Giardiniera (Italian Pickled Vegetables)
Our homemade Giardiniera recipe gives you the freedom to choose your level of heat. These Italian pickled vegetables are the perfect condiment for an Italian beef sandwich, and much more!
What is Giardiniera?
Giardiniera (pronounced JAR-di-NAIR-ah) means "from the garden" in Italian. The concept has quite a long history in Italy, where fresh garden produce was pickled and marinated as a way of preserving it for the winter.
It was the early 1920s that giardiniera started to make a name for itself in the communities of Italian immigrants in Chicago.
Although it grew in popularity throughout the city, if you've never been to Chicago or tasted a Chicago style Italian beef sandwich, you may not have ever heard of this tangy, crunchy condiment.
Giardiniera: Authentic Italian Pickled Vegetables
Traditional Italian giardiniera is served as an antipasto (appetizer), and you will find a number of different, fresh garden vegetables used to make it.
- Cauliflower
- Celery
- Carrots
- Bell peppers
- Hot peppers
- And more!
Since giardiniera is considered an appetizer in Italy, the vegetables are cut into one- or two-bite chunks, making the dish perfect for a bulky appetizer, served alongside some cheese and cured meats. It is a common way to preserve the summer harvest to be enjoyed throughout the winter.
The traditional Italian brine and marinade is quite simple, letting the flavor of the vegetables shine with just a bit of vinegar tang and a few herbs to complement the crisp texture.
Chicago Giardiniera
Chicago style giardiniera takes a smaller and more intensely-flavored (and often spicy) form.
The vegetables are chopped smaller, sometimes even diced as finely as you would for a relish. But often, the pieces are just small enough that they can be used as a topping or garnish.
The marinade for Chicago-style giardiniera can include a much longer list of ingredients, including garlic, herbs, celery seed, red pepper flakes, and the list goes on. Each version has its own twist, and the marinade is where a lot of flavor variation can happen.
You will find Chicago-style giardiniera labeled as traditional or hot. The hot version typically includes seranno peppers to kick things up a notch.
What Do You Put Giardiniera On?
In the Windy City (Chicago), giardiniera is the classic topping for Chicago-style Italian beef sandwiches and Italian sausage sandwiches. You might also find it topping bratwursts, hot dogs, sub sandwiches, and even pizza!
We like to throw it on top of salads to add a fun boost of flavor.
Our Homemade Giardiniera Recipe
The process to make authentic Italian giardiniera does take nearly a week, but before you run away to your grocery store's aisles for a jar of pre-made giardiniera, know that nearly all of that time is hands-off on your part.
There are two main steps to making giardiniera: the brine and the marinade.
- First, the vegetables are brined in a simple mixture of salt and water. This brine solution draws moisture out of the vegetables, helping them to stay crisp in the marinade.
- Next, the vegetables are marinated in a mixture of oil, vinegar, and seasonings. We give this mixture lots of space to marinate in a covered bowl in the refrigerator for three days, before transferring it to its final resting place in a mason jar.
As you can see, the process is quite simple. And, after a few days, you will have your own giardiniera, spiced just the way you like it, all ready for topping everything from Italian beef sandwiches to pizza!
This might just become your new favorite summer condiment!
Homemade Giardiniera
Ingredients
- ¼ c salt
- 1 c carrots, sliced
- 1 c cauliflower, cut into small florets
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced
- 2-4 serrano chilies, sliced (depending on desired heat level)
- ¾ c canola oil or pure olive oil*
- ¾ c white vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoon oregano
Instructions
Day One
- Mix 2 c water with the salt and stir until dissolved. Add the carrot slices, cauliflower, celery, bell peppers, and serranos. Mix to combine. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Day Two
- Drain and rinse the vegetables.
- In a clean bowl, mix oil and vinegar with the garlic and oregano. Add the vegetables to the seasoned oil and mix to combine. Cover and refrigerate for 3 days to marinate.
Day Five
- After 3 days in the bowl, transfer the vegetables to a quart jar, pour as much of the seasoned oil/vinegar mixture in as you need to cover the vegetables.
- The mixture will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 weeks.
Notes
Sarah founded Curious in 2010 as a way to save her recipe creations and share culinary experiences. Her love for cultural cuisines was instilled early by her French Canadian Grandmother. Her experience in the kitchen and in recipe development comes from over 10 years working in professional kitchens. She has traveled extensively and enjoys bringing the flavors of her travels back to create easy-to-make recipes.
Well we really enjoyed this recipe. My two sons (in their Middle Ages but still single) really liked the mixture on it. One son asked me to make it and just pour it on Serranos I think it’s going to be very hot! The other one wants it on boiled eggs ,so I’m doing that one too I like the recipe you made. Thanks
We are so glad you enjoyed the giardiniera! What a great idea to use the brine to pickle other things. Enjoy!
I want to be able to can this without making it Chicago style. To make it worth while I am talking about making 8 to 12 pints at a time. I will move out to 8 to 12 quarts at a time as soon as my quart jars come in. How do I get the seal to make it last till I get to the last jar?
Hi Jay. If you want to make this for canning, you'll want to follow this recipe for Italian style giardiniera for canning
I'm getting ready to try this with veggies from my garden. Can I add yellow zucchini?
Hi Lorien. I bet that would be a delicious addition! Enjoy!
Hi Sarah. I read your comment about the salt but I did rinse well and the veggies are salty. What would happen if I went to an 1/8 cup of salt? Would it still draw the moisture ? Btw, even though it’s salty, I love the taste. Thanks!!
Hi Rich. Yes, 1/8 cup would still draw out moisture, just possibly not as quickly. You may need to leave it a bit longer, or the veggies just may not stay quite as crisp as long. Glad you enjoy the flavor!
@Sarah Ozimek,
Actually I totlay depends on which kind of salt one useses, 1/4 cup is not the same in each kind
There are chart for this on cooking sites
https://www.thespruceeats.com/kosher-to-table-salt-measurement-conversion-3060123
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/salt-conversion-chart
https://www.cooksillustrated.com/how_tos/5799-salt-types-and-measurements
So you really need to say what kind you are using & do it by weight
And without lot of salt or being fermented i am not so sure it an be kept for months in the frig to mention the non satety of keeping it in oil that long
to be kept that long seems to me it needs to be processed
Great point Kat. Rich could have used a salt that was more finely ground that the standard kosher salt grind that we use, and that would have contributed to his vegetables being more salty even after rinsing.
As for length of time it will last. The recipe recommends keeping it in the fridge for no longer than 3-4 weeks. That is hardly 'months'. (Even though we have had it last just fine for 'months'.) However, by all means, only hold onto it as long as you are comfortable.
I have several family members that aim for lower salt diets. While this is obviously not a low-salt food, will it mess up the recipe if I use less salt in the brining process?
Hi Jessica. Good news! The 1/4 c salt is just for brining the vegetables and gets rinsed off before you make your giardiniera. The point of brining is to draw moisture from the vegetables so that they stay crisp longer in their marinade. If you'd really prefer to skip the brining process or use less salt, you can do that as well. The giardiniera just might not stay quite as crisp for quite as long. (We've kept ours nice and crisp even for a couple months in the refrigerator. So, if it will be eaten in a few weeks, you probably won't notice it if you skip the brining process.) Enjoy!
Any reason why it couldn't be canned in a hot water bath?
This strikes me as being something to make by the gallon.
Hi Bill, It is generally not advised to hot water bath can anything that uses oil. If you would like to can this recipe, we would advise that you leave out the oil. Or, you can use this recipe for giardiniera that we created specifically for canning: https://www.curiouscuisiniere.com/italian-giardiniera-for-canning/.
Looks good. Going to try it out this weekend. Why no olives?
Hi Jesse, The more traditional, Italian version doesn't include olives, but the Chicago version does. If you'd like to add olives, go for it! We do include olives in our recipe that is closer to the Chicago version, here: https://www.curiouscuisiniere.com/hot-giardiniera-relish/. Enjoy!