Get my Cookbooks! Olive Garden Salad
Olive Garden Salad is easy to make at home with zesty copycat Italian dressing! It makes the best side dish with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, olives, pepperoncini, and more.
Be sure to pair this with Minestrone Soup and my Olive Garden Alfredo recipe!
Olive Garden Salad
There is nothing that I love more than Olive Garden Salad! And being that I have such an infatuation with it, I can’t believe it took me this long to get it on the blog. The crisp lettuce, juicy tomatoes, and onions, plump black olives... drizzled with that zesty Italian dressing… I could eat it for days. (And those pepperoncini’s add the PERFECT tang!)
To make this a complete meal, pair it with seared or grilled chicken, or serve it with my super popular Olive Garden Fettuccine Alfredo!
Don’t miss my PRO tips for choosing the best ingredients for this recipe as well as nailing that dressing!
How to Make It
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Combine the dressing ingredients in a mini food processor or in a jar with a lid. Blend/shake well to combine and emulsify. Cover and refrigerate.
Set dressing, croutons, and Parmesan cheese aside and combine remaining salad ingredients together in a large bowl. Drizzle with dressing and toss. Top with croutons and Parmesan cheese. Serve!
Pro Tips
- Lettuce: I like to use a combination of iceberg and romaine for this recipe.
- Tomatoes: Roma tomatoes are perfect for this recipe. I also like to use cocktail tomatoes, (pictured in this recipe). They are bigger than cherry tomatoes and smaller than slicer tomatoes, perfect for serving on salads.
- Pepperoncini Peppers:These are jarred and are found where the pickles and olives are.
- Parmesan Cheese: Freshly grated cheese is definitely best here. I grate mine from a wedge of Belgioioso. I use the same brand for the Romano in the dressing.
- Dressing: This recipe makes 1 ½ cups of dressing. Leftover dressing can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. It makes a fantastic marinade for chicken, especially in my Copycat Longhorn Parmesan Crusted Chicken Recipe!
- Olive Oil for Dressing: Extra Virgin Olive Oil is best for this dressing. I prefer varieties that are smooth, I find robust to be a little too overpowering.
- Note: If your leftover dressing solidifies during storage: Let it sit at room temperature until it liquifies, then shake to combine and serve.
- Mix just before serving:This recipe needs to be combined just before serving to ensure it’s crisp and fresh!
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- Salad Dressing– This recipe includes a delicious homemade copycat version of their dressing, but you can also purchase their dressing at the store for an added shortcut. They’re also sold in portion sized cups!
- Croutons- Using their croutons is a must! (Or try my homemade croutons!)
- Mini Food Processor– I use this to combine dressing ingredients, it emulsifies well and keeps the consistency of the dressing uniform.
- Large Serving Bowl with Lid and Serving Tongs
- Cutting Boards
- My Favorite Chef Knife
Try These Next
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- Chicken and Broccoli Pasta
-
- Chicken Parmesan
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- Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce
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- Minestrone Soup
-
- Baked Ravioli
-
- Lasagna Roll Ups
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Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Olive Garden Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 8 cups chopped Lettuce
- ¼ cup red cabbage, shredded
- ¼ cup Carrots, julienne
- ¼ cup Red onion
- ½ cup black olives
- 2 roma tomatoes, sliced
- 1/3 cup pepperoncinis
- 1 cup croutons
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Dressing
- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, I prefer smooth over robust if given the option
- 1 (.7 oz.) packet Zesty Italian Dressing Mix
- 1/3 cup white vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon grated Romano cheese, can sub Parmesan
- 3 teaspoons sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons mayo, not miracle whip
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon EACH: Italian seasoning, salt
- ¼ teaspoon EACH: pepper, garlic powder
Instructions
- Combine the dressing ingredients in a mini food processor or in a jar with a lid. Blend/shake well to combine and emulsify. Cover and refrigerate.
- Prepare salad ingredients. Use a paper towel to absorb any excess moisture from the sliced tomatoes to keep things fresh and crisp.
- Set dressing, croutons, and Parmesan cheese aside and combine remaining salad ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Drizzle with desired amount of salad dressing and toss to combine. (You won't need all of the dressing.) Sprinkle with croutons and Parmesan cheese and serve!
- This pairs perfectly with my Olive Garden Alfredo!
Notes
- Lettuce: I like to use a combination of iceberg and romaine for this recipe.
- Tomatoes: Roma tomatoes are perfect for this recipe. I also like to use cocktail tomatoes, (pictured in this recipe). They are bigger than cherry tomatoes and smaller than slicer tomatoes, perfect for serving on salads.
- Pepperoncini Peppers:These are jarred and are found where the pickles and olives are.
- Parmesan Cheese: Freshly grated cheese is definitely best here. I grate mine from a wedge of Belgioioso. I use the same brand for the Romano in the dressing.
- Dressing: This recipe makes 1 ½ cups of dressing. Leftover dressing can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. It makes a fantastic marinade for chicken, especially in my Copycat Longhorn Parmesan Crusted Chicken Recipe!
- Olive Oil for Dressing: Extra Virgin Olive Oil is best for this dressing. I prefer varieties that are smooth, I find robust to be a little too overpowering.
- Note: If your leftover dressing solidifies during storage: Let it sit at room temperature until it liquifies, then shake to combine and serve.
- Mix just before serving: This recipe needs to be combined just before serving to ensure it's crisp and fresh!
The nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving. There are 6 servings in this recipe.
Absolutely delicious! Olive Garden salad is also one of my absolute favorites. Thank you, Stephanie. This one got rave reviews from the whole table!
WOOOO!!! I’m so happy to hear that it’s a hit with you and your family Tricia! I just had this last night, and for lunch today! LOL. I’m quite obsessed. Thank you so much for the review! 🙂 -Stephanie
Have I told you lately that I am so glad I found your site?!?! Your recipes are amazing! We have been searching for a new salad dressing and this is exactly what we were looking for! It’s not sweet like balsamic dressing, it’s not too tart like some other zesty Italian dressings. It’s just absolutely PERFECT! Thank you for all your hard work that goes into recipes and this site!
AWWWWW you made my DAY Sharon!!! I really appreciate that- seriously! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave these kind words, I appreciate that so much!! -Stephanie 🙂
Thanks for the recipes!!
You’re very welcome Sylvia!❤️
The whole family loved this salad!! Thank you for another great recipe!!
You’re very welcome Dina, I’m so happy the whole family loved it! Thanks for the great review!💖
Loved this! You reminded me how much I love Olive Garden Salad and now that I can make it at home, I won’t skimp on the delicious ingredients! Bountiful red tomatoes, olives, croutons, and pepperoncinies for all! I love the dressing too and I’ll be honest…homemade just tastes better than store bought! Thanks Cozy Cook!
You’re very welcome Bella! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, thanks so much for the great review!💖