Valerie Bertinelli Just Shared a Go-To Salad Dressing That We’re Trying ASAP

We can’t wait to drizzle this over salads and use it as a marinade for juicy grilled chicken.

Reviewed by Dietitian Madeline Peck, RDN, CDN

Key Points

• Valerie Bertinelli’s kale and sweet potato salad is packed with vitamins, fiber and antioxidants.
• Her Dill Pickle Vinaigrette is simple, versatile and perfect for salads, marinades and more.
• This salad and dressing combo is ideal for spring picnics, potlucks or quick, healthy meals.

Any time Valerie Bertinelli shares a recipe on social media, we’re all ears. The actor, Valerie’s Home Cooking star and Iron Chef judge is full of delicious ideas, from her mom’s comforting lasagna to the perfect Mediterranean pasta salad, so we’re not surprised by her most recent venture, recipe subscription site Valerie’s Place. In a recent sneak peak of the kinds of yumminess Bertinelli will offer up through the service, the 65-year-old television personality shared the dreamiest kale and sweet potato salad… with a dressing that immediately piqued our interest.

“Here on Now Val’s Cooking,” Bertinelli says in an Instagram reel from the @itsvaleriesplace account, “we are making kale and roasted sweet potato salad and it’s delicious. It’s so good.” The salad, made from delightful ingredients like sweet potatoes, apples, kale, cabbage and quinoa, does look pretty amazing, especially as Bertinelli chomps on it in the Instagram clip. But it’s what the greens-and-grains-based bowl is topped with—a yummy-looking salad dressing—that we’d put on all sorts of kitchen creations.

Bertinelli’s Dill Pickle Vinaigrette has just a handful of simple ingredients: dill pickle juice, extra virgin olive oil, fresh garlic, fresh dill, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt and freshly-ground black pepper. To make it, add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisk the mixture until it emulsifies. The dressing, which can be stored for up to seven days in the refrigerator in an airtight container, sounds like a pickle-lover’s dream come true, and we’d use it for everything from tossing into a potato salad to marinating chicken for the grill.

Since fresh dill tastes pretty amazing—and even offers some health benefits—we’re all about the fresh herb as a tasty main ingredient for Bertinelli’s salad dressing. And Bertinelli’s kale and sweet potato salad packs some pretty impressive health perks, too. Sweet potatoes are a great source of vitamins A and C, as well as antioxidants, fiber, and plenty of other nutritious goodies, while kale is a great source of vitamins A, C and K, which makes it a deliciously nutritious base for your bowl.

Since spring is approaching, we’re all about gathering ideas for delicious salad recipes we can take with us into warmer temperatures. Bertinelli’s kale and sweet potato salad and her dill pickle vinaigrette both sound perfect for everything from picnic lunches to potluck barbecues.

Looking for more simple springtime side dishes that pack a ton of flavor with minimal time in the kitchen? Check out more of our favorite spring recipes: