Copy cat Olive Garden salad – the famous Italian salad that everyone loves with a dressing that’s made with “better for you” ingredients!
I’m not big into chain restaurants these days. However, I must say.. I can always go for Olive Garden’s delicious salad. It’s so crisp especially when served on their chilled plates. I’m all about the fresh grated parmesan on top.
Fun fact: I worked at Olive Garden for a year. It was my first serving job. If I had a dime for every time I had to say “say when” while grating parmesan on to someone’s salad or soup.. I’d be rich. Even after working there, I never got sick of their soup, salad, and breadsticks. The combo was always so comforting to me.
Click here for my healthy chicken and gnocchi soup inspired by them! Pair that soup with this salad and you have yourself an amazing meal. Just need some breadsticks 😉
Trying to get this homemade salad dressing to taste like the real deal wasn’t easy! It took me a few tries to get it right. It’s not exact, but I’d say it’s pretty damn close. Most importantly it’s made with all clean ingredients! They sell the Olive Garden salad dressing at a lot of grocery stores but it’s loaded with a ton of unnecessary ingredients. Such as high fructose corn syrup, sugar, and gums.
So, add this copy cat Olive Garden salad to your week-night menu paired with some delicious and hearty soup!
PrintCopy Cat Olive Garden Salad
- Yield: 2–3 servings 1x
Ingredients
Dressing
1/4 cup + 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
1 & 1/2 tsp dijon
1/2 tsp mayo
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp garlic powder
pinch of dried oregano
pinch of red pepper flakes
Salad
2 heads of romaine, chopped
1/4 a red onion, sliced into rings
1/2 cup extra large black olives
3–4 pepperoncinis
2 roma tomatoes, sliced
1/3 cup croutons
freshly grated or shredded parmesan to taste
Instructions
Dressing
Mix together all ingredients. Taste and add more seasonings if desired. Store in an air tight container and refrigerate until ready to use. This will stay good in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Salad
In a large bowl combine all of the salad ingredients. Drizzle on desired amount of dressing and enjoy!
