Olive Garden is a staple of the classic American dining chains, specializing in Italian and American food. While dining in person is absolutely an experience worth having, Olive Garden posted their recipes, and some of them are fun to try and make at home. You may know Olive Garden from its fan-favorite breadsticks, but they have an array of iconic menu items included in the Olive Garden recipes. While there are a whole lot of copycat options available for some of their tastiest menu items, there are some Olive Garden recipes that are available online. From soups and sauces to main dishes, appetizers, sides, and even a few desserts, read on to learn about some of our favorite Olive Garden recipes.
According to this Reddit thread, these recipes were available online in 2013, but have been compiled for the many people requesting copycat recipes for some of Olive Garden's greatest hits. For a bit of Olive Garden history, it was started in 1982 in Orlando, Florida under the umbrella of the General Mills company. It expanded quickly with 145 restaurants by 1989. A big part of the Olive Garden experience is due to its interior design choices which are modeled after a Tuscan farmhouse located within the Rocca delle Macie winery. Olive Garden continued to spread, with numerous locations all over the world, and its breadsticks, unlimited soup, and salad deals continue to bring back a base of loyal Olive Garden customers (via Popular Timelines). Now, let's get into the good stuff. Bring on the breadsticks!
Soups
Angel Hair & Three Onion Soup
For this Olive Garden recipe, you'll want to set aside around 1 hour and 45 minutes to get everything done. It takes around 15 minutes of prep and 1.5 hours to cook. You'll need a half pound of baby pearl onions, 4 tbsp olive oil, 1 red onion, 1 sweet onion, and 6 cups of chicken stock. Get some salt, red pepper flakes, 1/2 pound of angel hair pasta, 1/3 cup of parsley, and 4 tsp grated Romano cheese. Saute the onions over low heat for around 20 minutes before adding the stock and the spices. Add in pasta, and remaining ingredients and cook til al dente. Serve with Romano cheese on top and enjoy.
Lentil Stew with Capers
This lentil stew will take around 1 hour and 15 minutes in total. Get ahold of 1 bag of Italian dried lentils, 1 yellow onion, 1 medium carrot, 1 stalk of celery, 1 clove of garlic, rosemary, and thyme. You'll need 4 cups of chicken stock, 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1/2 cup and 2 tbsp chopped tomatoes, 1 tbsp capers, parsley, ground pepper, and EVOO. Soak your lentils for 2 hours, and cook your veggies, oil, and g garlic in a crock pot until tender, but not browned. Add in herbs and chicken stock. Reduce and simmer for between 30-45 minutes, add salt for flavoring. Best served after 2 hours so the flavors can fully combine. Simply reheat and garnish with tomatoes, capers, black pepper, and parsley. Enjoy.
Cream of Tomato & Basil
This is the fastest soup option from the Olive Garden recipes. It'll only take roughly 20 minutes to get everything sorted and ready to enjoy. You'll need 4 tbsp of butter, 1 small red onion, 2 cups dry white wine, and 3 cups of canned, diced tomatoes. Get 2 cups of heavy cream, 3 tbsp fresh basil, salt, and black pepper. Melt the butter, saute the onions, and add the white wine. Simmer with the tomatoes and heavy cream and reduce by 1/2. Puree the mixture in a food processor and add herbs, salt, and pepper to taste. Garnish with remaining fresh ingredients and enjoy.
Appetizers
Zuppa Toscana
This zuppa toscana dish from Olive Garden calls for 1 pound of Italian sausage, crushed red pepper, 4 tbsp of bacon pieces, 2 tsp garlic puree, 1 white onion, 10 cups of water, and 5 cubes of bouillon. You'll need 1 cup of heavy cream, 1 pound of russet potatoes, and 1/4 bunch of kale. Saute the sausage and spices in a large pot before draining, add in bacon, onions, and garlic over low heat. Add water and bouillon cubes until they're boiling in the mixture. Next, add in your sliced potatoes, simmering for around 20 minutes before adding heavy cream, and finally add in your kale until fully combined.
Bruschetta
What's a meal at Olive Garden without a few amazing appetizers? This bruschetta Pomodoro Olive Garden recipe is very straightforward. We'll also include variations with cannellini beans and clams. You'll need 4 plum tomatoes, 3 garlic cloves, pepper & salt, basil leaves, and 4 tbsp EVOO. For the base get a ahold of at least 8 slices of Italian bread and more EVOO for garnishing. Combine your fresh ingredients, grill your bread in olive oil, rub it with garlic cloves, and top it with the tomato mixture.
For the cannellini variety, add 1/2 can of drained cannellini beans, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1/2 tbsp of Dijon mustard, and 2 tbsp of sour cream. The clam variation includes 1 cup of chopped clam meat, arugula, and more seasoning to the same grilled Italian bread. Whatever Olive Garden recipe you choose for this bruschetta, you're bound to enjoy some great flavors.
Mains
Stuffed Chicken Siena
This stuffed chicken Siena takes around an hour to make. You'll need 1/2 cup of mozzarella, 2 tbsp parmesan, 1/2 cup of smoked gouda, 1/4 cup of Fontina cheese, and 1/4 cup of sun-dried tomatoes. For spices include ground pepper, 1 tbsp green onions, 1 tsp garlic, and fresh parsley. Lastly, 1 egg, 2 tbsp of heavy cream, and 4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (butterfly cut).
The Siena sauce needs 2 tbsp of EVOO, 1 tbsp garlic, 1/2 cup of kalamata olives, 1/2 cup of green olives, 1/4 cup of capers, and 1/2 cup of red wine. You'll need 1 cup of tomatoes, a can of tomato puree, 1/2 tsp of salt, crushed red pepper, 2 bell peppers, 1 tbsp of sugar, basil, and 1 pound of pasta.
Mix your filling ingredients together, and stuff your chicken breasts before putting the stuffed chicken onto a baking pan. Bake for around 20 minutes at 450º Fahrenheit. Drizzle with Siena sauce and enjoy your Olive Garden recipe creation.
Shrimp Scampi
Olive Garden has some great pasta recipes. Check out this one for shrimp scampi which will take about an hour to prep and cook. You'll need 1 and 1/2 pounds of shelled shrimp, 1 tbsp of olive oil, 1 onion, 1/2 cup of white wine, 3 cloves of garlic, 3 tbsp of parsley, crushed red pepper, 4 ounces of butter, and 1/3 pound of angel hair pasta. Add salt and pepper for taste. Saute onion and garlic with oil, and add butter, wine, red pepper, and spices. Reduce by 1/2 before adding in the shrimp and cooking till fully done. Make angel hair pasta and plate it with the shrimp mixture.
Vegetable Lasagna
For a vegetarian-friendly option, check out the vegetable lasagna. This recipe takes around 1 hour and 30 minutes, to make this recipe vegan, simply exclude the 7 oz of goat cheese. You'll need 1/3 cup of black olives, fresh thyme, basil, and oregano. This recipe includes 2 tsp of garlic, salt and pepper, pasta sauce, and 1 pound of whole-wheat lasagna noodles. For the filling, you'll need 2 zucchini, 2 summer squash, 3/4 cup of roasted red peppers, and 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese. Preheat the oven to 375º Fahrenheit. And make your filling. Add the fillings with the pasta cheese, add goat cheese, and bake in a foil-covered dish for 20 minutes. By the end, the internal temperature of the dish should be 165 º Fahrenheit. Bake for another 5 minutes to brown the top, and let cool before serving.
Sides
Roasted Potatoes
One thing Olive Garden absolutely does right is its potatoes. Check out these roasted potatoes, which can also be made with red onions. It'll take around 45 minutes to prep and cook this lovely recipe. You'll need 2 pounds of red baby potatoes, 8 chopped garlic cloves, 6 tbsp EVOO, and 2 tbsp of butter. Include fresh chopped rosemary, salt, and pepper to taste. Include 1 red onion if you want even more sweetness overall. Preheat your oven to 450º Fahrenheit, put your buttered, herbed potatoes on a baking sheet or tray, and roast for between 25-30 minutes. Check occasionally for burning and serve still warm
Risotto
Next up we have some amazing risotto variations as part of the Olive Garden recipes. This recipe takes around 45 minutes, and you'll need 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1/2 cup of chopped yellow onions, 1 and 1/2 cups of Arborio rice, 1/2 cup of white wine, and 5 cups chicken or veggie stock. Get 2 tbsp of butter, 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, parsley, and salt & pepper. For the herbed risotto variation include chopped oregano, and basil along with the parsley. For the Milanese risotto variety include 1/2 tsp of saffron threads. In oil, cook your onions til soft, add rice, white wine, and broth until completely absorbed. Add butter, and cheese, garnish with parsley, and serve.
Honorable mentions go to Olive Garden's incredible Alfredo sauce recipe and their strawberries Romanoff dessert. Check out the recipes below:
Alfredo Sauce
For this life-changing pasta sauce, that only takes 10 minutes to make, you'll need 1 and 1/2 cups of milk and 1 and 1/2 cups of heavy cream. Get ahold of 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup of Romano cheese, 6 egg yolks, and salt and pepper. Heat the dairy at the bottom of a saucepan, until it simmers. and then turn off the heat. Whip the cheese into the mixture before leaving to congeal. Add the mixture to egg yolks and stir together before putting the mixture back onto a heat source, stirring while simmering. Remove from heat to allow the sauce to thicken. Add salt and spice and drizzle over the. top of your chosen pasta dish. This is absolutely one of our favorite Olive Garden recipes.
Strawberries Romanoff
And last, but certainly not least, we have the strawberries Romanoff from Olive Garden. This fantastic dessert calls for 2 cups of sour cream, 1 tbsp of triple sec, 1 quart of washed strawberries, fresh mint, 1 juiced orange, and 1/3 cup of brown sugar. Combine the dry and wet ingredients, and coat your strawberries in the mixture. Chill until ready to serve and add mint as a garnish.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Brent Hofacker/Shutterstock.com.
