowd favorites.
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Basics of excellent giardiniera
The basis to a really good giardiniera (besides knowing how to spell it) is balance. Every ingredient has its role and I knew I didn’t want unnecessary ingredients like cauliflower which usually just add bulk.
The other goal was to make a dressing that enhanced the vegetables without drowning them in oil but pickled them with flavor.
How to make excellent homemade giardiniera that isn’t too spicy, oily or sweet
Trust me…even your most heat-adverse friends will love this giardiniera. They won’t be able to imagine their Italian beef pizza or meat lovers calzones without it.
A few tips
- Dice your vegetables small and make them as close to the same size as possible.
- If you don’t have a shallot, red onion works but will the giardiniera mix will have a little more “bite”.
- Make the giardiniera at least 2 hours before you want to use it so that all the flavors soak into the veggies. You can keep it up to 2 weeks stored in a sealed container.
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Grandma’s Quick Giardiniera Recipe (for Italian Beef or Pizza)
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Ingredients
- ½ cup minced celery, about 1 stalk; trimmed and cleaned
- ½ cup minced carrot
- 1 red pepper, minced
- 1 yellow banana pepper, minced
- 1 shallot, minced or sliced in half rings
- 1 cup green olives, drained
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¾ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 ½ Tablespoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper, to start
Instructions
- Mince the celery, carrots and both peppers to be as equal in size as possible. Slice the shallots in small rings or mince if you prefer.1/2 cup minced celery, ½ cup minced carrot, 1 red pepper, 1 yellow banana pepper, 1 shallot
- To a bowl large enough to hold the chopped vegetables, add the olive oil, vinegar and whisk in the sugar, seasoning and crushed red pepper.½ cup olive oil, 3/4 cup red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar, 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- Add the vegetables and the olives to the bowl. Toss the dressing to coat all the vegetables.1 cup green olives
- If time permits, refrigerate for about 2 hours before serving. Store up to 2 weeks in an airtight container.
I really like having this in my fridge. I found the recipe when I was making muffuletta for my husband’s birthday party and realized giardiniera was nowhere to be had since we were out of the country. This is by far superior to jar and worth making in bulk to have around
Julia I am so glad you love the giardiniera! After I made it, I felt the same way…like I could put in on absolutely everything! Thanks for taking the time to let me know ♥️