Do you love Olive Garden’s famous house salad? Learn how simple this Copycat Olive Garden Salad Recipe is to make at home so you can enjoy your favorite flavors without the cost of eating out! Includes a homemade version of Olive Garden Dressing, too.
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Copycat Olive Garden Salad Recipe
A favorite restaurant copycat dish of ours is this recipe for Olive Garden’s salad dressing.
Our recipe is creamy and tangy, just like the original, so now you can enjoy this famous salad from the comfort of your own home with just a quick trip to the grocery store!
When my kids were younger, eating out on a budget wasn’t too terribly difficult, even for our family of seven. One of our favorite restaurants has always been the Olive Garden.
To the kids, it was affectionately known to our family as “The Grape Place.” That’s what the kids called it when they were very young based on their familiar logo.
Big portions of pasta, unlimited soups, and endless bowls of salad and baskets of breadsticks make for a hearty meal and went a long way with our large family.
But as time marches on, one by one my kids are starting to graduate from the children’s menu to the regular menu, and we’re finding out that a meal out can put quite a dent in our finances.
And that’s why we’ve started trying to recreate some of our favorite dining out dishes, like this Copycat Olive Garden Salad, at home.
It’s delicious poured over a big bowl of salad greens, topped with red onion, black olives, Roma tomato, tangy pepperoncini peppers, and your favorite croutons. For homemade croutons, try this recipe for buttery sourdough garlic croutons (croutons are really easy to make and it is a great way to use up leftover bread that has maybe gone slightly stale).
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Olive Garden Salad Ingredients
For the salad itself, you’ll need:
- Bag of salad mix or romaine lettuce and iceberg lettuce mix
- Red Onion Slices
- Black Olives
- Pepperoncini Peppers
- Sliced Roma Tomato or Plum Tomatoes
- Croutons (I like these Garlicky Croutons)
- Grated Parmesan
And for the copycat Olive Garden Dressing Recipe, you’ll need:
- Mayonnaise
- White Wine Vinegar or White Vinegar
- Granulated Sugar
- Lemon Lemon Juice
- Water
- Parmesan Romano Cheese Blend
- Extra-Virgin Olive oil
- Seasoning (Italian seasoning, parsley, garlic flakes)
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How to Make Olive Garden’s Famous Dressing
You’ll first need to make the homemade Olive Garden salad dressing. Simply blend everything up in a blender or food processor. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Then, chill in a fridge for at least two hours before serving. You can even prepare the dressing a day ahead of time. You’ll love this homemade Olive Garden Dressing!
How to Make Olive Garden’s Salad
After making the dressing, combine the salad mix with all of the other salad ingredients in a large bowl and drizzle with your desired amount of dressing. Sprinkle grated Parmesan on top, garnish with crunchy croutons on top of the salad, and enjoy!
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Tips for Making This Olive Garden Salad Recipe
For a real Olive Garden restaurant-style experience, pick up one of these handheld rotary cheese graters and a big chunk of real, fresh Parmesan cheese.
Though fresh Parmesan is a little more pricey than its shelf-stable counterpart, a little of this cheese will go a long way. And fresh Parmesan lasts quite a while when wrapped well and stored in the refrigerator. It tastes so good on this Italian Salad!
When making the dressing, you must let it chill in the fridge before serving it. This gives the flavors time to come together and actually makes a big difference in the flavor of the Olive Garden dressing!
Note that the dressing recipe listed makes enough for about four big bowls of salad. If you have leftovers, store it in an airtight container in the fridge (it’ll last for about a week). You can use it on other salads, or as a marinade for grilled chicken.
Since you’re purchasing all of the elements of this fan favorite salad yourself when you’re preparing it at home, always look for the freshest ingredients available. Deliciously ripe roma tomatoes will taste so much better than the alternative.
For a fresh salad, assemble this side dish just before serving or serve the homemade Olive Garden salad dressing on the side.
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What to Serve with this Copycat Recipe for Olive Garden Salad
Wondering what you should serve with your Olive Garden Salad Recipe? Any of your favorite Italian Recipes would be great, but here are some of my main entree suggestions for a delicious meal:
If you’re a fan of Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana, you may want to try this creamy and richItalian Sausage and Kale Soup (known as Zuppa Toscana) to serve alongside your Olive Garden Salad. It is one of my favorite soup recipes!
This Italian Beef Ragu with Pappardelle would also pair nicely with Olive Garden’s famous house salad. The rich meat sauce complements the tangy dressing perfectly!
This recipe for Alfredo Pasta is another popular recipe to serve alongside this Olive Garden Copycat Salad.
For an even easier main dish, make this One Skillet Baked Ziti. It comes together in 30 minutes and would go well with this Olive Garden salad.
Add a few slices of this savoryrustic homemade bread for a delicious comforting Italian dinner at home for a fraction of the cost of eating out. This bread recipe also makes great garlic bread!
What is your favorite restaurant dish recipe to recreate at home?
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Copycat Olive Garden Salad
Yield: 8
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Do you love Olive Garden's Salad? Learn how simple it is to make it at home so you can enjoy your favorite flavors without the cost of eating out!
Ingredients
For the Olive Garden Dressing:
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2/3 cup white vinegar
- 5 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2/3 cup parmesan romano cheese blend
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon parsley flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
For the Olive Garden Salad:
- 1 bag salad blend of your choice
- sliced red onion
- black olives
- pepperoncini
- sliced Roma tomato
- croutons
- freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
Make the Olive Garden Dressing
- Combine the mayonnaise, white vinegar, granulated sugar, lemon juice water, parmesan romano cheese blend, olive oil, Italian seasoning, parsley flakes, and garlic salt in a blender.
- Blend until smooth.
- Season to taste with additional salt and black pepper, if desired.
- Chill for at least two hours before serving.
Make the Olive Garden Salad Recipe
- Combine the lettuce, sliced onion, black olives, pepperoncini peppers, roma tomatoes, and croutons in a large salad bowl.
- Toss to distribute the ingredients.
- Pour on desired amount of dressing and mix right before serving.
- Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Notes
Note that the dressing recipe listed makes enough for about four big bowls of salad. If you have leftovers, store it in an airtight container in the fridge (it'll last for about a week). You can use it on other salads, or as a marinade for chicken.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 134Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 285mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 0gSugar: 2gProtein: 2g
GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.
Try this Olive Garden Salad Recipe at Home!
Next time you’re craving Olive Garden’s amazing salad, consider preparing it at home instead using this copycat dressing and delicious salad. Recreating copycat versions of restaurant favorites is the perfect way to spend less going out. The best part is this recipe is one that’s easy to prepare!
On Instagram? Share your photo and tag me with@goodlifeeatsand#goodlifeeatsrecipes. I’d love to see your photo of this Copycat Olive Garden Salad!
Post Information: This Olive Garden Salad Recipe was originally written on 2/27/13 by Tara of Unsophisticook. It has been edited by Good Life Eats to include additional information and new photos. Photography:photos taken in this post are by Rachael from Set the Table.
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