25 Delicious Olive Garden Copycat Recipes

Olive Garden is one of the most popular restaurants in the United States. Famous for their tasty pasta’s, soups, and especially for their breadsticks, with something for everyone it’s no surprise that people love this restaurant. 

Unfortunately, going out to eat all the time can be very expensive. But how else are you supposed to calm your Olive Garden cravings? Well, we are here to help! 

You can recreate the authentic flavors of your favorite Olive Garden dishes at home with these copycat recipes, which taste almost identical to the Italian dishes that inspired them. 

It doesn’t matter if you can’t get enough of the keep-em-coming breadsticks if you are craving sky-high layered lasagna, or if you just can’t get the thought of their delicious tiramisu out of your head, you can carry your favorite Olive Garden dishes home with you thanks to these delicious recipes!

After you’ve started with the breadsticks (because, of course!) it’s going to be tough to choose just one meal from all of the delectable selections that are on this list

There is a wide variety of mouthwatering possibilities, so make your way through this list to find your favorite Olive Garden meal at home!

1. Olive Garden Breadsticks

While Olive Garden is famous for its many delicious meals, including its Alfredo and Zuppa Toscana pasta’s, the restaurant is known for its bottomless breadstick supply.

Some people even go to Olive Garden for these and nothing else!

Recreating the enchantment of Olive Garden’s breadsticks at home is easy with our recipe for copycat breadsticks.

In fewer than sixty minutes, you can have a warm basket of breadsticks that have just come out of the oven for you and your family or guests to share.

2. Olive Garden’s Alfredo Sauce

Put down the jar of sauce and never pick it up again! If you are creating alfredo, it should be made from scratch to get the best flavor.

While that may seem hard, this Olive Garden recipe is very simple to follow. 

Before adding the cream to the sauce, infuse it with herbs like thyme, rosemary, bay, and thyme to enhance the taste.

Remember to remove the stalks and allow the cream to cool before combining with your pasta.

3. Olive Garden Chicken Marsala

Chicken and mushrooms are a traditional flavor pairing, but if you add some white wine to the dish, you’ll have something special.

Because the chicken will simmer in the same pan as the mushrooms and the white wine, it will soak up all of those flavors, resulting in bite after mouthful that is succulent and brimming with flavor.

4. One-Pot Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup

Soup has never seemed so appealing! Did you realize that this meal contains both bacon and sausage? Not to mention the garlic, potatoes, and creamy sauce.

It also contains kale, which kind of makes it healthy. If you don’t have kale to hand, then spinach can be used as a substitute. It’s equally delicious, and you’ll still get your vegetables.

5. Olive Garden Salad Recipe

Perhaps you have never tried the salad at Olive Garden. After all, who wants to go to a restaurant only to order something healthy?

And with salad’s reputation of being tasteless, you may not want to waste money on it. 

However, if you are given the chance, you really should try the salad at Olive Garden. It is healthy, packed full of nutrients, and most importantly, is surprisingly delicious!

With simple ingredients, this tasty dish is very easy to make at home and is pretty cheap as well. 

While the red onion and pepperoncini peppers adds to the taste, this meal truly shines because of the dressing. 

Make this in a big batch, because after your first bite you won’t be able to stop eating it!

Smoked Mozzarella Fonduta

6. Smoked Mozzarella Fonduta

How can anyone resist a skillet full of melted cheese that is sizzling?

Creating and serving in a pan is a fantastic option, but you could instead use adorable ramekins for individual servings if you prefer the aesthetically pleasing look. 

This dish is quite easy to make. There is no need to prepare a roux or handle the cheese with care. Simply combine the ingredients and let the oven do the work.

It will be bubbling and have a golden, crunchy crust when it comes out of the oven. Before long, your whole family will be tempered to the kitchen to see where the beautiful smell is coming from. 

7. Peach Iced Tea

Ok, while this isn’t food, we have to include this sweet Olive Garden imitation iced tea on this list. After all, this is the most popular drink in the restaurant, so you might want to know how to make it at home. 

When it comes to cooking at home, there is no replacement for doing everything from scratch.

The good news is that you can prepare a simple flavored syrup with sugar, water, and any desired fruit.

8. Copycat Olive Garden Salad Dressing Recipe

Italian dressing mix has far more ingredients than a standard Italian spice blend. Typically, the mix is available in a packet, but making your own is straightforward.

This dressing includes only half a teaspoon of sugar and is incredibly sour. If you want a milder flavor, feel free to add more sugar or honey.

9. Copycat Olive Garden Jumbo Stuffed Shells

If you have ordered this dish in Olive Garden before, you might have been surprised at how big they are. Seriously, just a handful is required to produce a whole supper!

This restaurant dish is served on a bed of alfredo sauce with a generous amount of seasoned bread crumbs on top.

While you might enjoy the contrast between the alfredo and marinara, if this isn’t for you, then this dish is equally great without them. 

10. Olive Garden Minestrone Soup

Minestrone is not only one of the most delicious soups out there, but for many people, it is also a comfort food for when they, or their family members, are feeling a bit unwell.  

Learning how to make this meal will be very useful for when you next get a cold and need something comforting to make you feel better. 

The foundation vegetables are onions, carrots, celery, and zucchini, but you can also add corn, squash, and sweet potato if you have them on hand.

Always rinse your beans to remove extra salt before adding them to your soup, and for a flavorful broth, use beef stock and a dash of red wine.

11. Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup

As if this chicken soup wasn’t already luxurious enough, they added pillowy gnocchi! Genius!

Gnocchi is a household favorite, especially when fried in brown butter laced with rosemary. However, you could always swap them with conventional spaghetti or potato bits if you prefer. 

12. Olive Garden Chicken Scampi

This is one of the most attractive meals on the list. The colors are beautiful, and you will adore the simplicity. 

Instead of a thick sauce, the wine, cheese, and cream provide ample flavor without drowning the pasta.

The combination of peppers is ideal, but if you want to make the dish a bit sweeter, then you could add shredded carrots and cherry tomatoes to the meal. 

13. Olive Garden Toasted Ravioli

Although they are listed on the appetizers page on Olive Garden’s menu, this dish can still be used as a main course if you make a little more.

These may be made at home with prepared ravioli and breadcrumbs. It’s a messy procedure, but the result is well worth it.

You will end up with a large dish of crisp ravioli stuffed with a beautifully creamy and cheesy filling. They are delicious with either marinara sauce or alfredo sauce.

14. Pasta e Fagioli Soup 

This substantial soup is loaded with noodles and meat and will keep you satisfied until dinner.

Though described as an Italian Pasta, it is more like Italian chili because it has diced tomatoes, vegetables, and an abundance of beans.

Ditalini pasta consists of tiny tubes that will disperse among the beans, thickening the soup.

If you are unable to locate the specified pasta, you may substitute elbow pasta or whatever you have on hand.

15. Olive Garden Shrimp Scampi Copycat Recipe

Is there anything more appetizing than a dish of pink shrimp? They mix well with anything from spaghetti to grits, as they are so juicy and meaty.

The secret to cooking shrimp is to remember that it requires only a few minutes.

As soon as you observe the beautiful pink color on both sides, they are ready. Any longer, and they will become rubbery.

16. Eggplant Parmigiana

For a vegetarian dish, you can’t go wrong with this Eggplant parmigiana. 

You will adore the crisp coating and zesty marinara. But the taste isn’t the only good thing about this dish. It is also super easy to make and only needs to go into the oven. In less than an hour, dinner be ready!

17. Olive Garden Spinach Artichoke Dip

Not all spinach and artichoke dips are made equal, and while most are delicious, not all are mouth-meltingly incredible. This dip is though. 

Here, it’s all about the cheeses. You’ll want cream cheese, romano, asiago, mozzarella, and parmesan.

Just take care to press out all of the moisture from the spinach when making this side to maintain the dip’s consistency.

18. Olive Garden Bruschetta Recipe

Bruschetta is often a piece of toasted, crusty bread topped with tomato salsa.

The salsa is composed of chopped fresh tomatoes (not canned) and Italian spice. It is not to be mistaken with chip-dipping salsa.

To get a strong taste, try spreading garlic on your toast. The best bread for this is French baguettes

Remember to drain the tomato mixture before serving, otherwise, the bread may become soggy.

19. Olive Garden Tortellini al Forno

The cheese and prosciutto-stuffed tortellini, parmesan cream sauce, and crumbled bacon on top make this a meal that you won’t want to share.

If you have the time, we recommend cooking tortellini at least once from scratch! Making spaghetti is so enjoyable that you can even make it a romantic night.

If you use store-bought tortellini, this meal will be decadent. Just don’t hold back on the bacon!

20. Copycat Olive Garden Lemon Cream Cake

By the time you’ve finished my appetizer, entree, and at least an entire basket of breadsticks, dessert is generally a no-go.

Except for this lemon cream cake, of course!

The cake itself is a basic white cake. The highlight of this dessert is the lemon and mascarpone filling. Each taste is very sweet and creamy, with hints of lemon.

21. Fettuccine Alfredo

This simple Alfredo sauce is toasty and velvety, and it does an outstanding job of covering fettuccine noodles. 

This meal is already great in its base form, but on occasion, you may like to spruce it up by adding sliced fresh mushrooms and black olives that have been sautéed in butter and garlic. This gives the dish a more robust flavor.

22. Chocolate Brownie Lasagna

Another dessert dish, Olive Garden’s chocolate lasagna is in a league of its own and cannot be compared to anything else. 

It is a very different experience to eat a brownie that has a coating of sour cream cheese frosting poured on top of it (or swirled in the batter).

Different doesn’t mean bad though, and you will be pleasantly surprised at just how nice this desert can taste. 

23. Five Cheese Ziti al Forno

One of the biggest meals that Olive Garden offers is its five-cheese ziti. A favorite dish among customers, you may love it so much that you want to give it a try at home. 

This is a dish that can feed your whole family easily, and it will keep you satisfied for a long time thanks to how hearty it is. 

When you make this dish, you should make two batches so that you can put one in the freezer and use it for another time when you don’t feel like cooking. 

24. Chicken Marsala

You should be able to find this time-honored dish at practically every Italian restaurant that you go to.

It may be the juicy and tender chicken breasts, or it could be the flavorful and somewhat sweet mushroom wine sauce that they poured over the chicken, but this meal is delicious no matter how you choose to prepare it. 

For even more flavor, add a side of sweet and exquisite fettuccine Alfredo.

25. Cheese Ravioli

Baking and cooking many people’s favorite hobbies. If you want to combine these and aslo make a dish that will wowo your guests, then you have to try making this cheese ravioli dish. 

Creamy, tasty, and filling, you and your guests will be full up for the whole day after eating this. 

Summary

If you love the taste of Olive Garden but can’t afford to keep eating out (and honestly, who can?), then these recipes are great low-cost alternatives to try at home. 

With the tasting almost identical to Olive Garden meals, you can add a few Italian flavorings to your weekly dinners!