# Olive Garden Salad (Copycat)

A copycat recipe for the famous Olive Garden salad, made fresh at home without preservatives.

- Cuisine: Italian
- Category: Salad
- Language: en

## Ingredients

- lettuce
- cold water
- ice
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- pepperoncini brine
- romaine lettuce
- iceberg lettuce
- red onions
- cucumber
- tomatoes
- salt
- pepper
- sugar
- whole black olives
- pepperoncini peppers
- mayo
- vinegar
- vegetable oil
- olive oil
- lemon juice
- mustard
- Italian seasoning
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- 1 pinch sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- black pepper
- croutons

## Instructions

1. Prepare the lettuce by soaking it in a salt ice bath (cold water, ice, and about 1 tablespoon of kosher salt) for 10 minutes.
2. Splash the lettuce with a few spoonfuls of pepperoncini brine.
3. Add romaine and iceberg lettuce, red onions, cucumber, marinated tomatoes (with salt, pepper, and sugar), whole black olives, and a few pepperoncini peppers to the bowl.
4. To make the dressing, combine mayo, vinegar, vegetable oil, olive oil, lemon juice, and mustard.
5. Whisk the dressing until smooth.
6. Add Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, a pinch of sugar, a pinch of salt, and black pepper to the dressing.
7. Mix the dressing thoroughly.
8. Add croutons to the salad.
9. Pour the homemade dressing over the salad.

## Equipment

- bowl
- jar
- whisk

## Tips

- Soak lettuce in a salt ice bath for 10 minutes to make it crisp and pull out bitterness.
- Splash lettuce with pepperoncini brine for acidity and tang before adding dressing.
- Marinate tomatoes with salt, pepper, and sugar.

## Source

- Original video: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/16jJmnXrT1/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Recipe page: https://www.cliprecipe.com/recipe/131695e5-1512-435a-88d5-1f2681e3bd29
- Extracted: 2026-03-12

Extracted from the video by Clip Recipe (https://www.cliprecipe.com). Quantities and steps are as stated or shown in the video. Site guide for agents: https://www.cliprecipe.com/llms.txt