Description
A fresh and vibrant Olive Garden Salad featuring crisp lettuce, colorful vegetables, olives, and a zesty homemade Italian dressing, perfect for a light lunch or a side dish to your favorite dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
Salad
- 8 cups chopped Lettuce
- ¼ cup red cabbage, shredded
- ¼ cup Carrots, julienne
- ¼ cup Red onion
- ½ cup black olives
- 2 roma tomatoes, sliced
- 1/3 cup pepperoncinis
- 1 cup croutons
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Dressing
- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 (.7 oz.) packet Zesty Italian Dressing Mix
- 1/3 cup white vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon grated Romano cheese
- 3 teaspoons sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons mayo
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Prepare Dressing: Combine the dressing ingredients in a mini food processor or a jar with a lid. Blend or shake well to emulsify. Cover and refrigerate the dressing until ready to use.
- Prepare Salad Ingredients: Prepare and chop all salad vegetables. Use a paper towel to absorb excess moisture from the sliced tomatoes to maintain freshness and crispness.
- Assemble Salad: In a large bowl, combine the chopped lettuce, red cabbage, carrots, red onion, black olives, roma tomatoes, and pepperoncinis. Toss gently to mix.
- Add Dressing and Serve: Drizzle the desired amount of salad dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Sprinkle croutons and grated Parmesan cheese on top before serving. Note that you may not need to use all the dressing.
Notes
- Use a combination of iceberg and romaine lettuce for optimal texture and flavor.
- Roma tomatoes are preferred, but cocktail tomatoes also work well for this salad.
- Pepperoncini peppers are jarred and can be found near pickles and olives in stores.
- Freshly grated Parmesan and Romano cheeses enhance the flavor. Belgioioso brand is recommended.
- This recipe yields 1 ½ cups of dressing; leftover dressing can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and works great as a marinade for chicken.
- Use smooth extra virgin olive oil for the dressing, as robust varieties can be overpowering.
- If leftover dressing solidifies during storage, let it sit at room temperature until liquified, then shake well before use.
- Mix the salad with dressing just before serving to keep it crisp and fresh.
- Try pairing this salad with Olive Garden Alfredo or explore other salad recipes such as Tomato Salad and Greek Salad for variety.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 350 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 10 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 5 mg
