Quick and Easy Romaine Salad (with an Olive Garden Dressing)

Looking for an easy yet delicious Romaine Salad recipe? Then this is the one for you! This salad is a total crowd-pleaser and is made with crisp romaine lettuce, fresh veggies, and a delicious salad dressing.

This salad is so versatile that you can have it as a whole meal (by adding some protein to it) or as a side dish to just about any meal.

Whether it’s a special occasion, holiday dinner, or a weeknight meal, this salad is the one you’ll want to make!

Want to learn how to make this Romaine Salad? Then keep on reading!

Table of Contents

• What is a Romaine Salad?
• What Makes This Romaine Salad Recipe Special?
• Is Romaine Lettuce Healthy for Us?
• What You Need to Make Romaine Salad at Home
• How to Make Romaine Salad (Step-by-Step)
• How to Customize this Easy Romaine Salad
• How to Store Leftover Romaine Salad
• Recipe Card
• Quick and Easy Romaine Salad (with an Olive Garden Dressing)
• Comments

What is a Romaine Salad?

Romaine Salad is a quick and easy salad made of Romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, parmesan cheese, and a delicious olive garden dressing.

It’s a fun salad that’s light but full of nutrients and packed with flavor. This romaine lettuce salad is versatile enough to customize according to your preference.

With the most classic base salad recipe, use this to make it whatever you want. Trust me, you’re going to fall in love with this one.

What Makes This Romaine Salad Recipe Special?

Many different salads show up on the Thanksgiving table. This Romaine Salad Recipe tends to move pretty quickly.

With the wide variety of rich flavored dishes, this salad is very refreshing and offsets some of the flavors.

I make several salads for Thanksgiving and this one was the first one gone in minutes, even though I tripled the portion.

If you like the salad at Olive Garden, you will also like this one as it is similar. I always have to have this salad when I go to Olive Garden since I love the Italian dressing they use.

So I decided to bring it home, but I don’t use exactly the same ingredients they use.

The difference is they don’t use cucumbers but pepperoncini, croutons, and iceberg lettuce. 

They also add Romano cheese, not parmesan. I like to use Romaine lettuce and parmesan cheese instead.

After I saw this dressing at Costco, it came to mind to share my version of the salad with you. It goes well with any holiday or non-holiday dinners.

Is Romaine Lettuce Healthy for Us?

Absolutely! Romaine lettuce is incredibly healthy and versatile. Many people fail to understand just how good it is for us.

With its sturdy leaves, Romaine lettuce is low in calories (about 8 calories per cup) and fiber, but high in vitamin C, vitamin K, beta-carotene, folate, calcium, magnesium, and potassium.

As you can see, it’s packed with nutrients to keep you happy, healthy, and strong. You should definitely give this recipe a try!

What You Need to Make Romaine Salad at Home

This Romaine Lettuce Salad is pretty easy to throw together. But first, you’ll need some pantry staple ingredients to make it. Let's look at what each of these are:

• Romaine lettuce: First and foremost, of course, we need some romaine lettuce! You can buy ones in packs like this or use homegrown ones!

• Cherry tomatoes: The next thing for this salad is something to add a little tart and fresh flavor. Cherry tomatoes have got to be the best way to achieve that! You can also use any regular tomatoes and chop them into bite-size pieces.
• Cucumbers: We’ll also add some cucumbers because they are perfect for clearing the palate and making the salad more refreshing.
• Red onions: Another veggie we’ll be adding is red onions. They add a slightly sharp flavor to the salad and really take it to the next level. 

• Parmesan cheese: For a delicious deep flavor, we’ll also be adding some parmesan cheese to this romaine salad.
• Olive garden dressing: I love having this salad at Olive Garden, and when I saw this salad dressing in Costco I knew I had to make my own version of romaine salad and share it with you. It’s absolutely delicious and really elevates the salad. You can alternatively use a Caesar dressing instead.
• Seasonings (optional): The olive garden dressing should be enough, but in case you need more seasonings you can add pepper and kosher salt to taste.

How to Make Romaine Salad (Step-by-Step)

This is one of the easiest salads ever. Here’s how to make it step by step:

Start by washing your romaine lettuce. Pat each leaf dry with a paper towel. Trim off the thick center of each lettuce leaf.

How to Prep Veggies for Romaine Salad

Slice lettuce into one-inch thick pieces.

Wash cucumbers, tomatoes, and red onion. Pat dry with a paper towel; cut and slice vegetables.

How to Assemble Romaine Salad

Place romaine lettuce into a large bowl. Place all the vegetables on top of the romaine lettuce.

Sprinkle the parmesan cheese and add the dressing.

Whisk, toss and serve right away.

How to Customize this Easy Romaine Salad

This salad is incredibly light and delicious. Here are some ways you can customize it to make it your own:

Add other veggies: You can add any other veggies you like to this salad such as different peppers, broccoli, etc.

Add aromatics and fresh herbs: Add some aromatics such as one clove of garlic minced, or some fresh herbs such as parsley, dill, etc. to shake things up a bit.

Add some zest: To make the salad a little zesty, you can also add some freshly squeezed lemon juice to it.

Add other cheeses: Don’t like parmesan cheese? No problem! You can go for any other crumbly cheese you like such as goat cheese, feta cheese, etc.

Add protein: To make it more filling, you can add cooked chicken breast pieces or bite-size pieces of bacon.

How to Store Leftover Romaine Salad

This green romaine lettuce salad can be made ahead of time. Just wait until you're ready to serve to add the dressing. The last thing you want to do is bite into a mushy, soggy salad.

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Recipe Card

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This recipe was originally posted on December 1, 2015 (original picture below), and updated for a better user experience. The post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure.