Olive Garden Salad: What To Know Before Ordering

Many people love Olive Garden, especially famous people like Shia LeBoeuf and John Travolta who could certainly afford to only eat at upscale steakhouses every night without suffering too much of a financial blow.

This Italian franchise has its share of critics. The chain no longer salts its water because The New Yorker claims it could damage the cooking pots, and according to The Huffington Post, their food isn’t considered authentic.

Few would contest Olive Garden reputation for outstanding salads. It’s difficult to get this side wrong, and Olive Garden does a good job with this menu item.

During regular business hours, their salad is dished out in the nicest ways possible at each Olive Garden (source: Olive Garden).

What is an Olive Garden Salad?

The Olive Garden serves just one variety of this side-turned-entrée, in contrast to other restaurants that offer Cobb, Caesar, taco, and everything but the kitchen sink salads.

Known as the Famous House Salad at Olive Garden, this side dish comprises tomatoes, onions, olives, pepperoncini, lettuce, and the restaurant’s distinctive dressing.

Although the ingredients for Olive Garden’s salad are not listed on the menu, The Recipe Critic states that the restaurant uses a blend of iceberg lettuce, red cabbage, and a touch of shredded carrots.

The dish includes chopped tomatoes, red onions, whole black olives, and whole pepperoncini. While croutons are not explicitly mentioned on the menu, the accompanying photo makes it clear that customers can request them with their meal.

Italian dressing is the traditional choice, with a low-fat option also available. Olive Garden also offers oil and vinegar if you prefer.

How does Olive Garden Salad Taste?

Every direct link while searching for “Olive Garden salad” on Google takes you to a copycat recipe. That alone should tell you something: if this famous item weren’t so great, so many others wouldn’t be making such a big effort to copy it.

These opinions were supported by online reviewers who also couldn’t get enough of this menu item.

The salad received a solid thumbs up from Wichita by E.B., who acknowledged that “there’s just something about the lettuce mix, onion slices, olives, pepperoncini, tomatoes, and croutons drenched in dressing that hits the spot.”

The Wichita Olive Garden also detailed the quantity of dressing they served. Eater concurred, stating, “The salad is the only item at Olive Garden that approaches the greatness of the toasted ravioli.”

They particularly praised the dressing, describing it as “mysteriously exquisite” and noting that it’s “the sole element in the entire restaurant, including the wine list, that displays any interest in brightness or acidity.”

How Much Does an Olive Garden Salad Cost?

Olive Garden is a chain restaurant with numerous locations throughout the United States.

The District Of columbia, American Samoa, The Northern Mariana Islands, And U.S.A Virgin Islands are The Only U.S. Territories without an Olive Garden, according to Scrape Hero, which claims there are 879 locations nationwide.

Prices may vary by location; for example, an à la carte salad costs $6.79 at the Greenfield, Wisconsin, location (per Olive Garden).

For The Low, low price of $7.99, You Can purchase as much salad as you care to eat, as well as an unlimited supply of breadsticks and soup.

However, The all-you-can-eat option is Only available for Dine-in customers On Monday through Friday between the hours of 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

At Night and on the weekends, You Can still enjoy an infinite supply of salad, soup, And breadsticks, but it will cost you $9.99.

When Did the Olive Garden Salad hit Menus?

Italian-American classics have been available at Olive Garden since 1982. Their house salad has been a standout item on the menu ever since they launched their first store.

Olive Garden’s endless salad plates are what initially caught people’s attention. The restaurant then capitalized on this by employing the catchphrase “Good Times, Great Salad, Olive Garden.”

Initially, Soups And breadsticks weren’t exactly as easily available as they are now. In Order to commemorate their inclusion in the holy trinity of freebies, Olive Garden changed their slogan to “When you’re here, you’re family.”

The Never Ending Pasta Bowl initially appeared in 2013, the same year that Olive Garden introduced its third catchphrase, “We’re all family here.” At least you’re in the correct place if your family is composed entirely of salad eaters.

Nutritional information for Olive Garden Salad

Without the dressing, each serving of salad at Olive Garden contains 17 grams of fat and 290 calories, according to their menu.

Olive Garden’s regular Italian dressing includes 80 calories and 80 grams of fat, however its low-fat Italian dressing has just 30 calories and 2 grams of fat.

There is a Lot of sodium in Olive Garden’s house salad. A single serving of this Olive Garden side, without dressing, has 1,380 mg of salt, although the Food and Drug Administration advises taking no more than 2,300 mg daily.

You’re Looking at almost a day’s worth of salt before you’ve even touched a single breadstick Or dipped your spoon into a bowl of soup if you add on either the full-fat dressing, Which has 520 milligrams of sodium, or the low-fat dressing, which contains 410 milligrams of salt.

Just Removing the Pepperoncini from your salad will help you reduce the amount of salt you consume. A Single one of these pickled peppers may contain an astounding total of 856 mg of sodium, according To Nutrition. You Can enjoy to your heart’s content as long as you don’t need to look out for this nutrient.

How to Order and Enjoy

When ordering Olive Garden Salad, you can either select it as an appetizer or a side dish. It’s important to communicate any modifications or preferences to the server.

If you’re ordering online, most customization options are available on the menu. Once your salad arrives, take the time to savor each bite and enjoy the medley of flavors and textures.

Conclusion

Olive Garden Salad is a Popular and delicious option for those dining at Olive Garden. With its fresh ingredients, customizable features, and flavorful dressing choices, it appeals to a wide range of tastes.

Whether You’re a salad enthusiast Or looking for a refreshing start to your meal, The Olive Garden Salad is worth considering.

FAQs About Olive Garden Salad