This Agrodolce Sauce with Red Onion is a magical addition to many meals. I enjoy making this every fall and winter to pair simply with roasted veggies. Agrodolce Sauce with Red Onion elevates the simplest of dishes.
What is Agrodolce Sauce
Agrodolce literally means sour and sweet in Italian. The sour sauce flavors combine ingredients like sugar or honey with vinegar or other acidic ingredients.
Agrodolce sauces add a unique balance to dishes like veggies, meats, and seafood. The sauce can be thick or thin, and the cook has the flexibility to use their taste buds to guide them in their agrodolce-making journey.
Why I Made This Recipe
I love simple recipes with big flavors. This scrumptious sauce can be added to simple roasted or air-fried squash, Brussel sprouts, root vegetables, salmon, chicken, or baked tofu.
Red Onion: Another onion like shallots can be used
Herbs: Like rosemary and thyme
Avocado Oil: Olive oil works as well.
Honey: Option to sub for maple syrup
Red Chili Flakes: For a little kick
Apple Cider Vinegar: Option to use red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, or other vinegar of choice.
Salt & Pepper
Other add ins include golden raisins, dried chopped cherries, sliced grapes, or other fruits.
How to Make This Recipe
Sauté Aromatics
Place the sauté pan on medium heat. Then, add the avocado oil, rosemary, thyme, and red onion to the pan and sauté for 5 minutes until the onions are translucent and fragrant.
Combine Sweeteners and Vinegar
Add honey and red pepper flakes, and continue to sauté for 1-2 minutes.
Turn the heat off and stir in the apple cider vinegar.
Adjust to Taste
Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper to taste.
FAQ (Ask a Dietitian!)
What is Agrodolce Sauce Made of?
Agrodolce sauce is typically made of vinegar, sugar, oil, and aromatics like onion, garlic, and herbs.
What Does Agrodolce taste like?
Agrodolce tastes sweet yet sour, complex yet balanced. The exact taste of agrodolce can vary depending on the recipe and the cook. Moreover, the beauty of agrodolce is it is versatile and can suit different dishes based on personal preferences.
How do you use Agrodolce Sauce?
You can use an agrodolce recipe to compliment many foods. Below are several delicious examples of dishes that are elevated with Agrodolce Sauce with Red Onion.
Pizza
Sandwiches
Warm Grain Bowls like Greens and Ancient Grains Bowl
Roasted Vegetables
Salads
Air Fryer Veggies like Winter Squash
Spooned over proteins like Baked Tofu, Pan seared Salmon, or Roasted Pork Chops.
This Agrodolce Sauce with Red Onion is sweet, sour, and delicious. It is the perfect compliment for roasted veggies, baked tofu, or sandwiches, and salads.
This Creamy and Vegan Apple Walnut Dressing can be used as a salad dressing for salad recipes, a protein marinade, or even as a dip for crackers and veggies. Recently, I paired it with my Kale Apple Walnut Salad.
The inspiration for this dressing came from my desire to pair apples in a salad for Thanksgiving and a continuing education event from fall, 2022 through the Culinary Nutrition Collaborative. Kristy Del Coro’s Apple Cider Walnut Vinaigrette was so good, that it inspired me to create a similar dressing to pair with my Kale Apple Walnut Salad.
Below you will find more information about the ingredients, how I make this dressing, how to use this dressing beyond just salads, and some nutrition information about Apple Cider Vinegar, a key ingredient in this dressing.
The Ingredients in Creamy Vegan Apple Walnut Dressing
Walnuts: This is how I keep this dressing creamy yet mayo-free! Blending nuts into a salad dressing is a delightful way to create a creamy and 100% plant-based dressing.
Don’t have Walnuts or a blender to turn freshly roasted Walnuts into a creamy dressing? No problem, you can use tahini or creamy almond butter instead. You will love either of these alternatives for your massaged kale recipes.
Walnut oil: Walnut oil has a distinctively nutty flavor. Walnut oil is extracted from walnut meats and can be rather pricey. Therefore, you can use a neutral-tasting oil instead, such as avocado or canola. However, Walnut oil is a great way to keep that Walnut flavor and keep the “healthy Walnut fat” theme for this dressing.
Apple Cider: You could use apple juice or apple cider in this dressing. This apple addition gives the dressing a lovely flavor and some subtle sweetness.
Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV): ACV This pairs so well with the apple cider and gives the dressing a lovely tang. Plus, ACV has health benefits. Two health benefits include improved cholesterol levels and blood sugar management.
Maple Syrup: You can omit this ingredient or swap it for some local honey (note, honey is not vegan). I like to use it to add a touch more sweetness and flavor complexity to the dressing.
Other Seasonings: Other flavors I include are red pepper flakes, cracked black pepper, and kosher salt.
How to Make this Creamy and Vegan Apple Walnut Dressing
Most salad dressings are super simple to make. This dressing is no exception all you need is a blender.
First, add all your ingredients to your blender.
Next, blend the ingredients until everything is evenly incorporated.
Last, give your dressing a taste and adjust flavors as needed. (i.e. add more sweetness, salt, pepper, etc.)
How to use this Creamy Vegan Apple Walnut Dressing
This dressing is so good that I do not want you to limit it to the suggestions I have listed below. If you have other uses for this dressing I would love to hear about them in the comments!
Salad: This dressing is featured in another recipe listed on The Addy Bean, in my Apple Walnut Salad. Some other salad ideas include a cabbage and kale apple slaw, butternut squash salad, spinach, walnuts, hard-boiled eggs, and red onion salad (not vegan).
Dip: This creamy dressing is so thick that it makes for a great dip. Try creating a board with roasted walnuts, sliced apples, celery, carrots, and some crackers, then feature this dip as an accompaniment. Some non-vegan options for your board include prosciutto and cheese.
Another idea for dippers includes roasted potatoes and root vegetables.
Spread: This Apple Walnut Dressing is marvelous as a spread for sandwiches and wraps. Perhaps, try the combination of deli-sliced tofurkey, thinly sliced apples, spinach, and red onion. For a non-vegan alternative, try swapping the tofurkey for roast turkey.
Additionally, this spread wrapped up in a tortilla complimented with massaged kale, beans, and whatever veggies you have lying around the house makes for a delightful veggie wrap.
Marinade/Sauce: I have used this dressing in marinade for tempeh. Other non-vegan marinade options include an apple walnut marinade for roasted chicken or a sauce slathered over some salmon before baking. Another sauce idea is over-roasted pork.
Sharper Nutrition Fix: Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)
ACV is made from fermented apple cider and has a sweet apple flavor.
Origins: Apples originated in central Asia and were brought to the Americas by colonists. ACV is made from apples, also used to make apple juice, apple sauce, and cider. It quickly became popular among early American settlers. This is because the fermented ACV could be used year-round as a natural medicine, condiment, and cleaning solution. The word Vinegar comes from the Latin word for “sour wine”.
How to Use: ACV can be incorporated in salad dressings, marinades, sauces, pickling, and even beverages!
ACV in beverages?! Yes, ever heard of drinking vinegar? Drinking vinegar is also known as a shrub and we have been drinking shrubs for centuries. You can add a few tablespoons to water or sparkling water.
Nutrition: As mentioned earlier, research has shown ACV aids in improving cholesterol levels and in blood sugar management. ACV also contains some Vitamin B complex and Vitamin C. Unpasteurized AVC with a loving mother in the bottle includes thriving probiotics that can aid in gut health.
This Creamy Vegan Apple Walnut Dressing has apple cider, apple cider vinegar, walnut oil, and walnuts to a sweet and creamy dressing that is perfect for those autumn and winter time salads.
