Authentic Italian Giardiniera Recipe (2024)

An authentic Italian giardiniera recipe is a condiment prepared with Italian pickled vegetables. It is the ultimate condiment with fresh peppers and veggies as well as an absolute must for Italian sandwiches. Whether served with cured meats or cheese, grilled meats like hot dogs or hamburgers, on a charcuterie board or antipasto platter or in pasta salads, this pickled vegetable relish is always popular.

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Unleash the bold and zesty flavors of Italy with every bite of this giardiniera recipe! Hand-crafted with fresh vegetables, aromatic spices, and just the right amount of mild heat, it’s the perfect addition to any dish or snack time. Try this classic Italian preserve in a muffaletta sandwich, on your next Italian beef sandwich or as an accompaniment to any Italian dish.

Why You’ll Love this Italian Giardiniera

• Authentic: You can buy pickled vegetable relish in the grocery store, but for a true taste of Italy, nothing beats making giardiniera from scratch.
• Easy: Chopping and pickling the vegetables is pretty much all you have to do, making this a simple recipe even for cooking novices.
• Tangy and delicious: Vegetables like red bell pepper, green beans, celery and more are flavoured with garlic, vinegar, herbs, and spices to make a tasty, tangy side dish that your taste buds will love.

Ingredients for Italian Pickled Vegetables

Onions, cauliflower, carrots, celery, yellow and red bell peppers, and beans are traditionally used to make pickled vegetable relish. Garlic cloves, white wine vinegar, white vinegar, peppercorns, oregano, sugar, bay leaves, red pepper flakes, and fennel seeds are used to give this condiment its distinctive flavour.

Italian pickled vegetables are great to make during the summer to enjoy the rest of the year. This Italian recipe for canning giardiniera uses no olive oil, so it is the perfect way to preserve your summer produce. You can skip the canning process, and store this giardiniera in the refrigerator for a month or two. I like using the Weck canning jars.

How to Make this Homemade Giardiniera Recipe

For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.

Prepare the vegetables: Chop everything into small pieces.
Make the brine soak: Cover the vegetables in saltwater and let them sit for 12 hours.
Prepare the jars: Sterilize the jars for canning then dry them.
Make the vinegar mixture: Boil the vinegar, sugar, peppercorns, bay leaves, oregano, red pepper, and fennel. This is the pickling liquid.
Add the vegetables: Bring the mixture to a boil again with the vegetable mixture, and then divide everything between the sterilized canning jars using a slotted spoon. Ladle the hot liquid over the vegetables in the jars. Wipe jars clean and process in a water bath.
Let them cool: Once the giardiniera is cooled to room temperature and the jars are sealed, let them marinate for a week, then use within 6 months to year.

Substitutions and Variations

Feel free to add other ingredients if you like, such as green pitted olives, mushrooms, zucchini, artichoke hearts, cucumber, jalapeño peppers or even serrano peppers. You can also vary the brine, adding other seasonings like mustard seeds, celery seeds or coriander seeds.

When it comes to Italian vs. Chicago-Style Giardiniera, you will find the Italian kind pickled in vinegar like in this recipe. The Chicago kind is marinated in extra virgin olive oil after the pickling, so it’s slightly different. I like the Italian way best.

How to Serve Giardiniera

This white wine vinegar-based quick giardiniera recipe is a tasty condiment can be part of antipasto platters or you can add it to sandwiches or have it alongside grilled meat or fish. This giardiniera recipe is wonderful on Italian beef sandwiches, sausage sandwiches, French dips, a one pot creamy sausage pasta, scrambled eggs or even as a pizza topping. I have also been known to just eat it on its own! It is used to make olive salad sandwich spread, too.

Since classic Italian pickled vegetables are a popular dish in Italy that can vary from region to region. The exact way you make yours can mean it pairs differently with different things. For example, if you make hot giardiniera with hot peppers like jalapeño or serrano peppers, you might like to pair it with contrasting items such as a cheese platter.

The acidity of the vinegar makes it a great condiment for Italian style sandwiches. There are so many recipes that you can add this preserve to.

Storage Instructions

• Giardiniera should keep for up to 6 months to a year, when properly canned in a water bath using sterilized jars. Keep it in a dark place somewhere cool, such as in the pantry.
• If any jars didn’t seal properly, keep them in the refrigerator and use within a month.

Giardiniera FAQs

Italian Giardiniera Recipe

An Italian giardiniera recipe is a traditional Italian relish made with favourite vegetables like fresh peppers and cauliflower. It’s great as part of an antipasto platter and will keep for up to a year when prepared and stored correctly, making this classic Italian antipasto a must-have part of your next antipasto spread.

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