Vegan Olive Garden House Salad

Overhead photo of half a large bamboo bowl filled with copycat Olive Garden salad

Terrence Roche

Our veganized copycat recipe of Olive Garden's House Salad contains iceberg and romaine lettuces mixed with red onion, black olives and more. It’s finished with piquant pepperoncini peppers and a homemade, creamy Italian dressing. True, this salad may be more Italian-American than Italian, but hey, so is Pasta Primavera. And trust me, your taste buds won't care where this sublime salad got its start because it is pure deliciousness from start to finish.

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 20

Total Time 20

Course Salads

Cuisine Italian-American

Servings -8 side salads

Calories 274 kcal

Ingredients

For the Salad:

6 cups rinsed and chopped iceberg lettuce
4 cups rinsed and chopped romaine lettuce
2 roma tomatoes sliced
1/2 cup sliced red onion
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1 6-oz. can whole black olives
1/2 cup whole pepperoncini
2 cups vegan-friendly croutons

For the Dressing:

1.5 cups Italian Dressing
2 Tbsp vegan mayo

For topping:

Extra croutons
Vegan parmesan
Pepper grinder

Instructions

Make the dressing: In a small bowl or jar, mix the dressing and vegan mayonnaise with a small whisk. You can also seal with a lid and shake to combine fully.
Prep the salad ingredients: If you haven’t already, prep your salad vegetables. Rinse, chop, and dry your lettuce. Slice the roma tomatoes and red onion. Julienne the carrot to matchstick size.
Combine salad ingredients: Add all the salad ingredients to a large salad bowl.Drizzle salad dressing over the salad and toss gently until combined.
Serve the salad: Top the salad with the optional vegan parmesan, freshly cracked black pepper, and extra croutons if you wish! Serve immediately alongside a big plate of pasta, a bowl of minestrone, or all on its own topped with our vegan chicken cutlets.

Video

Notes

Storage: This salad is best stored immediately, but leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for 1-2 days in the fridge. However, if you think you’re going to have leftovers, we suggest leaving the croutons to the side and adding to each individual serving. Otherwise, you’ll get a salad full of soggy bread, and no one wants that!

How to Make Ahead: Croutons for the salad can be made well in advance, up to one week. You can slice your lettuce the day before and store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container with some paper towels to absorb moisture. And the dressing can be made up to 3 days in advance. I don’t really recommend slicing the tomatoes or onions too far in advance as they can get mealy or overly pungent respectively.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/6 the recipeCalories: 274kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 4gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 14gSodium: 941mgFiber: 3gSugar: 11g

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