Description
Olive Garden’s legendary salad finds new life in this homemade version, bringing restaurant-quality flavors straight to your kitchen. Crisp greens, zesty dressing, and savory croutons combine for a delightful meal you’ll crave time and again.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 5 ounces (142 grams) mixed greens
- 3/4 cup (110 grams) black olives, pitted and halved
- 3/4 cup (100 grams) pepperoncini peppers, sliced
- 1/2 cup (75 grams) red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 Roma tomatoes, cut into wedges
- 1 1/2 cups (60 grams) seasoned croutons
- 1/3 cup (30 grams) shaved Parmesan cheese
Dressing Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) olive oil
- 3 tablespoons (45 grams) mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) red wine vinegar
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (7 grams) sugar
- 1/4 cup (25 grams) Parmesan cheese, finely grated
Seasoning and Spices:
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 teaspoon (1 gram) Italian seasoning
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Craft the signature dressing by blending olive oil, mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, Parmesan cheese, minced garlic, and Italian seasoning until achieving a silky, uniform consistency.
- Adjust the dressing’s flavor profile with salt and freshly ground black pepper, ensuring a balanced taste.
- Refrigerate the dressing for a minimum of 60 minutes, allowing the ingredients to harmonize and intensify their flavors.
- Select a spacious mixing vessel and combine crisp mixed greens with briny sliced olives, tangy pepperoncini peppers, thinly sliced red onion, juicy tomatoes, and crunchy croutons.
- Retrieve the chilled dressing from the refrigerator and generously drizzle over the salad ingredients.
- Gently toss the salad components, ensuring each element is evenly coated with the aromatic dressing.
- Complete the dish by garnishing with delicate shavings of aged Parmesan cheese, creating a visually appealing and flavor-packed culinary experience.
- Serve the salad immediately to preserve the optimal texture and temperature of the ingredients.
Notes
- Customize the dressing’s tanginess by adjusting vinegar and lemon juice proportions to suit personal taste preferences.
- Make the salad low-carb by replacing croutons with toasted nuts or seed alternatives for added crunch and nutrition.
- Prep dressing ahead of time and store in an airtight container for up to 5 days, allowing flavors to develop and intensify even more.
- For a dairy-free version, swap Parmesan cheese with nutritional yeast or omit entirely, maintaining the dressing’s rich, creamy texture.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Appetizer, Snacks
- Method: Blending
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 315 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 520 mg
- Fat: 29 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 23 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 11 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Cholesterol: 12 mg