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Olive Garden Copycat Salad

December 9, 2017 by Olya 9 Comments

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This Italian Salad is a copycat of Olive Garden salad that comes unlimited with an entree. This copycat salad is quick and easy, yet it has a wonderful mix of flavors and textures: tomatoes, Pepperoncini peppers and olives in a delicious homemade Italian dressing. The best part is the crunchy herb and garlic croutons!
Olive Garden Salad Copycat

Olive Garden Copycat Salad Dressing Recipe

So for any of you who appreciate this Olive Garden salad and want to recreate it at home, I’ve included instructions for a copycat dressing if you are unable to find the official version at your grocery store.

Olive Garden salad dressing ingredients

They are pretty simple and include mayonnaise, white vinegar, garlic powder, olive oil, salt, pepper and plenty of Italian seasoning. I repeat: plenty of Italian seasoning!

To the small bowl, add all the ingredients and mix until well blended.
Olive Garden Salad Copycat

Use fork to mix dressing ingredients

I whipped up mayo, Italian dressing and olive oil together within seconds with a fork to arrive at a very pleasant creamy texture:
Italian Salad Olive Garden Copycat Recipe-2

What’s in the Olive Garden Copycat Salad?

The salad is a combination of finely chopped lettuce (iceberg or romaine), tomatoes, very thinly sliced red onion, Pepperoncini peppers, black olives and garlicky croutons.

I put the quantity of ingredients in the recipe box, but you don’t have to really measure the ingredients – I always put more olives. tomatoes and onions than the Olive Garden normally puts and less of the actual salad leaves.
Olive Garden Salad Copycat

Chop the lettuce

Make sure to chop the lettuce – you will enjoy it much better. The texture of the chopped lettuce somehow changes the taste of the salad. It is also easier to digest when finely chopped.
Olive Garden Salad Copycat

Parmesan Cheese in Italian Salad

Shredded Parmesan is a must. I add it to each salad bowl separately to keep it fresh and distinct from the dressing.

How much time does it take to make this Italian salad?

It took me 15 minutes to make this Italian salad AND dressing  from start to finish! And that includes chopping the lettuce (I like my salad finely chopped), onions.

Packed with bright flavors, varied nutrients and colorful ingredients, easily found in any grocery store, it’s a great addition to any menu!

If you like a variety of salads in your menu, you might want to explore these delicious recipes:

Shredded Brussels Sprout Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
Brussels Sprout & Cranberry Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing

Honey Mustard Brussels Sprout Salad with Cranberries, Apples and Pecans
Honey Mustard Brussels Sprout with Apples, Cranberries and Pecans

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Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Olive Garden CopyCat Italian Salad

This quick Italian salad is a wonderful mix of flavors and textures of tomatoes, Pepperoncini peppers, olives and crunchy garlic & herb croutons in a delicious homemade Italian dressing. This is a copycat version of Olive Garden salad.
Prep Time15 mins
Total Time15 mins
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: olive garden copycat salad
Servings: 4
Author: Olya

Ingredients

Dressing:

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons Mayonaise
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

Salad:

  • 8 oz salad leaves (1 box, chopped - iceberg or romaine hearts)
  • 1/2 cup whole black olives
  • 2 roma tomatoes sliced
  • 1/3 red onion sliced very thinly
  • 20 croutons (garlic flavored)
  • 4-6 whole pepperoncini peppers
  • 1/3 cup parmesan cheese shredded

Instructions

Italian Dressing:

  • To the small bowl, add the olive oil, mayonnaise, white vinegar, black pepper, salt, garlic powder and Italian seasoning and mix until well blended. Set aside.

Salad:

  • Cut up the lettuce greens and place them in a large bowl. Top them with black olives, tomatoes, pepperoncini, olives and onions.

Putting it all together:

  • Pour on desired amount of dressing on top of the salad and toss right before serving. Sprinkle with shredded Parmesan.
Nutrition Facts
Olive Garden CopyCat Italian Salad
Amount Per Serving
Calories 269 Calories from Fat 207
% Daily Value*
Fat 23g35%
Saturated Fat 4g25%
Cholesterol 8mg3%
Sodium 639mg28%
Potassium 209mg6%
Carbohydrates 9g3%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 1070IU21%
Vitamin C 26.3mg32%
Calcium 130mg13%
Iron 1.1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Filed Under: Copycat, Gluten Free, Salads, Vegetarian Tagged With: Olives, red onion, Tomatoes

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If you liked or disliked the recipe - please leave your comment and STAR RATING in the comments section below! I look forward to new ideas and comments!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. John Walsh

    May 12, 2019 at 3:39 pm

    parmesan cheese? Olive Garden used Romano cheese!

    Reply
  2. John

    February 10, 2019 at 2:53 pm

    I’m trying to recreate their dressing at home and I see you have mayo listed above in the ingredients. I don’t eat mayo and never dreamed it was in their dressing which is not a creamy liquid at all. What if I left the mayonnaise out, would that still be a good dressing? Thanks.

    Reply
    • Olga

      February 11, 2019 at 2:56 pm

      You can certainly leave mayonnaise out and compensate by adding more oil and just a bit more of vinegar.

      Reply
  3. tom

    November 16, 2018 at 9:03 am

    amazing

    Reply
    • Olga

      November 16, 2018 at 9:27 am

      Thank you

      Reply
      • Barbara

        September 19, 2019 at 12:12 pm

        Can you use the olive garden salad dressing? Doesn’t it have all the needed ingredients?

        Reply
        • Olga

          September 19, 2019 at 1:06 pm

          Yes, absolutely!

          Reply
  4. Magdalena

    December 10, 2017 at 7:23 am

    My husband would love this too. Making it today!

    Reply
    • Olya at Whatsinthepan

      December 14, 2017 at 7:45 pm

      I hope both of you like it!

      Reply

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