What do we want from Olive Garden? Great question. We need our soups to be creamy and rich , and our pastas to be saucy and cheesy. We want breadsticks that are crisped, golden, heavily garlicked, a little Parm-y, and thoroughly saturated with butter.
This is one of those rare recipes that comes together so quickly and somehow still rivals a restaurant-quality meal.
It is a recipe that, once you make it, you say: I will probably make these every time I have friends over because it makes me look fancy with minimal effort. You also say: How soon is too soon to make these again.
1. Olive Garden Tortellini al Forno
Okay, let’s just break this down. You’ve got tortellini packed with cheese and prosciutto, a parmesan cream sauce, and then bacon sprinkled all over the top. This is one of those dishes that I am absolutely not sharing. It’s just too good.
If you’re feeling adventurous, I totally recommend making your own tortellini from scratch at least one time. It’s such a fun process and you could make it a whole date night event.
But honestly? This dish is still a total indulgence using store bought tortellini. Just make sure you are generous with that bacon.
2. Olive Garden Bruschetta Recipe
Things on toast are basically a perfect food group, right? This bruschetta is a classic, featuring a piece of crusty, toasted bread topped with a tomato salsa.
We’re not talking about the kind of salsa for your chips. This one is a mix of chopped up fresh tomatoes and Italian seasoning.
I’m telling you, rubbing a little garlic directly onto the toast is a move that delivers big on flavor. I find that French baguettes give you the best results for this.
Here’s a major tip: make sure you drain the tomato mixture before you put it on the bread, otherwise the juices will make your toast all soggy.
3. Pasta e Fagioli Soup (Better than Olive Garden’s)
This hearty soup is completely loaded with pasta and beef. It is guaranteed to keep you full all the way to dinner. I personally think of it as an Italian style chili because it has chopped tomatoes, veggies, and a whole lot of beans.
The recipe calls for Ditalini pasta, which are these small tubes that get distributed perfectly with the beans and make the soup feel extra substantial.
If you can’t get your hands on that specific shape, no worries. Just use some elbow pasta or really whatever you have in your pantry will work just fine.
4. Olive Garden Chicken Scampi
This has to be one of the most beautiful dishes on the entire list. The colors are just incredible, and I am obsessed with how simple it is.
Instead of some heavy sauce, you get amazing flavor from wine, cheese, and cream, and it doesn’t need to completely drown the pasta. The blend of peppers is absolutely perfect.
Sometimes I like to add in some cherry tomatoes and a little grated carrot to bring in a bit of sweetness.
5. Refreshing Olive Garden Peach Iced Tea
I’m just going to admit it, I didn’t discover my passion for iced tea until my twenties. Ever since then, I’ve become a huge fan, and there are times I’ll even pick it over a cocktail! When you want to make it at home, nothing beats going completely homemade.
And here’s the really good news. It is so easy to create a flavored simple syrup with just sugar, water, and pretty much any fruit that you love.
6. One-Pot Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup
Has soup ever looked this incredible? Can you believe this dish has both bacon and sausage in the mix? And that’s before we even mention the potatoes, garlic, and creamy sauce.
But wait, it also contains kale… so it’s basically healthy, isn’t it? Just let me have this one, please! I have to confess, I usually swap the kale out since I pretty much always have spinach on hand. It works just as well, and you still get your greens in.
7. Olive Garden Toasted Ravioli
I know, I know, these are listed on the appetizer menu, but I will often just get them as my main. You can totally make these at home with some ready made ravioli and breadcrumbs. It’s definitely a messy adventure, but it is so, so worth it when you’re done.
You will end up with a giant bowl full of crunchy ravioli that have a wonderfully creamy and cheesy filling inside. They are absolutely fantastic with marinara sauce, but dipping them in some of that alfredo is also a total win.
8. Olive Garden Minestrone Soup
Is there any soup more nostalgic than minestrone? I’m sure I’m not the only one who got this as a kid whenever I was feeling a little under the weather. I know every mom’s version is the best, but this one is a very close second.
The vegetable base for this is onions, carrots, celery, and zucchini. I love to toss in some corn, squash, or even sweet potato if I have some around.
Always remember to give your beans a good rinse to get rid of extra salt before adding them. And for a really rich broth, using beef stock with a little splash of red wine is an amazing trick.
9. Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup
As if a creamy chicken soup wasn’t already decadent, they went and added some pillowy gnocchi to it! Total genius! Gnocchi is a massive favorite in my house.
I especially love it when I pan fry them with a bit of rosemary infused brown butter. But if gnocchi isn’t your thing, you could always substitute it with some regular pasta or even chunks of potato.
10. Smoked Mozzarella Fonduta
Seriously, who can possibly say no to a sizzling skillet that is overflowing with melted cheese? I think making and serving this right in the skillet is such a fantastic move, but if you want to do individual portions, some cute little ramekins would also work perfectly.
This recipe is just so simple. You don’t have to make a roux or be super delicate when you add the cheese. You just mix everything up and let your oven do all the hard work.
When it’s finally done, it’ll be bubbling away with a crispy, golden crust right around the edges. It’s a moment.
11. Copycat Olive Garden Jumbo Stuffed Shells
I’ll never forget the first time I got the stuffed shells at Olive Garden. I could not get over the size of them! For real, you just need a couple to have a completely satisfying meal.
When you get this dish at the restaurant, it is served on a bed of alfredo sauce and has a ton of seasoned bread crumbs sprinkled over the top.
The contrast between the creamy alfredo and the marinara is something I absolutely love, but they are still ridiculously good without it.
12. Olive Garden Spinach Artichoke Dip
Not every spinach and artichoke dip is the same. While most of them are tasty, not all of them are melt in your mouth incredible. Can you guess which category this one falls into? The magic is all about the cheeses in this recipe.
You are going to want parmesan, mozzarella, asiago, romano, and cream cheese. Just make absolutely sure to squeeze every bit of liquid out of your spinach. That’s the key to keeping the dip wonderfully thick.
13. Olive Garden Shrimp Scampi Copycat Recipe
Is there any sight more appealing than a plate piled high with bright pink shrimp? They’re just so juicy and meaty. I love that they pair so well with everything from pasta to grits.
The most important thing when it comes to cooking shrimp is to remember they only need a few minutes. As soon as you spot that beautiful pink color on both sides, they are done. Any longer, and you’ll find they become rubbery.
14. Copycat Olive Garden Lemon Cream Cake
Honestly, after I’ve had my starter, my main course, and probably a whole basket of breadsticks all to myself, dessert is usually just a distant dream. I couldn’t possibly take another bite… Well, unless we’re talking about this lemon cream cake!
The cake part is just a simple white cake, and you could even use a box mix if that’s more your style.
The real hero here is the lemon and mascarpone filling! It’s just so unbelievably sweet and creamy, and you get notes of lemon in every single bite. Ugh. It’s so good.
15. Breadsticks Recipe (Olive Garden Copycat)
Let’s be honest. How many times have you visited the Olive Garden and not gotten a breadstick refill? My guess is never! They are so soft and warm, and just way too good to pass up.
Once you realize just how easy these are to make, you’re going to want to have them practically every day!
After you’ve baked your breadsticks, and you could totally make rolls instead, all that’s left is to brush them with some melted butter. Then you sprinkle on a mix of salt and garlic powder. It’s seriously that simple!
16. Olive Garden’s Alfredo Sauce
Just put the jar of sauce down and slowly back away! If you are going to make alfredo, it has to be from scratch, and it absolutely has to be this Olive Garden recipe. When a recipe is this simple, why wouldn’t you try it?
If you want to take the flavors up a notch, you can infuse your cream with herbs like rosemary, bay, and thyme before you add it to the sauce. Just be sure you strain out the stalks and give the cream time to cool down before you mix it in.
17. Olive Garden Chicken Marsala
Chicken and mushrooms are already a classic pair, but when you bring some white wine into the mix, you have a certified winner!
The chicken gets cooked right in the pan with the mushrooms and the white wine. It soaks up all of that incredible flavor, which makes every single bite completely juicy and bursting with flavor.
This dish is fantastic with some simple pasta or a giant bowl of cheesy polenta.
18. Copycat Olive Garden Salad Dressing Recipe
An Italian dressing mix has so much more going on in its blend compared to a standard Italian spice mix. You can often find the mix pre-made in a packet at the store, but making your own is incredibly easy.
This particular dressing is super tangy. The recipe only calls for 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, which is how I like it, but you can always add a bit more sugar or a little honey if you prefer something more mellow.