This Olive Garden Salad Recipe couldn't be any easier. It tastes just like the original, and can be used as a side dish or appetizer for pretty much any meal.

Crisp iceberg lettuce mix, sliced fresh tomatoes, red onion rings, whole black olives, a couple of whole pepperoncini peppers, shredded Parmesan cheese, and homemade Olive Garden salad dressing.

For the ultimate Olive Garden experience, serve with my homemade Gluten-Free Breadsticks. (Or regular breadsticks if not dining gluten-free, of course.)

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What Makes this Olive Garden Salad Recipe so Good?

Hardly any prep. Practically all you have to do is mix up the salad dressing!
Tastes just like the original
Naturally gluten-free

I didn't add croutons to my salad since I was serving it with my Homemade Gluten-Free Breadsticks. If you want to use croutons instead, here is my recipe for Gluten Free Croutons. You can also use store-bought croutons to eliminate prep work.

Also, you can now purchase Olive Garden Dressing from the store, which would eliminate another step. However, I make the dressing homemade because I can control the quality of the ingredients. The store bought Olive Garden Dressing contains ingredients like soybean oil, high fructose corn syrup, and dextrose. Not things I personally like to consume.

Ingredients:

For the Olive Garden Salad:

Iceberg lettuce mix. I like the kind with the carrot and shredded purple cabbage included.
Roma tomatoes.
Small whole black olives
Pickled pepperoncini peppers. Try saying that five times fast.
Red onion, thinly sliced into rings
Shredded Parmesan cheese
Croutons, optional if pairing with breadsticks
Coarse ground black pepper for serving

For the Homemade Olive Garden Dressing:

Extra-virgin olive oil
Apple cider vinegar, or red wine vinegar
Freshly-squeezed lemon juice
Italian seasonings
Shredded Parmesan cheese
Minced garlic
Mayonnaise
Granulated sugar, or honey
Salt and pepper

How to Make:

For the Olive Garden Salad Dressing:

Add all ingredients into a blender or food processor. Combine on medium-low speed until smooth.

Refrigerate until ready to use. Store in a glass jar for up to one week.

For the Olive Garden Salad:

Lay a bed of lettuce into individual bowls or a large salad bowl. Place the remaining ingredients on top in piles. Toss to combine.
Serve with Olive Garden Dressing. Serve with breadsticks.

Equipment:

To make the homemade Olive Garden Dressing, you will need either a blender or food processor. This is because the dressing contains minced garlic and Parmesan cheese, which cannot be left whole. When blended, the flavors meld into the dressing and it becomes nice and smooth.

Storage:

It's best to make and serve this salad fresh. Therefore, only prepare the amount of salad that you can finish in one sitting. Ingredients like tomatoes, olives, and pepperoncini are too wet to be left on top of lettuce overnight.

Store the homemade dressing in a glass mason jar in the refrigerator for up to one week.

What to Serve With:

Some mains that Olive Garden Salad pairs well with are:

Pasta dishes like fettuccine Alfredo, spaghetti, stuffed shells, ravioli, chicken Parmesan, etc.
Seafood dishes like shrimp, salmon, etc.
Protein-focused dishes like steak, chicken, or pork chops.