Copycat Olive Garden Salad

It’s been a fun, boring, adventurous and relaxing weekend.

I took Thursday and Friday off so my weekend was extended by two days. We’re about to go into a ratings month at work and I like to have downtime before the big stress begins.

I did nothing on Thursday but bingewatch Grey’s Anatomy and vacuum here and there. Friday was my errand day: groceries, returning shoes, going to the post office. Saturday was meant to be a fun day with Rob; we went couch shopping (it’s what we’re blowing our tax returns on—we DESPERATELY need a new, larger couch) and sprinkled in some fun here and there.

We stopped by the new BBQ restaurant in town that won the Jack Daniels world championship this year. Clark Crew BBQ moved into the old Macaroni Grill on Northwest Expressway and even at 2:30 on a Saturday, there was an extensive wait. You know what? It was worth it. This was, hands down, the best BBQ I’d ever had.

After that, we went record store hopping. We ended up with quite the haul: everything from classical favourites (Peter and the Wolf, Debussy) to hair metal (Def Leppard, Sammy Hagar) to soundtracks (Star Wars) to R&B and soul (5th Dimension, Joe Tex). Most records we found for $1-$3 at Trolley Stop Record Shop. I’m in love with the vibe there.

After a gluttonous splurge away from keto, it’s back on track today. I’ve spent most of the day cooking and taking pictures and snagging a few bites here and there.

One of the best things I made this weekend is the Olive Garden salad. Every last bit of this is homemade (no shortcuts by buying the dressing at the store here!) and it tastes exactly like the real thing.

I left out the croutons and limited the red onion, so this is a keto recipe through and through. Big black olives and juicy pepperoncinis top American blend lettuce (forget the pic below with the Italian blend, I stuck to the American blend instead). I got a nice block of Parmesan from the store and shaved it on top just like they’d do at your table inside Olive Garden.

If you’re looking for the Olive Garden salad, this is your recipe. Follow it to a T and you’ll have the perfect copycat version!

Enjoy!

Copycat Olive Garden Salad

• Servings: 8-10
• Time: 10 mins
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

A copycat version of the famed Olive Garden salad, with homemade dressing.

Ingredients

For the salad:

• 4 cups American blend salad mix
• 1 cup large, whole, pitted black olives
• 1 cup whole pepperoncinis
• 1 red onion, sliced into thing rings or half-moons
• Freshly grated parmesan, for topping

For the dressing:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 TBS. white wine vinegar
• 3 TBS. mayonnaise
• 2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• Pinch of salt

Directions

1. Make the dressing: in a small bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients until well mixed/emulsified. Place in a storage container and refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Make the salad: toss greens with onion and olives. Top with pepperoncinis and freshly grated parmesan. Serve with dressing on top or on the side.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Make the dressing: in a small bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients until well mixed/emulsified. Place in a storage container and refrigerate until ready to use.

Make the salad: toss greens with onion and olives. Top with pepperoncinis and freshly grated parmesan. Serve with dressing on top or on the side.