Copycat Olive Garden Salad Recipe - I Heart Naptime (2024)

This Olive Garden salad recipe hits the spot when you crave this irresistible salad! Along with the zesty dressing, it has everything the original has with the flexibility of making it your own!

Make it restaurant experience at home by tossing the salad with a zesty homemade Olive garden dressing, a side of Olive Garden breadsticks and pasta topped with Alfredo sauce!

Copycat Olive Garden Salad Recipe

If you crave the house salad from Olive Garden like I do, it’s for good reason! It’s an irresistible combination of crisp colorful veggies and crunchy croutons tossed with a vibrant tangy dressing. If pasta e fa*gioli, alfredo pasta or sheet pan gnocchi are on the menu, you bet I am serving this Olive Garden salad recipe.

Since I can’t visit the restaurant on a daily basis, I came up with a copycat recipe that rivals the original every time! Made with crisp lettuce, juicy tomatoes, black olives, crunchy seasoned croutons, and those salty, spicy pepperoncini, it’s simple and fresh!

Salad Ingredients

• Salad Mix– This pre-packaged garden blend can be found at your local grocery store. It’s a bag of salad that contains iceberg lettuce, red cabbage, and matchstick carrots. If you’d rather make your own, by all means!
• Tomatoes– I like to use slices of Roma tomatoes, but you’re welcome to use whatever tomatoes you prefer. Cherry tomatoes and plum tomatoes are two other options to consider.
• Black olives– Make sure they’re pitted! Keep them whole or slice them, it’s up to you.
• Croutons– Nothing beatshomemade croutons, but if you’ve got a package of croutons you’d like to use they’ll work too.
• Red onions– Sliced as thinly as you’d like. Red onions are sweet, mild and add crunch and flavor.
• Shredded parmesan cheese– This is optional. Adds another element, but if you’d like to keep it dairy-free, it’s not a must.
• Pepperoncini– These pickled peppers are briny, salty, tangy, and spicy! They are delicious but they are also optional.
• Homemade Dressing Recipe– See below!

How to Make Olive Garden Copycat Salad

1. Dump: Add the lettuce mix into a large bowl.
2. Top: Next, add in the tomatoes, olives, red onion, and cheese. Top with a few pepperoncini and any additional add-ins.
3. Toss: Drizzle with dressing and give it a good toss. Top with croutons and serve immediately!

Extra Add-ins

• Greens: When making your own, go ahead and use Romaine if you prefer. A spring mix, or any combination of romaine, iceberg, spinach, and bibb lettuce could work. It’s not an exact copycat but it still works!
• Protein: Grilled chicken, shrimp, steak, crumbled bacon, a hard-boiled egg.
• Nuts and seeds: Sprinkle on some sunflower seeds, sliced almonds, cashews, walnuts, or pecans.
• A different dressing: Italian dressing, a vinaigrette, balsamic, ranch, blue cheese, or a combination of olive oil, vinegar (or lemon juice), salt, and pepper.

Make-Ahead

If you’re serving a crowd and have a lot on the go, using prep time comes in handy. Wash, slice, and chop all the necessary ingredients. Place everything except the pepperoncini, croutons, and dressing into the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and store for up to 8 hours beforehand.

Then, when you’re ready to serve, top with the remaining ingredients and the dressing and give it a toss!

What is Olive Garden Salad Dressing Made Of?

The dressing ingredients are so simple, you probably already have everything you need.

Whisk together olive oil, white vinegar, water, sugar, mayonnaise, and salt and black pepper to taste. Check out my post for detailed instructions and amounts!

What to Serve with this Salad?

A soup and salad is a classic combination. Whether it’s a small bowl of soup and a large bowl of salad, or vice versa, it makes for a great light lunch or dinner idea!

Need some extra carbohydrates in your life? Complete your meal with pasta and bread too!

• Soups: Easy chicken gnocchi soup, delicious broccoli and cheese soup, and chicken noodle soup.
• Pasta: Cheesy baked ziti, turkey tetrazzini, and lemon chicken fettuccine.
• Bread: Easy garlic bread or easy garlic knots. If you’re recreating the whole restaurant experience then Copycat Olive Garden breadsticks are a must!

Other Easy Salad Recipes

• Wedge Salad – Crisp iceberg lettuce topped with bacon, tomatoes and blue cheese.
• Antipasto Salad – Filled with all of your Italian favorites!
• Mediterranean Quinoa Salad – A healthy vegetarian salad option.
• Easy Chopped Salad – So easy to customize with your favorite mix-in’s.
• Quick and Easy Italian Salad – The perfect lunch, dinner or side salad recipe.

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