Olive Garden Salad (Printer-Friendly)
Crisp greens, pepperoncini, olives, and Parmesan tossed in a creamy Italian-style dressing.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Salad
01 - 6 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
02 - 1 cup iceberg lettuce, chopped
03 - 1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
04 - 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
05 - 1/2 cup black olives, pitted
06 - 6-8 whole pepperoncini peppers
07 - 1/2 cup croutons
08 - 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
→ Dressing
09 - 1/2 cup mayonnaise
10 - 1/3 cup white vinegar
11 - 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
12 - 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
13 - 1 tablespoon lemon juice
14 - 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
15 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
16 - 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
17 - 1/2 teaspoon sugar
18 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
# How To Make It:
01 - Rinse romaine and iceberg lettuce under cold water. Dry thoroughly using a salad spinner or paper towels. Chop the romaine into bite-size pieces and shred the iceberg lettuce. Combine both in a large salad bowl.
02 - Scatter the thinly sliced red onions, halved grape tomatoes, pitted black olives, and whole pepperoncini peppers evenly over the mixed greens.
03 - Sprinkle croutons and freshly grated Parmesan cheese over the top of the salad. Set aside while preparing the dressing.
04 - In a small mixing bowl, combine mayonnaise, white vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, grated Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, dry mustard, and sugar. Whisk vigorously until smooth and fully emulsified. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
05 - Drizzle the dressing over the salad just before serving. Toss gently with salad tongs to coat the greens evenly, or serve the dressing on the side for individual portions.
# Helpful Hints:
01 -
- The dressing alone is worth making this, and it doubles as a dip for practically anything you have lying around.
- It comes together in fifteen minutes with zero cooking, which means you get all the restaurant magic without leaving your kitchen.
02 -
- If you dress the salad too early the croutons collapse and the lettuce wilts, so always wait until the absolute last minute.
- The dressing tastes noticeably better after sitting in the fridge for an hour because the dried herbs need time to rehydrate and release their flavor.
03 -
- Soak your sliced red onions in ice water while you prep everything else and they lose that harsh raw bite without losing their crunch.
- Make a double batch of the dressing and keep it in a jar in the fridge because you will want it on sandwiches, roasted vegetables, and basically everything else within two days.