Delicious Copy Cat Olive Garden Recipes to try at home

It can be hard to find time to go out for dinner.

So, what do you do when you want to make Italian food at home, but don't want to pay an arm and a leg?

My answer would be Olive Garden recipes. I absolutely love the Olive Garden's salad dressing (not too creamy), chicken parmesan, and breadsticks.

So, to save money and time, I decided to find the best copycat recipes for these tasty dishes. If you're not up to making your own salad dressing or breadstick dough (although that would be very fun), simply pick it up at the store!

There are five Olive Garden recipes included in this list; salad dressing, chicken parmesan, spaghetti with meat sauce, lasagna fritta appetizer, and the famous never-ending pasta bowl.

Enjoy!

Salad Dressing: Italian Vinaigrette Recipe

Ingredients

2 Cloves Garlic 1 Cup Olive Oil ½ Cup Red Wine Vinegar 6 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese 2 Tablespoons Sugar 1 Teaspoon Salt ¼ Teaspoon Pepper

Directions

Cut garlic into small pieces and add to blender or food processor with rest of ingredients.

Blend or process on low for a few seconds, then blend or process on high speed until all the ingredients are combined.

Store in refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.

Chicken Parmesan: Chicken Parmesan Recipe

Ingredients

1 Pound Thin-sliced Chicken Breasts, Cutlets or chicken cut into strips ½ Cup Flour 1 Egg Beaten Lightly 2 Cups Bread Crumbs Salt and Pepper Oil for frying 1 Jar Spaghetti Sauce Mozzarella Cheese (shredded)

Directions

Put flour in one bowl, lightly beat the egg, and put it in another bowl.

Pour bread crumbs into a third bowl and add salt and pepper to taste (I like mine spicy so I add a lot of pepper).

Dip chicken pieces into the flour, then into beaten egg, then roll them in the bread crumbs until thoroughly coated.

Put oil in a frying pan and cook the chicken, turning it so all sides are browned.

Put spaghetti sauce in a 9x13 inch baking dish, add cooked chicken to the dish, cover with mozzarella cheese, and bake at 375°F until cheese is melted.

*This recipe is good with spaghetti too.

Lasagna Fritta: Lasagna Fritta Recipe

Ingredients

1 Jar Spaghetti Sauce ½ Pound Ground Beef 1 Egg, Beaten 2 Ricotta Cheese Packages (with a little Mozzarella if desired) 3 Ounces Thin Sliced Prosciutto or Cooked Ham Butter Garlic Cloves (optional) Lasagna Sheets

Directions

Cook the lasagna sheets in boiling water for 5-6 minutes until soft, then drain.

Brown ground beef in a frying pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally to break apart the meat. Turn heat to low when browned.

Add spaghetti sauce and stir well, making sure to get all of the brown bits off of the bottom of the pan.

Heat water in a pot for boiling the egg, then put the egg in boiling water for exactly three minutes (3:00).

Take the cooked egg out of the water and let it cool, then peel away the shell while still warm.

Put the beaten egg in one bowl, put ricotta cheese and half of the mozzarella in a second bowl, and mix them together with a fork.

Mix the cooled ground beef and spaghetti sauce together and add some garlic if desired (I like to add 2-3 cloves).

Take each lasagna sheet and put it on a plate so that one side is facing up.

Spoon a little sauce onto the lasagna sheet, then put a small amount of ricotta cheese on it and spread it around with a fork.

Put one slice of prosciutto or ham on top of the ricotta cheese and spoon some more spaghetti sauce over that.

Roll up the lasagna sheet jelly-roll style and stick a toothpick through it to hold the roll together.

When all of the rolls are made, put them in a baking dish.

Pour spaghetti sauce over the top, covering each roll completely.

Put another layer of sauce on top if necessary to cover all of the lasagna rolls, then sprinkle mozzarella cheese over everything.

Bake at 400°F for 30 minutes.

*These are good cold also, which makes them perfect to take to work or school for lunch!

Never Ending Pasta Bowl: Never Ending Pasta Bowl Recipe

Ingredients

1 Pound Fettuccini 3 Large Tomatoes 1/2 Onion (diced) 2 Cloves Garlic (minced) ½ Cup Vegetable or Chicken Broth ¼ Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese Salt and Pepper

Directions

Put water in a pot for boiling the fettuccini, then put the pasta in the boiling water.

While waiting for the pasta to cook, dice the tomatoes and chop the onion.

Put a frying pan on medium heat, add some oil if desired, then cook the garlic in it for 2 minutes.

Add the diced tomatoes and chopped onions to the frying pan with a pinch of salt and pepper.

When pasta is done cooking, drain water from the pot but do not rinse the fettuccini. Put the fettuccini back in the pot and turn the heat to low.

Add the broth and tomato mixture to the pot and cook on low for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Sprinkle in parmesan cheese and stir well. Serve in a bowl with some grated parmesan cheese and red pepper (optional) sprinkled on top if desired.

*This recipe is good with 2-3 tablespoons of pesto stirred into it.

Osso Buco: Osso Buco Recipe

Ingredients

4 Lamb Shanks Olive Oil Flour for Dusting Salt and Pepper 2 Onions (diced) 4 Cloves Garlic (minced) ½ Cup White Wine 1 Can Italian Stewed Tomatoes 2 Bay Leaves 1 Tablespoon Rosemary ½ Teaspoon Salt ½ Cup All-purpose Flour 2 Cups Chicken Broth

Directions

Dust lamb shanks with flour, then put them in a frying pan with some oil on medium heat. Brown the meat on all sides while sprinkling some salt and pepper over it. Remove browned meat from the pan.

Cook diced onions in the frying pan with some more oil if necessary. Cook for 10 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Add garlic to the onions and cook for 1 minute while stirring constantly.

Turn heat to low, add white wine to the pan, stir well, then turn the heat back up to medium and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Add Italian stewed tomatoes, bay leaves, rosemary, salt, and chicken broth to the pan with the onions and garlic. Stir well.

Turn the heat back to low and simmer for 30-40 minutes while covered.

When meat is cool enough to handle, cut each lamb shank in half so that no bone sticks out. Put the meat back in the pan and stir it up with all of the flavors.

Turn heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve immediately on a plate with sauce over each serving and some white rice on the side.

Schiacciata: Schiacciata Recipe

Ingredients

3/4 Pound Pizza Dough 1/2 Cup Golden Raisins ¼ Cup Olive Oil ½ Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese Salt and Pepper

Directions

Mix pizza dough, golden raisins, olive oil, parmesan cheese, a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper in a bowl.

When the ingredients are all well-mixed, knead by hand for 10 minutes.

Put a pot on medium heat and wait until it's hot enough to turn a drop of water into steam that disappears in one second. This is called 'steaming'.

Grease the bottom of a pan with olive oil then put the pizza dough in the pan.

Cook for 5 minutes, then turn the dough over and cook again on the other side for 5 minutes.

Pour some olive oil in a shallow bowl, put your finger in it, then slide your finger around the edges of the pizza to make little grooves.

Turn heat down to low, cover pan with foil. Cook for 30 more minutes on low heat.

Thanks for reading. Enjoy these delicious recipes!