Olive Garden Salad (Printable)
Fresh crisp greens with tomatoes, olives, pepperoncini, and creamy Parmesan dressing.
# What You Need:
→ Salad
01 - 6 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
02 - 1 cup iceberg lettuce, chopped
03 - 1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
04 - 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
05 - 1/2 cup black olives, pitted
06 - 6 to 8 whole pepperoncini peppers
07 - 1/2 cup croutons
08 - 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
→ Dressing
09 - 1/2 cup mayonnaise
10 - 1/3 cup white vinegar
11 - 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
12 - 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
13 - 1 tablespoon lemon juice
14 - 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
15 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
16 - 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
17 - 1/2 teaspoon sugar
18 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
# How To Make It:
01 - Wash and thoroughly dry both lettuces. Combine the chopped romaine and iceberg in a large salad bowl.
02 - Layer the thinly sliced red onion, halved grape tomatoes, pitted black olives, and whole pepperoncini peppers over the greens.
03 - Scatter the croutons and freshly grated Parmesan cheese evenly across the top of the salad.
04 - In a separate small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, white vinegar, olive oil, grated Parmesan, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, dry mustard, and sugar. Whisk until smooth and fully emulsified. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
05 - Drizzle the dressing over the salad just before serving. Toss gently to coat all the greens evenly, or serve the dressing on the side for individual portions.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The dressing tastes identical to the restaurant version, and your friends will beg you for the recipe every single time you bring it somewhere.
- It pairs with literally everything from pasta to grilled chicken to a lazy weekend lunch eaten standing over the kitchen counter.
02 -
- The dressing thickens as it sits in the fridge, so if you make it ahead, let it come to room temperature for fifteen minutes and whisk again with a splash of water or vinegar to loosen it up.
- Adding the croutons too early is the single biggest mistake you can make because they lose all their crunch within ten minutes of contact with the moist ingredients.
03 -
- Taste the dressing on an actual leaf of lettuce instead of off a spoon because the greens mellow the acidity and give you a much more accurate read on the seasoning.
- A tiny pinch of sugar is the difference between a dressing that tastes almost right and one that tastes exactly like the restaurant version.