Home > Salads > Olive Garden Salad Olive Garden Salad January 15, 2020 | 19 Comments SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Jump to Recipe This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. Here’s a copycat recipe for the famous Olive Garden Salad, complete with all the best ingredients. It’s brimming with juicy sweet tomatoes. Tangy pepperoncini peppers. Savory black olives. Zesty Parmesan cheese. Sharp red onions. And garlicky croutons. They all combine to create a flavor explosion! The salad is dressed in a homemade creamy Italian dressing. However, if you prefer, you can pick up Olive Garden’s bottled dressing at the grocery store. Pair this salad with some other Olive Garden copycats like this Zuppa Toscana Soup or this Pasta e Fagioli Soup. And here’s a bonus: they’re both slow cooker recipes! That makes it even easier to go Italian. We’re obsessed with this Olive Garden copycat salad — it’s light, fresh, healthy, and loaded with flavor. And what’s more, the Italian dressing is easy to make and filled with good-for-you ingredients. How does olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, and plenty of herbs sound? It’s the perfect pairing for all the veggies! The ultimate finishing touch to this salad is the crunchy, garlicky croutons and freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top! What is in a house salad at Olive Garden Restaurant? Lettuce: Olive Garden uses an iceberg lettuce mix, but we like it best with Romaine lettuce; either type of lettuce works! Red onion: Onions add a nice bite to the salad. If they seem to have too much of a bite, see my quick tip below to help tame them. Pepperoncini: These are sweet, mild chili peppers, usually sold pickled. Grocery stores stock pepperoncini near the pickles. Tomato: Any good ripe tomatoes will work in this salad (bonus points, however, for garden tomatoes — they’re the best!). We often use cherry tomatoes. Black olives: We like them whole, but feel free to halve or slice them. Croutons: Olive Garden sells their croutons at the grocery store, and they work great in this salad. You can use any garlic-herb flavored croutons. Or, you can even make your own! Parmesan cheese: I like to grate fresh Parmesan cheese on a microplane and add it to this Olive Garden Salad. QUICK TIPIf you’re sensitive to the flavor of raw red onion, I have a hack that’ll help tone down the bite. Soak the onions in ice-cold water (with a pinch of salt added) for 10 minutes. Then, drain thoroughly and dry before adding to the salad. What kind of tomatoes does Olive Garden use? Olive Garden uses Roma tomatoes, which are what we use in this salad shown in the photos. I’d recommend picking the ripest, freshest tomatoes possible for this salad. What dressing does Olive Garden use? Olive Garden actually sells their salad dressing in local grocery stores (this is not a sponsored comment—just sharing information), or you can make my homemade Olive Garden dressing that I include in the recipe below. It’s quite similar to the restaurant version, and you’ll know exactly what ingredients are in your dressing. Quick notes Only add dressing, cheese, and croutons to the amount of salad that will be eaten the same day you make it. Otherwise, the ingredients will get soggy if they sit in the dressing too long. Make ahead: You can make everything for this copycat Olive Garden Salad ahead of time. Just store the salad ingredients separately and then toss them all together right before serving. Grating Parmesan cheese: I highly recommend grating the cheese on a microplane. It gives it an awesome light texture and helps it disperse more evenly throughout the salad. If you’ve never tried a microplane, it’s a game-changer. I like this one because it’s so easy to use. More delicious salad recipes: Italian Salad with an herb vinaigrette Chickpea Salad Mediterranean inspired Cobb Salad with an herb vinaigrette Crispy Chicken Salad with a honey BBQ dressing Orzo Pasta Salad with a lemon vinaigrette FOLLOW ALONG! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates, recipes and content. Olive Garden Salad 4.67 from 9 votes - Review this recipe A copycat recipe for the famous Olive Garden Salad, complete with juicy sweet tomatoes, tangy pepperoncini peppers, savory black olives, zesty Parmesan cheese, sharp red onions, and garlicky croutons. The salad is dressed in a homemade creamy Italian dressing (or pick up Olive Garden's dressing at the store). SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Olive Garden Salad 4.67 from 9 votes - Review this recipe SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe A copycat recipe for the famous Olive Garden Salad, complete with juicy sweet tomatoes, tangy pepperoncini peppers, savory black olives, zesty Parmesan cheese, sharp red onions, and garlicky croutons. The salad is dressed in a homemade creamy Italian dressing (or pick up Olive Garden's dressing at the store). Course Salad Cuisine American, Italian Keyword olive garden salad Prep Time 25 minutes Total Time 25 minutes Servings 4 -6 servings (as a side) Calories 426kcal Ingredients8 ounces romaine lettuce, coarsely chopped1/2 cup whole black olives2 large Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced1/4 of 1 large red onion, very thinly sliced6 whole pepperoncini peppers1 cup garlic-herb flavored croutons (store-bought or homemade)1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly gratedDressing1/3 cup (73g) red wine vinegar1 and 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard1/2 teaspoon dried oregano1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning1 teaspoon granulated white sugar1/2 cup (104g) olive oil2 tablespoons good quality full-fat mayo InstructionsSALAD: Coarsely chop the lettuce, wash, and thoroughly dry (I love a salad spinner for this step). Place lettuce in a large bowl. Top the salad with black olives, thinly sliced tomatoes, very thinly sliced red onion, and pepperoncini.DRESSING: Add all the dressing ingredients to a large glass jar. Put on the lid and shake to combine. It might take a minute of good vigorous shaking, but the mayo should completely integrate (keep shaking until it does). If you have time, make this ahead and chill in the fridge to intensify the flavors. Shake again right before mixing into the salad.ASSEMBLY: Right before eating (See Note 1), toss the salad with the dressing (you probably won't use all the dressing -- See Note 2). Add the croutons and freshly grated Parmesan cheese right on top and enjoy immediately. Video Recipe NotesNote 1: Freshness: Only add dressing, cheese, and croutons to the amount of salad that will be eaten the same day you make it. The salad ingredients will get quite soggy if they sit too long in the dressing. Note 2: Dressing: This makes a lot of dressing! You can halve it if you'd like, but I like to make this full batch and use it on other recipes throughout the week. It will last up to a week stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Nutrition FactsServing: 6servings (as a side) | Calories: 426kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 26g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 525mg | Potassium: 294mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 5394IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 148mg | Iron: 2mg We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed. DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? I love hearing from you when you've made one of my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @ChelseasMessyApron or leave me a comment below.
Ditto on the OG LIte Italian Salad Dressing. My wife and I really enjoy it. For anyone on Weight Watchers, 2 tablespoons is 1 smart point Reply
Love Olive Garden’s salad!! It has tons of flavors & the dressing is so good!! It’s light & refreshing! Reply
I always just get salad and breadsticks at Olive Garden. NOW I don’t have to go there anymore! This SALAD looks yummy and tastes even better than the version that inspired it. WAY less salty. Love it! Reply
Tried this, love Okive harden’s dressing, but this has way too much red wine vinegar . I will definitely adjust the amount next time. all I could taste was vinegar. Reply
This didn’t really taste like OG dressing to me but not bad. The vinegar is overpowering. I would reduce the vinegar next time. Now that I’ve made it, what can I add to tone down the tanginess? Thanks! Reply
