Olive Garden Salad

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Here’s a copycat recipe for the famous Olive Garden Salad, complete with all the best ingredients. It’s brimming with juicy sweet tomatoes. Tangy pepperoncini peppers. Savory black olives. Zesty Parmesan cheese. Sharp red onions. And garlicky croutons. They all combine to create a flavor explosion! The salad is dressed in a homemade creamy Italian dressing. However, if you prefer, you can pick up Olive Garden’s bottled dressing at the grocery store.

Pair this salad with some other Olive Garden copycats like this Zuppa Toscana Soup  or this Pasta e Fagioli Soup. And here’s a bonus: they’re both slow cooker recipes! That makes it even easier to go Italian.

Overhead image of the Olive Garden Salad dressed and ready to be eaten

We’re obsessed with this Olive Garden copycat salad — it’s light, fresh, healthy, and loaded with flavor. And what’s more, the Italian dressing is easy to make and filled with good-for-you ingredients. How does olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, and plenty of herbs sound? It’s the perfect pairing for all the veggies!

The ultimate finishing touch to this salad is the crunchy, garlicky croutons and freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top!

Ingredient shot-- images of the pepperoncini, croutons, and olives that go in this salad

  • Lettuce: Olive Garden uses an iceberg lettuce mix, but we like it best with Romaine lettuce; either type of lettuce works!
  • Red onion: Onions add a nice bite to the salad. If they seem to have too much of a bite, see my quick tip below to help tame them. 
  • Pepperoncini: These are sweet, mild chili peppers, usually sold pickled. Grocery stores stock pepperoncini near the pickles.
  • Tomato: Any good ripe tomatoes will work in this salad (bonus points, however, for garden tomatoes — they’re the best!). We often use cherry tomatoes.
  • Black olives: We like them whole, but feel free to halve or slice them.
  • Croutons: Olive Garden sells their croutons at the grocery store, and they work great in this salad. You can use any garlic-herb flavored croutons. Or, you can even make your own!
  • Parmesan cheese: I like to grate fresh Parmesan cheese on a microplane and add it to this Olive Garden Salad.

QUICK TIP

If you’re sensitive to the flavor of raw red onion, I have a hack that’ll help tone down the bite. Soak the onions in ice-cold water (with a pinch of salt added) for 10 minutes. Then, drain thoroughly and dry before adding to the salad.

Image of the salad and the Olive Garden salad dressing being poured on it

Up-close image of the salad showing everything in it

Quick notes

  • Only add dressing, cheese, and croutons to the amount of salad that will be eaten the same day you make it. Otherwise, the ingredients will get soggy if they sit in the dressing too long.
  • Make ahead: You can make everything for this copycat Olive Garden Salad ahead of time. Just store the salad ingredients separately and then toss them all together right before serving. 
  • Grating Parmesan cheese: I highly recommend grating the cheese on a microplane. It gives it an awesome light texture and helps it disperse more evenly throughout the salad. If you’ve never tried a microplane, it’s a game-changer. I like this one because it’s so easy to use.

More delicious salad recipes:

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Olive Garden Salad

4.73 from 11 votes
A copycat recipe for the famous Olive Garden Salad, complete with juicy sweet tomatoes, tangy pepperoncini peppers, savory black olives, zesty Parmesan cheese, sharp red onions, and garlicky croutons. The salad is dressed in a homemade creamy Italian dressing (or pick up Olive Garden's dressing at the store).
Print Recipe

Olive Garden Salad

4.73 from 11 votes
A copycat recipe for the famous Olive Garden Salad, complete with juicy sweet tomatoes, tangy pepperoncini peppers, savory black olives, zesty Parmesan cheese, sharp red onions, and garlicky croutons. The salad is dressed in a homemade creamy Italian dressing (or pick up Olive Garden's dressing at the store).
Course Salad
Cuisine American, Italian
Keyword olive garden salad
Prep Time 25 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 4 -6 servings (as a side)
Calories 426kcal
Author Chelsea Lords

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces romaine lettuce, coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 cup whole black olives
  • 2 large Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 of 1 large red onion, very thinly sliced
  • 6 whole pepperoncini peppers
  • 1 cup garlic-herb flavored croutons (store-bought or homemade)
  • 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Dressing

  • 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon granulated white sugar
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons good quality full-fat mayo

Instructions

  • SALAD: Coarsely chop the lettuce, wash, and thoroughly dry (I love a salad spinner for this step). Place lettuce in a large bowl. Top the salad with black olives, thinly sliced tomatoes, very thinly sliced red onion, and pepperoncini.
  • DRESSING: Add all the dressing ingredients to a large glass jar. Put on the lid and shake to combine. It might take a minute of good vigorous shaking, but the mayo should completely integrate (keep shaking until it does). If you have time, make this ahead and chill in the fridge to intensify the flavors. Shake again right before mixing into the salad.
  • ASSEMBLY: Right before eating (See Note 1), toss the salad with the dressing (you probably won't use all the dressing -- See Note 2). Add the croutons and freshly grated Parmesan cheese right on top and enjoy immediately.

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Freshness: Only add dressing, cheese, and croutons to the amount of salad that will be eaten the same day you make it. The salad ingredients will get quite soggy if they sit too long in the dressing.
Note 2: Dressing: This makes a lot of dressing! You can halve it if you'd like, but I like to make this full batch and use it on other recipes throughout the week. It will last up to a week stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6servings (as a side) | Calories: 426kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 26g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 525mg | Potassium: 294mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 5394IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 148mg | Iron: 2mg

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

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Recipe Rating




21 Comments

    1. Ditto on the OG LIte Italian Salad Dressing. My wife and I really enjoy it.

      For anyone on Weight Watchers, 2 tablespoons is 1 smart point

  1. 5 stars
    I always just get salad and breadsticks at Olive Garden. NOW I don’t have to go there anymore! This SALAD looks yummy and tastes even better than the version that inspired it. WAY less salty. Love it!

  2. Tried this, love Okive harden’s dressing, but this has way too much red wine vinegar . I will definitely adjust the amount next
    time. all I could taste was vinegar.

  3. 4 stars
    This didn’t really taste like OG dressing to me but not bad. The vinegar is overpowering. I would reduce the vinegar next time. Now that I’ve made it, what can I add to tone down the tanginess? Thanks!

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