February 18, 2023
Review RecipeCopycat Olive Garden Salad
Crispy lettuce, fresh vegetables and a homemade creamy Italian dressing will make this copycat Olive garden salad recipe your new favorite salad to make at home.
Jump to Recipe
Table of Contents
This copycat Olive Garden salad recipe tastes just like the incredible restaurant version that you love. The delicious salad is full of crisp fresh veggies, topped with crunchy croutons, and drenched in a tangy dressing for a combination that is full of addictive flavor.
A wonderful salad is always a great addition to a delicious meal. Our cucumber salad and broccoli salad are both favorites to add a bit of greenery to your table.
Olive Garden Salad Ingredients
You’ll need:
For the Salad
- 6 cups chopped iceberg lettuce
- 6 whole pepperoncini peppers
- 4 medium firm Roma tomatoes, sliced
- 1 cup whole pitted black olives, drained
- 1 cup thinly sliced red onions
- 1 cup seasoned croutons
- ¼ cup fresh parmesan cheese
For the Dressing
- ⅔ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup white wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons fresh minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Olive Garden Copycat Salad Substitutions
DRESSING: If you can’t find the official Olive Garden dressing at the grocery store, you can substitute it for the homemade dressing. You can also substitute a 0.7 ounce packet of Italian dressing mix for the homemade dressing.
LETTUCE: Any variety of lettuce, or bagged salad, can be used for this Olive Garden house salad recipe. A bagged salad mix will save you time to whip up this easy recipe in a flash.
MIX-INS: You can add chopped bacon, cubed ham, or even shredded cooked or grilled chicken.
CROUTONS: You can use store-bought or homemade croutons in this recipe.
TOMATOES: Halved grape or cherry tomatoes would also work just as well as the Roma tomatoes in this Olive Garden Italian salad recipe.
How To Make Olive Garden Salad
STEP ONE: Using a large bowl, layer 3 cups of the chopped lettuce, ½ cup of the black olives, ½ cup of the sliced red onion, ½ of the sliced tomatoes, and ½ cup of the croutons.
PRO TIP:
Make sure your red onions are sliced nice and thin. A mandoline would work well to slice them.
STEP TWO: Layer the remaining lettuce, black olives, red onion slices, tomato slices, and croutons.
STEP THREE: Lay the pepperoncini peppers on top of the salad.
STEP FOUR: Evenly sprinkle the grated parmesan on top of the salad. Set the salad aside.
STEP FIVE: Using either a small mixing bowl and a whisk, or a quart-sized mason jar with a lid, combine the olive oil, white wine vinegar, water, mayonnaise, sugar, fresh minced garlic, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, kosher salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes. If using the bowl and whisk, whisk until the dressing is well combined. If using the mason jar, tightly screw on the lid and shake until the ingredients are completely incorporated,
PRO TIP:
Small mason jars are just the right size to make salad dressing and to store any dressing leftovers in the fridge.
STEP SIX: Immediately pour the dressing over the top of the salad. Serve immediately.
PRO TIP:
This salad is best served right away, otherwise, the croutons will start to soften in the dressing.
How To Serve Olive Garden Salad
Serve this Italian salad as a side dish alongside our creamy Olive Garden chicken pasta. Add a tasty bowl of minestrone soup and garlic bread and you will feel like you are sitting at the beloved restaurant chain.
Olive Garden Salad Recipe Storage
IN THE FRIDGE: Store any leftovers from this amazing salad in an airtight container, or a gallon-sized Ziploc bag, for up to 2 days. If you anticipate having leftovers, we would recommend adding croutons to individual servings as they will get soggy if left in the dressing for any amount of time.
This copycat recipe is a great way to bring your favorite restaurant home. Our homemade version of the Olive Garden salad features all the fresh ingredients from the original and is topped with a tangy copycat dressing that you will love.
Copycat Olive Garden Salad FAQ
Can I save the leftovers of this salad?
Our Olive Garden copycat salad will keep in the fridge for up to two days. Leave off the croutons as they will get soggy when stored.
Can I store leftover dressing?
The leftover dressing can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. Seal it tightly in a mason jar or airtight container.
Can I make this salad ahead of time?
You can make this Olive Garden green salad up to a couple days in advance. Just wait to add the dressing and croutons until you are ready to serve it.
What cheese does Olive Garden use?
The Olive Garden uses a tangy parmesan romano cheese in their garden salad recipe.
MORE RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
- Caprese Pasta Salad
- Italian Pasta Salad
- Ranch Potato Salad
- Pea Salad
- Simple Homemade Caesar Salad
- Caesar Pasta Salad
- 5 Cup Salad
- BLT Pasta Salad
- Broccoli Apple Salad
- Greek Pasta Salad
- Tuna Salad
- Mexican Corn Salad
- Olive Garden Chicken Scampi Recipe
- Copycat Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce
Olive Garden Salad Recipe
Crispy lettuce, fresh vegetables and a homemade creamy Italian dressing will make this copycat Olive garden salad recipe your new favorite salad to make at home.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 8
Ingredients
Salad
- 6 cups iceberg lettuce chopped
- 6 whole pepperoncini peppers
- 4 medium firm Roma tomatoes sliced
- 1 cup whole pitted black olives drained
- 1 cup red onion thinly sliced
- 1 cup seasoned croutons
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese fresh grated
Dressing
- ⅔ cup olive oil extra virgin
- ⅓ cup white wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons garlic fresh minced
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Using a large serving bowl, layer 3 cups of the chopped lettuce, ½ cup of the black olives, ½ cup of the sliced red onion, ½ of the sliced tomatoes, and ½ cup of the croutons.
- Layer the remaining lettuce, black olives, sliced red onion, sliced tomatoes, and croutons.
- Lay the pepperoncini peppers on top of the salad.
- Evenly sprinkle the grated parmesan on top of the salad. Set the salad aside.
- Using either a small mixing bowl and a whisk, or a quart-sized mason jar with a lid, combine the olive oil, white wine vinegar, water, mayonnaise, sugar, fresh minced garlic, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, kosher salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes. If using the bowl and whisk, whisk until the dressing is well combined. If using the mason jar, tightly screw on the lid and shake until the ingredients are completely incorporated,
- Immediately pour the dressing over the top of the salad. Serve immediately.
Notes
PRO TIP: Make sure your red onions are sliced nice and thin. A mandoline would work well to slice them.
PRO TIP: Small mason jars are just the right size to make salad dressing and to store any dressing leftovers in the fridge.
PRO TIP: This salad is best served right away, otherwise, the croutons will start to soften in the dressing.
Nutrition
Calories: 267kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 517mg | Potassium: 212mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 651IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 76mg | Iron: 1mg
Have You Tried This Recipe?Follow me on Pinterest @spaceshipslb
Comments
Gloria says
So delicious – we love this copycat recipe!
Terri says
Made the dressing in a Mason jar! So easy and yummy!!!
Kimberly says
Loved the recipe. Easy and delicious.
Clara West says
I only used the dressing on a garden salad with chicken. The flavours are fantastic and I will definitely make the dressing again!