Description
A fresh and vibrant Olive Garden-style salad featuring crisp lettuce, colorful vegetables, olives, and a zesty homemade Italian dressing, topped with Parmesan cheese and crunchy croutons. Perfect as a refreshing starter or side dish.
Ingredients
Scale
Salad
- 8 cups chopped Lettuce
- ¼ cup red cabbage (shredded)
- ¼ cup Carrots (julienne)
- ¼ cup Red onion (sliced)
- 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 (preferably smooth)
- 1 (.7 oz.) packet Zesty Italian Dressing Mix
- 1/3 cup white vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon grated Romano cheese (or Parmesan)
- 3 teaspoons sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip)
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Make the Dressing: Combine all dressing ingredients—including olive oil, Zesty Italian Dressing mix, vinegar, water, Romano cheese, sugar, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and garlic powder—in a mini food processor or a jar with a lid. Blend or shake well until fully emulsified. Cover and refrigerate to let flavors meld.
- Prepare Salad Ingredients: Chop the lettuce, shred the red cabbage, julienne the carrots, slice the red onion and tomatoes. Use a paper towel to gently pat the tomato slices to remove excess moisture, ensuring the salad stays fresh and crisp.
- Assemble the Salad Base: In a large bowl, combine lettuce, red cabbage, carrots, red onion, black olives, roma tomatoes, and pepperoncinis. Set aside the dressing, croutons, and grated Parmesan cheese for topping.
- Dress and Toss: Drizzle your desired amount of the prepared Italian dressing over the salad ingredients. Toss gently to evenly coat without overdressing. Note that you likely will not need to use all the dressing at once.
- Finish and Serve: Sprinkle the salad generously with croutons and grated Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately for optimal crunch and flavor. This salad pairs perfectly with Olive Garden Alfredo for a complete meal experience.
Notes
- Patting the tomatoes dry helps keep the salad from becoming soggy.
- Feel free to adjust the sugar and seasoning in the dressing to taste.
- The dressing can be made ahead and kept refrigerated for up to 1 week.
- Add extra croutons just before serving to maintain crispness.
- For a vegetarian option, ensure the mayonnaise used does not contain animal-derived ingredients.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Keywords: Olive Garden salad, Italian salad, copycat salad, Italian dressing, fresh salad, croutons, Parmesan salad, no-cook salad
