This is the closest thing you will ever get to the iconic Olive Garden salad. I won’t even try to recreate those breadsticks because that is an impossible task.
Recipe adapted from Lasagna: A Baked Pasta Cookbook by Anna Hezel
what you need:
- 1 large garlic clove
- 2 T mayo
- 2 T red wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp sugar
- 4 T olive oil
- 4 T vegetable oil
- Kosher Salt
- Ground black pepper
- 1 head of iceberg lettuce, cored and chopped up
- 1 stalk of celery thinly sliced
- 1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 6 peperoncini, thinly sliced
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
what you need to do:
- In a medium bowl, smash your garlic with your fork with a big pinch of salt to form a thick paste.
- Whisk in the mayo, vinegar, oregano, and sugar.
- Slowly, drizzle in the oils, whisking pretty quickly to combine the oils with the acids (this is called emulsifying #science).
- Season to taste with salt and pepper and store in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
- Now, grab a big ole salad bowl and combine the lettuce and all of the veggies.
- When ready to serve, toss with the dressing and the parmesan.
- Crack with fresh ground pepper to serve!
