Recipe courtesy Chef Carla Contreras, founder of Cook + Chop.

I grew up in an Italian American household, and using Italian seasoning was a huge part of our meal prep. My mom would put the seasoning in her meatballs and use it to season roasted chicken. She would put it on veggies or potatoes with olive oil, salt, and pepper and then roast them. She would even make dressing that featured a dash of the seasoning with balsamic, mustard, honey, garlic, and olive oil.

I haven’t bought Italian seasoning in ages. As a professional chef, I toss in oregano, dried basil, and dried marjoram to make my own custom mix. I never add dried rosemary (which is traditionally used) because it has a funky texture to me. and I prefer fresh. With only these three ingredients, you too can make a fresh, homemade seasoning to use in everything from a salad dressing to a sheet pan meal with crispy roasted chicken, veggies, and potatoes.