I’ve mentioned before my love of Italian food that started when I married my husband (his family is originally from Sicily) and I started learning to make his favorite dishes.
Our transition to a grain free diet necessitated some substitutions and I started making recipes like chicken cacciatore with cabbage noodles, Meatza crustless pizza, one-pan vegetable spaghetti, eggplant parmesan, chicken Parmesan, zucchini lasagna, and others.
Homemade Italian Seasoning
I found myself buying jar after jar of organic Italian seasoning and it was getting expensive. Plus, I was having to buy a tiny new jar every couple of weeks because we went through it so quickly.
I was already ordering teas and lotion ingredients in bulk, so I decided to start ordering my Italian seasoning ingredients as well. I store this and all of my homemade herbal blends in half pint jars with marked lids for easy use and they stack in the cabinet for easy storage.
I ordered:
- Basil leaf
- Marjoram
- Oregano
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Garlic powder (optional, especially if you cook with fresh garlic)
This Italian seasoning blend is 30-Day Reset Safe and auto-immune friendly so it is a great recipe to have on hand. You can also check out my other homemade spice blend recipes here.
Homemade Italian Seasoning Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
- If your rosemary is whole, rather than cut, simply chop it in a food processor or with a mortar and pestle.
- Combine all herbs in a jar and shake well to mix.
Notes
Nutrition
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What is your favorite Italian dish?
I keep a little electric coffee grinder (Braun, less than $20) for grinding whole dried herbs. Grind a handful of uncooked rice and wipe with a dry paper towel after use so you don’t end up making funky blends/flavors. Whole herbs keep their flavor longer than pre-ground and they save you money as well.
I’m surprised that no one grows their own herbs. Most are very undemanding and will grow in poor soil that is often quite dry. They require little water and little or no fertilizer and can easily be grown organically. Many are perennial and will grow for years. I haven’t purchased onions, garlic, sweet peppers, hot peppers, oregano, thyme, sage, rosemary, basil, cilantro, dill, lovage, sweet cicely, or mint for years. Herbs that grow as a green leaf should be green when they are dried and powdered. If it’s light olive, tan, or yellow, it’s old, and brown means it was dried too hot and burned. Get rid of it. I don’t keep herbs that are older than a year.
I’ve written a little about that, more from the wildcrafting side though: https://wellnessmama.com/59478/backyard-herbal-remedies/
I agree that buying Italian seasoning over and over again can get very expensive. It is so much cheaper buying the seasonings separate and then making your own mixes. You can then switch things up.
What is cut and sifted rosemary leaf? The bulk rosemary I buy is whole rosemary leaf… could I grind it up with my mortar and pestle, or…?
Yes… you can absolutely grind with a mortar and pestle or even a food processor or blender.
Excellent!
How much would u use to equal one packet of the store bought stuff?
Did you put lavender in the blend you took the picture of, but not in the recipe? Because that’s totally what it looks like.
Now that I’ve said that, when I try this I think I’m going to add 1/4 cup roast lavender blossoms as well.
I didn’t but it is a good idea (it might give a more french flair as well). We grew a lot of purple basil and I used it, but it does look like lavender in the picture!
Thinking about those delicious herbs is making me hungry