Olive Garden Famous House Salad without croutons

About This Dish

Famous House Salad without Croutons at Olive Garden is the gluten-sensitive version of the restaurant's signature salad, priced at $8.99 and containing just 110 calories — nearly 30 calories lower than the standard version due to the omission of the Italian croutons. The salad is prepared with the same fresh romaine lettuce, red onion, black olives, pepperoncini, and cherry tomatoes as the standard version, dressed with the house Italian dressing. Only the croutons are omitted to remove the wheat-containing component.

At 110 calories with 8 grams of fat, this is one of the lowest-calorie satisfying salad options in the casual dining category. The house Italian dressing accounts for a significant portion of the fat content — the dressing includes olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, and Italian seasonings in a signature blend that has been consistently praised by guests as one of Olive Garden's most replicable but hard-to-exactly-duplicate menu elements. Ordering this salad as a starter alongside a pasta entrée keeps the full meal well within range while providing the vegetable and fiber content that pasta plates typically lack.