When it comes to Olive Garden, you either love it or hate it—there's really no in between. Some restaurant goers criticize Olive Garden's inauthenticity, while others fully embrace its commitment to making affordable, yet delicious meals. No matter what your opinion is though, you have to recognize that it has a cult following of die-hard Olive Garden fans who can go on for hours confessing their love for Never Ending Pasta Bowls and the Tour of Italy combo plate (because who doesn't want three meals in one?).
The restaurant's iconic recipes may seem irreplicable, but they are actually super easy to make at home. From breadsticks to your favorite pasta dishes, here are some copycat Olive Garden recipes that go easy on your wallet and provide you with restaurant-quality meals in your own home.
1. Breadsticks
You can't start any meal at Olive Garden without their world-renowned breadsticks. Served warm and buttery, they're highly addictive. If you'd rather enjoy without having to ask your waiter for another basket, making them at home isn't a hard task. Similar to a focaccia dough, the bread rises quickly and doesn't require too much downtime.
2. Parmesan Zucchini Bites
A healthier alternative to Olive Garden's fried tots, Kirbie Cravings' Parmesan zucchini bites are baked. In her version, she combines finely grated zucchini, bread crumbs, cheese, and an egg to hold the mixture together. The mixture gets rolled into bite-sized tots. After a short time in the oven, the bites come out perfectly crisp. While Kirbie serves her bites with ketchup, you can easily substitute marinara sauce for a closer resemblance to Olive Garden's.
3. Spinach Artichoke Dip
Spinach and artichoke dip is a must from Olive Garden. Instead of your typical dip and chips, they serve the five-cheese dip alongside crostini made from their infamous breadsticks. It truly is the best of both worlds. For those who want a make-at-home version, you can now make the dip in your microwave. Yep, you don't even need an oven to enjoy bubbling, stringy dip.
4. Loaded Pasta Chips
For football season 2018, Olive Garden released Loaded Pasta Chips, basically an Italian twist on Tex-Mex nachos. Forbes debunked the recipe with easy to follow steps. After frying lasagna noodles, top the crispy chips with mozzerella cheese, meat sauce, cherry peppers, and a drizzle of Alfredo.
5. Minestrone Soup
Step away from the can and enjoy this vegan and gluten-free minestrone soup. In one pot and only 30 minutes, you'll have yourself a vat of comforting, heartwarming soup. By combining fresh vegetables and herbs with gluten-free pasta, you get a hearty soup without having to leave your house. You might have to ask for refills on this one.
6. Fettuccine Alfredo
While there are plenty of great jarred Alfredo sauces, making your own requires only a few steps. This homemade Alfredo recipe is extremely creamy and cheesy, just as you would expect from Olive Garden's. In 15 minutes and a few ingredients, you can have yourself a pasta dish incomparable to one you'd find in restaurants.
7. Spiralized Veggie Pasta
A new addition to the Olive Garden menu, spiralized veggie pasta combines zoodles and whole wheat pasta for a hearty meal. The pasta is tossed in a scampi herb sauce, full of parsley and garlic. This recipe calls for Parmesan and fresh tomatoes for an added bite.
8. Eggplant Parmesan
Eggplant Parmesan always resurfaces memories of family trips to Olive Garden, where it never failed to end up on our table. This recipe not only provides family nostalgia but a more affordable way to enjoy this restaurant-quality dish in the comfort of your own home. Parmesan Reggiano and homemade tomato sauce give the eggplant a bold Italian flavor while also providing a dash of comfort.
9. Mushroom Ravioli
A take on Olive Garden's Ravioli di Portobello, this ravioli recipe amps up standard cheese ravioli by making a light tomato and mushroom ragu. While the restaurant's version consists of mushroom-filled ravioli in a thick cheese sauce, this recipe only takes a few minutes. Not to mention, it's a much lower-calorie option that you can make to impress any foodie friend.
10. Shrimp Scampi
A classic dish, shrimp scampi is a simple, yet delicious dish that requires minimal effort. This recipe takes 20 minutes to make but has a well-balanced flavor bursting with lemon, garlic, and fresh herbs. If you really want to show off your cooking skills, you can serve the shrimp atop two-ingredient homemade pasta.
11. Lasagna Classico
A good lasagna can be hard to come by. The frozen, microwavable ones are always bland and mushy, but making your own can be tedious and too much effort for a weeknight. However, this meaty lasagna is packed with flavor and can be prepared from start to finish in an hour and a half. Just like Olive Garden's, it's layered with sausage and ground beef meat sauce, cheese, and al dente noodles.
12. Chicken Piccata
Chicken Piccata is a classic Italian dish, full of spices and herbs. The lemon, butter, and capers create an acidic, yet creamy and rich sauce. Opposed to many of the other common Italian meals that are fried and drowned in tomato sauces, this one's lighter and more refreshing. To make this chicken piccata recipe even more identical to Olive Garden's, add diced sun-dried tomatoes to the sauce and serve with a side of signature zucchini Parmesan bites.
13. Tiramisu
When I hear "Italian dessert," my mind automatically goes to this coffee-infused delight. Tiramisu is the perfect treat for anyone who loves cake, coffee, and chocolate. This tiramisu recipe provides clear instructions that allow you to whip up a masterpiece of your own. It's a great pick-me-up that can even be personalized with alcohol if you want an extra flavor boost. No matter what you add to it, there is no occasion when tiramisu isn't appropriate to eat.
14. Blueberry Limonata
Lemonade is a classic summer drink, but this recipe adds a vibrant *sparkle* to the original that never fails to satisfy your fruity drink needs. Although this delicious Olive Garden drink seems impossible to make at home, it's actually easy to do. In fact, this stuff can be ready to serve in under 10 minutes. By dressing up normal lemonade with fresh, flavorful ingredients, this blueberry limonata is sure to become an instant hit at your summer parties.
Making an Italian dinner at home can be a great way to express your inner chef. Whether you're cooking for friends, family, or yourself, making these copycat Olive Garden recipes are sure to impress even the people who criticize the restaurant.