Back in the 90’s, I loved going to Olive Garden to eat a house salad and breadsticks. I’ve missed that salad over the years, so I created a copycat Olive Garden salad recipe using real food ingredients for us all!
The salad dressing is a combo of olive oil, white wine vinegar, mayo, lemon, parmesan, garlic and a bit of raw honey for a touch of sweetness. And, the beauty of the dressing is that you put it all in the blender and blend until smooth. So easy!
FYI – Becky Winkler does all of my food photography on the site (she does such an amazing job!) and when I sent her this recipe it autocorrected “peppercini” for “pepperoni” and I didn’t realize! So, there’s pepperoni in the salad pictures, but you can switch it out for the peppercini as listed in the recipe. 🙂
PrintCopycat Olive Garden Salad Recipe (Grain-Free)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
For the Dressing:
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise (I used Sir Kensingtons)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 ounce parmesan cheese (omit for dairy-free)
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
- 1 teaspoon raw honey
For the Salad:
- 1 head Butter leaf lettuce, washed and torn into bite-size pieces
- 1/4 red onion, sliced thin and soaked in ice water for 10 minutes, then drained
- 1/4 cup chopped peppercini
- 15 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1/4 cup black olives, cut in half
Instructions
- Place all of the dressing ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Place all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss with salad dressing. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: Serves 4
Photo Credit: Becky Winkler
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