You will never make a more gorgeous, inviting side salad than this crunchy, fresh, deliciously simple Italian salad recipe. Loaded with cherry tomatoes, olives, pickle-y peperoncini, and crunchy croutons, it’s the perfectly light-yet-satisfying side salad to accompany all your favorite Italian dishes! Yes, it’s a riff on the famous, beloved Olive Garden Italian salad, and what makes it really sing is a super zesty, scratch-made Italian Dressing that you’re going to want to put on everything! Plus, you can make the dressing ahead of time (it’ll keep for at least a week) and have it at the ready for whenever a salad craving strikes. Want more of a main-dish Italian salad? Try our classic Panzanella, or hearty Italian Chopped Salad.
Ingredients
- Lettuce: Bright, leafy, green romaine. We love its crunch, and that it actually has a lot of vitamins and minerals — it’s one of the most nutritious lettuce choices you can make.
- Red onions: Slice them as thinly as you can for just a little hint of onion-y sharpness in every bite. If they’re still too assertively flavored for you, a quick soak in cold water takes away some of their edge.
- Cherry tomatoes: Juicy and sweet, the perfect little pop of color and flavor.
- Pepperoncini: Slightly spicy, but mostly pickle-y, these pickled peppers are an absolute must in our honest opinion, for that authentic Italian salad taste.
- Black olives: There’s
- Grated parmesan: Use as much as you want, of course! (Just like with the Olive Garden salad.)
- Croutons: Keep it simple with store bought croutons, or go all the way with homemade if you have the time!
What is Italian Salad Dressing Made Of?
Have you ever looked up the ingredient list of one of your favorite products and immediately wished you hadn’t? Been there, done that. We hate to ruin it for you, but we thought you should see a comparison of what’s in Olive Garden’s Italian dressing verses our own version of the beloved Italian vinaigrette. Olive Garden salad dressing ingredients include: Water, Soybean Oil, Distilled Vinegar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Dehydrated Garlic, Xanthan Gum, Dextrose, Calcium Disodium EDTA, plus a few regular things like sugar and salt. Our homemade dressing recipe is a little easier to read, and easier on your body, too. You’ll need:
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Red wine vinegar
- Seasonings: Garlic powder, dried oregano, dried basil, salt
- ...and that’s it!
How To Make The Best Italian Salad
- Make the dressing: Grab a jar. Add the dressing ingredients, secure the lid, and shake away! Congratulations! You just made homemade Italian salad dressing!
- Roughly chop the romaine lettuce and throw it in a nice big bowl.
- Add all the goodies: The olives, peperoncini, onions, and tomatoes.
- Toss the salad with the dressing!
- Put as much Parmesan cheese and croutons as you’d like on your perfect Italian side salad! No skimping please.
What To Serve With This Salad
- This simple Italian salad pairs perfectly with our Salami, Jalapeño & Olive Pizza with Honey!
- Our Sheet Pan Olive Bar Chicken Dinner is so happy with this bright and vinegary Italian salad as its accompaniment.
- It goes so well with pasta, obviously! Any great Italian or Italian American pasta recipe would go great with this. A few of our favorites are: Spaghetti and Meatballs, Classic Lasagna, Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce, Easy Stuffed Pasta Shells or this Baked Penne Alla Vodka.
- Whatever else you serve this with, having some Garlic Bread on the side, too, is a great plan.
More Beautiful Salad Ideas
Cook, Post, Eat, Repeat!
For more recipe inspiration, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest or order our cookbook. We love when you share your meals. Tag us on Instagram using #themodernproper, and we’d love to hear what you think of this recipe in the comments below. Happy cooking!
