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.
Servings: 8
Calories: 267kcal
Ingredients
Salad
- 6 cups iceberg lettuce, chopped
- 1 cup whole pitted black olives, drained
- 1 cup red onion, thinly sliced
- 4 medium firm Roma tomatoes, sliced
- 1 cup seasoned croutons
- 6 whole pepperoncini peppers
- 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
- 1½ 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
- Make sure your red onions are sliced nice and thin. A mandoline would work well to slice them.
- Small mason jars are just the right size to make salad dressing and to store any dressing leftovers in the fridge.
- 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