Olive Garden Salad Dressing

 

I grew up in a home with a mother who never bought ready made salad dressings. Mom only ever made her own salad dressings from scratch.  Always fresh, always delicious.  I am a person who also likes to make my own, although I will sometimes buy some of those little single serving sized dressing sachets to have in my refrigerator for in  a pinch.

Sometimes you might be having company for dinner and they want a specific kind of dressing, so those single serving sachets come in handy.

Mom always made a salad to serve with our dinner on a Sunday, and she would start the salad dressing for it early in the afternoon.

 

She never really measured anything. She would pour a pool of oil into the bottom of a bowl and then add half again the amount of vinegar.  Into this would go chopped raw onion, some salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar.  She would leave the onion to macerate in this mixture most of the afternoon. This helped to remove any sharpness from the onion.   I believe she learned this simple dressing when we were living in Germany from our German landlord.

This Olive Garden Salad Dressing I am sharing with you today is one I adapted from a recipe I found on a blog called Salt & Lavender.  It looked and sounded really good. Never having eaten at Olive Garden, I was really keen to try it out for myself!

My sister said I should have photographed it in a fancy dressing bottle, but I don't really have one of those and to be honest, that's not me. I am not a really fancy person.  I like things to look authentic and real most of the time and for every day.  Fancy is not beneath me. I am more than capable, but I do prefer simple in my every day life!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE OLIVE GARDEN SALAD DRESSING

Just a few simple ingredients. This is a great store cupboard salad dressing!

• 1/2 cup (120ml) extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup (60g) full fat good quality mayonnaise
• 3 TBS white wine vinegar
• 1/2 TBS granulated sugar
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 TBS freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 tsp salt
• black or white pepper to taste

 

This is one time where you will want to use the Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I always use that when I know the taste of the real deal is going to make a difference!

I like to use Hellman's mayonnaise.  I don't get Dukes up here.  I have not tried Kewpie for this, but I bet that would also be nice.

Use a good quality white wine vinegar, or even a white Balsamic.  Don't leave out the sugar.  Apparently this is the key to the authentic taste of this dressing. In all honesty, I always add a pinch of sugar to my dressings to help cut the acidity of the vinegar.

 

Make sure you use powders and not salts.  I know this might seem like a stupid thing to have to tell you, but you would be surprised at how many people don't know the difference.  If you use garlic and onion salt, this will be too salty.

Try, if possible, to grate your own Parmesan Cheese for this dressing.  You can also use a Parmigiana Reggiano, or a Romano cheese.  Using freshly grated does make a difference.  They add things to already grated cheeses to help them flow better. You don't want that in your salad dressing. 

Make Your Own Italian Seasoning: Mix together 3 TBS dried basil, 3 TBS dried oregano, 3 TBS dried parsley, 1 TBS garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp dried thyme, 1 tsp dried rosemary, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes. Store in an airtight container out of the light for up to 6 months.

 

HOW TO MAKE OLIVE GARDEN SALAD DRESSING

You can of course, just whisk everything together in a bowl, but I like to pop it into a canning jar and give it a good shake. It can then be stored in the refrigerator in the same shaker jar.

Measure all of the ingredients into a mason jar with a tight screw band top. Shake vigorously to combine.

Taste and adjust seasoning as required.

Keep, tightly covered, in the refrigerator, for up to 7 days, shaking well prior to use.

 

FOR AN AUTHENTIC OLIVE GARDEN SALAD EXPERIENCE

I have never been to Olive Garden in all honest, but I have perused their menu many times and dreamt of going.  I have heard some very good things about them from people who have as well.   Here are my suggestions for how to throw together the perfect salad to enjoy with this delicious dressing.

Toss this dressing together with iceberg lettuce, chopped into large bite sized pieces.  Add some pickled pepperoncini, black olives, half moon sliced red onions, sliced Roma tomatoes and crisp buttery garlic croutons.  Toss with additional grated Parmesan cheese.

Turn your salad into a main meal by adding some grilled fish or chicken.

Chop up some Italian deli meats (like salami),  some fresh peppers,  diced provolone cheese, etc. and turn it into a chopped Italian Salad

 


This was quite simply a lovely salad dressing.  I have never been to The Olive Garden, so I really can't say for sure if it tastes like theirs or not, but I can promise you that it is delicious, with just the right amount of herb, spice, garlic and cheese.

It was rich and creamy without having to add any cream to it.  I bet this would also be lovely drizzled over fish, or even an Italian Grinder style of sandwich!

 

If, like me, you like to make your own salad dressings, you may also be interested in the following delicious options!

CREAMY CHIVE AND CHEDDAR DRESSING - Rich and creamy and loaded with plenty of delicious cheddar cheese, this is a dressing that goes well on any type of mixed salad. I really love it on crisp wedges of Ice Berg Lettuce, however. There is something about the richness of the dressing and that cool crispness of the lettuce that is just oh so delicious! A salad that feels, looks and tastes like a treat!  Creamy and rich, it is filled with the lovely flavors of garlic, cheddar and chives.  So good it stands on it's own on a delicious canvas of crisp iceberg lettuce.   The two together are a perfect marriage in heaven.  

MARTHA'S CREAMY BLUE CHEESE DRESSING -  Blue Cheese salad dressing is one of my favorites, and this recipe adapted/inspired from one by Martha S is fabulous!  It is rich and creamy, but not overwhelming, having the perfect balance of flavors. Often when you have a blue cheese dressing all you can taste is the blue cheese. Aside from the blue cheese and perhaps the buttermilk, it uses really simple ingredients. If you don't have buttermilk you can use whole milk, but the dressing won't have quite the same tang!

Yield: 12 TBS

Author: Marie Rayner

Olive Garden Salad Dressing

Prep time: 10 MinTotal time: 10 Min

An Italian American Favorite. Quick and easy to make and oh so tasty! Bold and tangy flavors. Simple.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (120ml) extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup (60g) full fat good quality mayonnaise
• 3 TBS white wine vinegar
• 1/2 TBS granulated sugar
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 TBS freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 tsp salt
• black or white pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Measure all of the ingredients into a mason jar with a tight screw band top. Shake vigorously to combine.
2. Taste and adjust seasoning as required.
3. Keep, tightly covered, in the refrigerator, for up to 7 days, shaking well prior to use.

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