I’ve always loved the salads at Olive Garden and I know I’m not alone. Their unlimited salad and bread sticks is something that can’t be beat. What if you could have their unlimited Italian salads in the comfort of your own home? This Easy and Healthy Classic Italian Salad is my take on the famous restaurant’s staple!
Pepperocini!
If you love the fresh flavor of the classic salad, I bet we can agree that the pepperocinis hold it together. While some of you may pick them off, they add a tangy bite to the salad that is necessary. Without them the salad would taste and look bland. I personally like to mix them in the salad, then pick them off and save them to snack on after I’m done. I don’t cook with pepperocinis often, but there is no doubt that they belong on this salad.
Tofu What?!
The salad literally takes five minutes to prepare, unless you are adding a grilled chicken breast. Another optional topping that adds an extra crunch to the salad is croutons. I love croutons! I used to eat them with everything. Unfortunately, store bought croutons are filled with nasty preservatives and empty calories. I decided to take a stab at making my own croutons based off of a cooking accident. One day, I was trying to make air fried tofu and I accidentally set the time for longer than it should have been. When I returned to the kitchen, I came to find that the tofu had hardened (like rock hard). I realized the settings reverted to the last time I cooked something for a long time. Then I thought “wow, these kinda look like croutons. I wonder if I could make that work?” It took a few times of trying to get the crunch acceptable, but I successfully made rosemary garlic tofu croutons for this salad and they were delicious!
*Full disclosure, they aren’t 100% like regular croutons. In texture, it’s like almost not even close. Maybe 40% (lol). However, if you don’t mind the difference with healthier substitutions , this is a viable option!
Summer of Salads
The Summer of Salads recipes are perfect for meal prepping. They prepare two salads at a time, which is perfect for planning a meal two days in a row. If you keep the dressing and ingredients on the side, the salad will keep for several days. If I am making a double or triple batch of the salads for lunch all week, I prepare the leafy greens and then seal the entire batch in a gallon ziplock bag. Without adding the toppings, place a dry paper towel in the bag. Your lettuce will stay crisp and not wilt for days! The paper towel soaks up any moisture that forms in the bag while the lettuce is chilling in the fridge. When you are ready to assemble a salad, just take out the amount of greens you would like. Make sure you replace the towel daily. Keep the toppings in a separate container and get them out when you are ready to assemble the salad!
Easy Classic Italian Salad
Ingredients
- 1 head Romaine lettuce
- 1 head artisan lettuce purple
- 10 pepperocini
- 12 black olives halved
- 6 cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/2 red onion sliced
Dressing/Marinade
- 8 Tbs EVOO
- 1 Tbs red wine vinegar
- 1 Tbs basil
- 1 Tbs oregano
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- dash red pepper flakes
- dash salt
- dash pepper
Optional
- 1 serving tofu croutons see notes
- 8 oz chicken breast see notes
Instructions
- Wash and prepare lettuce and place in a large bowl
- Cut ingredients according to directions
- Mix all dressing ingredients in a small bowl and toss with salad, if serving immediately (if cooking chicken, save 2 Tbs of dressing as a marinade)
- If cooking chicken, coat in 2 Tbs of Italian dressing and pan fry until cooked thoroughly
- Top with tofu croutons and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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Need an Air Fryer for the tofu croutons? This is the one that I use and I am obsessed with it!
All images and text ©Alexis Stambaugh for Passport Flavor™
I'm a 20-something foodie with a passion for travel. As a self taught chef, I believe food is what brings us together. When I'm not in my kitchen creating recipes, I love connecting with people as I experience cuisines from other cultures. Come join me on my culinary and travel adventures!