Bottomless Salad for Olive Us

SOUND BITE

I was obsessed with Olive Garden’s famous bottomless salad when I was in my 20s—and not just because I was broke and it was all-you-can-eat. Remember when they’d freshly grate the Parmesan until you said “When!”? Oh, the simple joys of the ’90s! I’ve made some upgrades in my salad imitation by using toasted panko-Parmesan crumbs instead of chunky croutons, olive oil instead of soybean oil, red wine vinegar instead of plain white and Kalamata olives instead of boring black ones.

Important Recipe Tips

If you’ve ever had an Olive Garden Bottomless Salad (or the similar all-you-can-eat salad at East Side Mario’s) then you’re definitely familiar with pepperoncini—the love-it-or-hate-it yellowish-green little pepper that people either can’t get enough of or push to the side of their plate.

They’re pickled, tangy and with medium heat factor—nothing that’ll set off alarm bells, but enough to make the salad interesting.

You’ll find them in jars near the olives and pickles, swimming in their signature vinegary brine.

Whole or sliced, they add crunch and a little zing to salads, sandwiches and even pizzas.

And if you love pickled things, you might just find yourself fishing them straight out of the jar for a snack. I can’t eat them this way as I find them a bit too too tangy.

This salad uses whole pepperoncini just like the Olive Garden’s salad, but you can slice them up if you prefer.

And if you notice some jars are labeled Tuscan and others Greek, it’s just a regional thing. They’re basically the same, so go with whatever’s available.

If you like a tangy bite in your salad or find it needs a little pepper in its stepper, pepperoncini are the way to go.

And while I’m talking ingredients, make sure you finely grate the Parmesan so the dressing isn’t grainy or gritty. And feel free to use regular mayonnaise instead of the light version.

I mean, I’ve labelled the salad splurge-worthy so you might as well go all in!