Italian Seasoning is a mixture of dried herbs like oregano, basil, parsley, and thyme with some garlic powder in there too. If you have these herbs on hand, then it’s simple to make a batch to use in your favorite pasta sauces, marinades, and more!
Note: Below you’ll find a recipe for a full 1/2 cup (4oz.) batch of Italian seasoning. In addition, in case you’re trying to make a recipe that calls for Italian seasoning and you just want to make a little bit, we’ve also given a recipe below that makes a small batch of just 2 tablespoons. We hope you find this helpful!
I’m honestly not a big seasoning blend person. I tend to buy dried herbs and spices on their own and then add several different ones to dishes depending on the flavors I’m trying to build. This has similar flavors to my Pizza Seasoning recipe, but that one has some additional ingredients.
Video: How To Make Italian Seasoning
Making Homemade Italian Seasoning
However, a few years ago I realized that I was often reaching for the same few herbs a lot, especially when making Italian foods like pasta dishes and sauces. I decided to mix those herbs together to save myself a little bit of time. After doing so, I realized that I had essentially made my own Italian Seasoning Blend! Since then, I have tweaked the recipe a little bit here and there. Now the mixture contains basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, parsley, and garlic powder.
Note that I have seen other recipes for this seasoning blend that also contain something spicy like crushed red pepper flakes. However, I don’t include that in my mixture. I prefer to add something with that intensity on its own so that I can control it more. For instance, my daughter doesn’t like spicy food so by omitting that ingredient, I don’t have to skip using the blend on foods that she eats. Instead, I simply add some red pepper flakes on their own when I know she won’t be eating the food.
Making a Small Batch of Italian Seasoning
If you want a batch of Italian Seasoning in your pantry that you can grab and use whenever, then scroll down to make the full recipe. However, if you just want a small batch to use right now in a recipe that calls for Italian seasoning, or, if you just want to know approximately how much of each ingredient to add directly to something that you’re cooking, I have the info for you here.
Here is how to make 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning, which is a good amount to season 1/2 of a pound of ground meat. Note that there is not salt in this blend so you will need to add some salt as well. I’d add around 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt for 1/2 pound of ground meat, and I’d also add 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper.
| To Make 2 Tablespoons of Italian Seasoning, Combine: |
|---|
• 1/2 tsp. dried basil • 1/2 tsp. dried oregano • 1/2 tsp. dried parsley • 1/4 tsp. dried rosemary • 1/4 tsp. dried thyme • 1/8 tsp. garlic powder |
To Add Directly to the Food You’re Cooking: Add equal amounts of dried basil, dried oregano, and dried parsley. Then add half of that amount of dried rosemary and dried thyme, and then half of that amount of garlic powder.
Using This Blend For Italian Sausages
This recipe is part of our series on makings sausages at home. The reason is that you need Italian Seasoning to make the Italian Sausage Seasoning that is the main flavoring ingredient in Italian sausages. You are definitely going to want to check out that seasoning blend as well, whether you’re making homemade sausages or not.
The reason is that the sausage seasoning blend itself tastes like Italian Sausages, I think due to the fennel seeds in it. It’s therefore an amazing mixture to have on hand for all kinds of recipes because it makes just about anything taste like Italian sausages, and that cannot possibly be a bad idea!
But first, we start with the basic Italian blend below which can be used in so many ways. Enjoy!
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Italian Seasoning Blend
Italian Seasoning is a mixture of dried herbs like oregano, basil, parsley, and thyme with some garlic powder in there too. If you have these herbs on hand, then it’s simple to make a batch to use in your favorite pasta sauces, marinades, and more! For reference, you will use 2 teaspoons of this blend to season 1/2 pound of ground meat. The blend does not contain salt or black pepper, so you will add these separately.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1/2 cup 1x
- Category: Seasoning
- Method: Stir
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. dried basil
- 2 Tbsp. dried oregano
- 2 Tbsp. dried parsley
- 1 Tbsp. dried rosemary
- 1 Tbsp. dried thyme
- 2 tsp. garlic powder
Instructions
- Measure all ingredients into a jar or container with a lid. Shake well.
- Seal jar or container and store in a dark and dry place for up to 3 months.
I saw that you mentioned the spice tastes like Italian Sausage because of the fennel, yet there is no fennel in this recipe?
I’m sorry about that, Lori, that was written in an unclear way and I’ll edit that.
I was referring to the Italian Sausage Seasoning Blend, which uses the above Italian seasoning blend as an ingredient, but also has additional ingredients like fennel to get the taste that you are used to in Italian sausage. You can find the Italian Sausage Seasoning blend here. Sorry for the confusion!