Recipe for Copycat Olive Garden Salad and Dressing (So Easy!)

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!

Click HERE to save this recipe for How to Make a Copy Cat Olive Garden Salad Recipe to Pinterest!

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 rich Italian 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 savory rustic 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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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 @goodlifeeats and #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.