Yes, yes I do like freshly grated Parmesan on my copycat of the Olive Garden salad mix. I don’t hide it. I’m not ashamed of it. Keep it coming, keep grating and don’t expect me to say ‘stop’ any time soon! Now, I love the rest of the salad too. The crunchy crisp greens. Tomatoes. Croutons. Red onions. And my two favorites: large black olives and pepperoncini. All lightly dressed in Olive Garden’s signature Italian dressing!
This is the easiest way I know to make a fantastic salad in no time. We actually had this as a main dish for dinner. I roasted a few chicken breasts, sliced them, and served them on top of the salad. It made for a great, healthy dinner! Whether served as a side salad or amped up with other toppings, the base recipe for this copycat Olive Garden salad mix is a winner!
When it comes times for dressing, I like to put mine in these little sauce dipping cups. They’re great for not only salad dressing, but also for holding dipping sauces for treats like nuggets, tenders, veggies and my favorite, chicken wings!
Also try my copycat of the Santa Fe chicken salad from Max and Erma’s.
Copycat Olive Garden Salad Mix
Ingredients
- 12 ounces iceberg salad blend, from a bag
- ½ medium red onion thinly sliced
- 8 large black olives pitted
- 4 whole pepperoncini or, 1/4 cup sliced pepperoncini
- 2 large tomato quartered
- Freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese optional
- Olive Garden Seasoned Croutons
- Olive Garden Salad Dressing
Instructions
- Place your salad bowls, plates or whatever you plan on using for serving into the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving time.
- Open salad package and empty the contents into a large bowl.
- Add the onion, olives, pepperoncini, croutons, tomato slices and croutons.
- Drizzle with some dressing (don't flood it) and then toss gently to coat everything in the dressing.
- Serve with freshly grated cheese over the top.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.