McCormick Italian Seasoning Recipe
A copy of McCormick's Italian Seasoning from its label: marjoram, basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, savory and sage, weighed so the order matches.
- Total
- 5 min
- Serves
- 6
- Calories (est.)
- 5
McCormick's Italian Seasoning is a blend of seven dried herbs: marjoram, basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, savory and sage, in that order on the label. This copy mixes two tablespoons of marjoram, one and a half of basil, two teaspoons each of rosemary and thyme, one and a half teaspoons of oregano and one teaspoon each of savory and sage. It makes six tablespoons.
What is in McCormick Italian Seasoning
McCormick's ingredient statement reads: marjoram, basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, savory and sage. There is no salt, no garlic and no red pepper in it. The product page uses two names for the jar, Perfect Pinch Italian Seasoning and Signature Seasoning Italian Seasoning, and describes it as kosher, non-GMO and made with no MSG added.
A US food label lists its ingredients in descending order by weight, so marjoram is the largest share and sage the smallest. The amounts are not published. This recipe is a reconstruction that keeps the order; MakeFoodLovely is not connected with McCormick.
Recipe
McCormick Italian Seasoning
A reconstruction of McCormick's Italian Seasoning from its ingredient list — marjoram, basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, savory and sage, with no salt. Six tablespoons.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Total
- 5 min
- Serves
- 6
- Cuisine
- American
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons dried marjoram
- 1 1/2 tablespoons dried basil
- 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried savory
- 1 teaspoon ground sage
Instructions
- Crush the rosemary between the fingers or in a mortar until the needles are broken into short pieces, so they do not sink to the bottom of the jar.
- Stir the marjoram, basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, savory and sage together in a small bowl.
- Transfer the blend to a jar with a tight lid. Shake it before each use; the fine sage settles.
Nutrition
- Calories:
- 5
Calculated from the ingredient quantities above using the USDA FoodData Central database, then divided by the number of servings. It is an estimate and will vary with the exact products you use.
Why this Italian seasoning is measured by weight
Dried herbs differ in weight. By USDA's figures, a teaspoon of dried rosemary weighs 1.2 grams and a teaspoon of dried marjoram 0.6 grams. A blend with equal spoonfuls of both holds twice as much rosemary by weight, and rosemary would have to come first on the label. The amounts in the card are set so that the weights fall in McCormick's order.
| Herb | Amount | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Marjoram | 2 tablespoons | 3.4 g |
| Basil | 1 1/2 tablespoons | 3.2 g |
| Rosemary | 2 teaspoons | 2.4 g |
| Thyme | 2 teaspoons | 2.0 g |
| Oregano | 1 1/2 teaspoons | 1.5 g |
| Savory | 1 teaspoon | 1.4 g |
| Sage | 1 teaspoon | 0.7 g |
The weights are USDA's for dried leaves, and for ground savory and ground sage. Where USDA lists a herb both ways, the leaves weigh less per spoonful than the ground herb, so leaf savory and rubbed sage leave the order unchanged.
No savory in the cupboard
Savory is sold dried as summer savory. If the store has none, replace it with an extra half teaspoon of thyme and a pinch more sage. Marjoram cannot be swapped out the same way: it is the largest share of the blend, and with oregano in its place the mix no longer follows the label.
How to use Italian seasoning
McCormick's own suggestion on the product page is garlic bread: the seasoning stirred into softened butter, spread on Italian bread, topped with garlic powder and mozzarella and baked.
As a starting point, one teaspoon seasons a pound of meat or two cups of tomato sauce. Add it at the start of cooking, not at the end; dried herbs need moisture and time to soften. Both the spaghetti with meat sauce and the grilled chicken Margherita on this site call for it. The blend has no salt, so the dish is salted separately.
Is Italian seasoning Italian?
No. According to Wikipedia, pre-blended dry herb mixtures are not common in Italy and Italian seasoning is not found there. The name describes the herbs, not where the jar comes from.
How long the blend keeps
Keep the jar closed, away from the stove and out of the light. Dried herbs do not spoil, they fade: after about a year the blend smells of little, and it is time to mix a new one.
Two other blends rebuilt from their labels on this site are the Salad Supreme seasoning, also McCormick's, and the Weber Kick'n Chicken seasoning.
Did you make this?
Let others know how it turned out.
