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This Copycat Olive Garden salad is a favorite among restaurant-goers as it combines lettuce, tomatoes, onions, olives, pepperoncini peppers, croutons, and shredded parmesan cheese and then topped with the best Italian dressing to create a salad even the kids love. 

Copycat Olive Garden Salad 

It should come as no surprise that I love creating Copycat Olive Garden dishes. This Copycat Olive Garden Salad is one of my favorites especially when we make the Olive Garden Signature Italian dressing to go with it. We pair it with an Olive Garden favorite like Crockpot Olive Garden Chicken Pasta and we feel like we are at Olive Garden but in the comfort of our own home. 

I love that this salad is so versatile by allowing you to add more of what you love and less of what you want. Not only that, but it seriously goes with everything. This is a staple salad in our family several times a week. 

How to make Copycat Olive Garden Salad

• Add the lettuce to a large bowl.  
• Add in the red onion slices, tomato slices, olives, pepperoncini, and croutons. 
• Toss to combine
• Pour your desired amount of Olive Garden Signature Italian dressing over your salad. 

• Top with shaved parmesan. 
• Enjoy!

Tips Tricks and FAQs

• Feel free to adjust the amounts of the ingredients. I always love to add extra tomatoes and onions to this recipe. 
• If you really want to recreate this Copycat Olive Garden Salad then get a fancy cheese grater like Olive Garden to make shredded parmesan cheese. 
• Easily turn this Olive Garden salad into a meal by adding grilled chicken. 
• If you are short on time you can buy the prepacakeged bag of lettuce. 
• If you can’t find Olive Garden Italian dressing, you can use another brand of salad dressing, just be sure to get the “zesty Italian” for that same flavor we all love. Or better yet, check out my recipe to make a copycat version of Olive Garden Signature Italian dressing.

Storage

This salad does not store well once you add the dressing. So you want to add the dressing right before serving. 

If you want to make this recipe ahead of time you can prepare all the ingredients in a bowl, except for the croutons and the dressing. Cover and refrigerate for up to 4 hours. When you are ready to serve add the dressing and croutons. 

What can I serve Olive Garden Salad with?

There are so many great options to serve with this salad! It really will go with any dish you create as a great side! Try it with:

• Soup
• Breadsticks
• Your favorite pasta dishes
• Olive Garden Chicken Pasta
• Instant Pot Copycat Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup 
• Zuppa Toscana Olive Garden Copycat Instant Pot Soup
• Olive Garden Copy Cat Lasagna Fritta Air Fryer

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