Aldi's Tuscan Garden Italian Dressing Is A Complete Olive Garden Copycat
If you've been to Olive Garden and ordered soup, salad, and breadsticks, you've probably tried the restaurant's famous Italian dressing. So popular that it is now sold in big box grocery stores such as Walmart and Target, one 16-ounce bottle of Olive Garden's Signature Italian dressing will likely cost you between $4 and $5 depending on where you buy it.
The good news for bargain shoppers is that Aldi produces a generic version called Tuscan Garden Restaurant Style Italian Dressing for around $2. That's half the price of the branded version and, according to many on Reddit, it tastes exactly the same.
Interestingly enough, it is possible that it actually is the same. According to another user of the social media platform, "sometimes they have dressing actually labeled as Olive Garden dressing ... I swear it's the same stuff". So is it actually the same? The bottles do look suspiciously similar in both shape and design.
A good copycat or same stuff, different bottle?
More evidence for the theory that the two Italian dressings might be the same product can be found in a post by an Aldi deals account on Instagram. The photo posted shows boxes full of Olive Garden-branded croutons and Italian dressing bottles being sold in what appears to be an Aldi. Other shoppers pointed out that the bottles and contents of both dressings look almost exactly the same.
What could be the reason for this? Well, as it turns out, lots of generic foods are actually manufactured by the same company and in the same factory as their branded versions. Many even use the exact same ingredients. The only thing that makes the generic version cheaper is the removal of the brand name.
Could it be that the same factory makes both dressings? While it is a possibility, there's no solid evidence to back up the theory. What we do know is, whether or not Aldi's Italian dressing is exactly the same as Olive Garden's or just close enough that no one can tell the difference, it is objectively a good deal!
How to use Aldi's Italian dressing
Although not exactly Italian (like Olive Garden), Italian dressing is truly an American staple (also like Olive Garden) and there are plenty of great ways to use it to add a dash of acidity to a dish. If you want to use the Aldi dressing to bring the restaurant experience to your home, you can make an Olive Garden Salad copycat brimming with tomatoes, olives, red onions, croutons, and pepperoncini peppers. You can also use your Italian dressing in a refreshing pasta salad, as a marinade for pork or chicken, or even on a corn salad.
If you can't find any bottles, you can buy a packet of Aldi's dry Tuscan Garden Italian Salad Dressing and Seasoning Mix. This dry seasoning pouch costs less than $1, can be mixed into a full salad dressing with the addition of vinegar, water, and oil, and apparently tastes just like the real thing. Plus, if you have any extra seasoning, you can add the dry mix to spice up flour for fried chicken.