Homemade Olive Garden Salad with Fresh Veggies and Creamy Dressing Recipe
This Olive Garden Salad recipe features a fresh American salad blend topped with pepperoncini peppers, tomatoes, red onions, black olives, croutons, and a homemade creamy Italian-style dressing made with Parmesan, olive oil, white wine vinegar, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and seasoning. Perfect as a light side or starter, this salad combines crisp veggies with a rich, tangy dressing for a classic Italian-American taste.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: Italian-American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
Salad Ingredients
- 1 10-ounce bag American Salad blend
- 6 pepperoncini peppers
- 1 tomato, sliced
- 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
- 12 black olives, sliced
- 1 cup croutons
- 1 tablespoon Parmesan, grated
Olive Garden Salad Dressing
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Prepare the Dressing: Using a cheese grater, grate 3 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. Add the olive oil, white wine vinegar, grated Parmesan, mayonnaise, lemon juice, garlic salt, and Italian seasoning to a blender.
- Blend the Dressing: Use the pulse feature or blend option to blend until the mixture is smooth and all ingredients are well combined.
- Prepare the Salad Ingredients: Wash and chop the tomato, slice the black olives and thinly slice the red onions. Keep pepperoncini peppers whole or halved depending on your preference.
- Assemble the Salad: In a large bowl, place the bag of American salad blend. Add pepperoncini peppers, chopped tomato, sliced red onions, sliced black olives, croutons, and 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese.
- Toss the Salad: Use salad spoons to gently mix all the salad ingredients together.
- Add Dressing and Serve: Pour the homemade Olive Garden Salad dressing over the salad and toss again with salad utensils until all ingredients are evenly coated. Serve immediately or refrigerate for later.
Notes
- For a creamier dressing, mayonnaise is added which balances the acidity from the vinegar and lemon juice.
- Use fresh vegetables and a good quality olive oil for the best flavor.
- Store leftover dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- To make this salad vegan, substitute mayonnaise with a vegan mayo variety and omit Parmesan or use a vegan cheese alternative.
- This salad is best served fresh as the croutons will become soggy if left mixed for too long.
Keywords: Olive Garden Salad, Italian Salad, Homemade Salad Dressing, American Salad Blend, Easy Salad Recipe
