Olive Garden Nutrition: Is It a Healthy Restaurant? (2024)

Olive garden is a popular chain restaurant specializing in Italian cuisine. It offers appetizers, salad, pasta, chicken, meat, seafood, and desserts.

Does eating at Olive Garden come at a nutritional cost? Read on to learn the nutrition value for some of Olive Garden’s meals.

Healthier menu choices at Olive Garden

Olive Garden’s healthiest meals come from their Lighter Italian Fare menu. Olive Garden claims that their Lighter Italian Fare menu items are inspired by Italy’s Mediterranean Coast where the diet is primarily vegetables, whole grains, herbs and spices, and olive oil. Sounds good, right? But there’s a catch. Some items are a healthier meal choice on their own, but once you add soup, salad (with dressing), breadsticks, and dessert, the fat, calories, and sodium content soars. Keep this in mind as you plan your next Olive Garden meal.

1. Spaghetti and marinara

If you’re not watching carbs, traditional spaghetti and marinara sauce is one of Olive Garden’s healthier meal options.

Calories	Fat	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Sodium
480	10.5g	84g	5g	15g	730mg

2. Herb-grilled salmon

This salmon is topped with garlic-herb butter and served with parmesan-garlic broccoli.

Calories	Fat	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Sodium
460	28g	8g	4g	3g	570mg

3. Tilapia piccata

This mild fish is baked in a lemon-garlic sauce and topped with sundried tomatoes and capers. Parmesan-crusted zucchini completes the dish.

Calories	Fat	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Sodium
450	24g	12g	2g	5g	1,010mg

4. Chicken piccata

This entrée is baked in a lemon-garlic sauce and topped with sundried tomatoes and capers. Parmesan-crusted zucchini is served on the side.

5. Garlic rosemary chicken

Chicken breasts are marinated in caramelized garlic cloves and earthy rosemary for this dish. It’s served with fresh spinach for a dose of vitamin K. It also comes with garlic-parmesan mashed potatoes.

Calories	Fat	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Sodium
540	19g	29g	4g	6g	1,630mg

6. Shrimp scampi

For this dish, shrimp is sautéed in a garlic sauce and tossed with angel hair pasta, tomatoes, and asparagus.

Calories	Fat	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Sodium
570	24g	60g	5g	6g	1,800mg

7. House salad (without croutons) with low-fat dressing, and minestrone soup

Olive garden is famous for their house salad and breadsticks. Paired with minestrone soup, it’s a healthier meal, although the sodium content is high. Omit the breadstick to reduce the sodium, fat, and calories. Note that this includes one serving of each; extra salad, soup or breadsticks adds up.

Calories	Fat	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Sodium
350	8g	56g	6g	9g	1,990mg

8. Chocolate mousse cake

While this cake can’t be called healthy, it’s one of Olive Garden’s lighter dessert options.

Calories	Fat	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Sodium
380	22g	39g	3g	26g	220mg

9. Strawberry and white chocolate cake dolcini

Dolcini are mini desserts that are the perfect size to satisfy your sweet tooth at the end of a meal. There are a few dolcini options, but the strawberry and white chocolate cake is the lightest.

Calories	Fat	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Sodium
190	11g	22g	< 1g	17g	90mg

A sampling of the least healthy menu items at Olive Garden
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If you’re trying to eat healthy, you may want to steer clear of these Olive Garden menu items.

1. Chicken alfredo

Anything with cheesy alfredo sauce made from butter and cream is loaded with fat and calories. Olive Garden’s Chicken Alfredo is no exception. It far exceeds your entire daily recommended intake of fat, much of it saturated fat.

Calories	Fat	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Sodium
1,480	94g	95g	4g	9g	1,950mg

2. Sausage stuffed giant rigatoni

For this meal, large rigatoni pasta is stuffed with sausage and topped with melted mozzarella cheese and meat sauce.

Calories	Fat	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Sodium
1,020	60g	58g	4g	14g	2,740mg

3. Classic calamari

Fried calamari are served with marinara and a parmesan peppercorn sauce for this appetizer.

Calories	Fat	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Sodium
1,165	81.5g	76g	6g	8g	2,940mg

4. Five Italian cheese fondue

Fondue is a treat for your taste buds, but not so much your waistline. This fondue is made with five types of cheeses and served with breadstick crostini.

Calories	Fat	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Sodium
760	48g	41g	2g	2g	1,890mg

5. Lasagna fritta

This recipe takes classic lasagna over the top by deep-frying it and topping it with alfredo sauce.

Calories	Fat	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Sodium
1,070	71g	73g	5g	4g	1,650mg

6. Chicken parmigiana

This dish is an Italian favorite. Two chicken breasts are breaded with parmesan cheese, deep-fried, and covered with melted cheese and marinara. It comes with a side of pasta.

Calories	Fat	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Sodium
1,060	52g	86g	7g	16g	2,980mg

7. Braised beef and tortellini

Braised beef, Portobello mushrooms, tortellini filled with asiago cheese, and a basil marsala sauce make up this meal.

Calories	Fat	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Sodium
1,120	58g	83g	6g	16g	2,370mg

8. Steak gorgonzola alfredo

This entrée includes steak medallions tossed with fettucine alfredo, spinach, and gorgonzola cheese. It’s one of Olive Garden’s least healthy choices.

Calories	Fat	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Sodium
1,380	85g	88g	6g	8g	2,810mg

9. Chocolate caramel lasagna

Layers of chocolate, sponge cake, caramel, and custard make up this sweet treat. Its nutritional value reflects its decadence.

Calories	Fat	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Sodium
720	45g	72	2g	68g	70mg

The bottom line

It would be hard for Olive Garden to claim that most of their meals are nutritious. Many menu items come close to or exceed the entire daily recommended values of sodium, fat, and calories by themselves. Even so, if you watch what you eat for the rest of the day, you could enjoy a healthier meal choice at Olive Garden without wrecking your healthy eating plan.

To save on empty calories, drink water or unsweetened iced tea with your meal. Cut carbs by substituting fresh veggies for potatoes. Cut calories, fat, and sodium by sharing your meal or only eating half of it. Bring the rest home to enjoy the next day.

Olive Garden Nutrition: Is It a Healthy Restaurant? (2024)

FAQs

Is OLIVE GARDEN food healthy? ›

Olive Garden's healthiest meals come from their Lighter Italian Fare menu. Olive Garden claims that their Lighter Italian Fare menu items are inspired by Italy's Mediterranean Coast where the diet is primarily vegetables, whole grains, herbs and spices, and olive oil.

Get More Info ›

Is Olive Garden's food made from scratch? ›

Our soup and sauce masters create dishes by hand and from scratch, every day. With fresh, whole ingredients like kale, peppers and squash. Because they know cooking that way – the Italian way- everything tastes better. to everything they make.

View Details ›

Are OLIVE GARDEN calories accurate? ›

At Olive Garden, Tufts found the chicken and gnocchi soup had 529 calories, which was 246 more than what would be expected based on the restaurant's website. Olive Garden told CNN the numbers on its website "are as accurate as they can be for dishes that are individually crafted by hand."

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What is the lowest calorie item at OLIVE GARDEN? ›

10+ Lowest Calorie Olive Garden Orders Under 500 Calories

Minestrone Soup.
Pasta fa*gioli Soup.
Zuppa Toscana Soup.
Chicken & Gnocchi Soup.
Famous House Salad.
Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce.
Soup, Salad, and Breadsticks.
Cheese Ravioli with Marinara Sauce.

More items...

Nov 29, 2023

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Is olive garden food high in sodium? ›

"It's a little tricky at Olive Garden," she said. "There are several items that are generally healthy, but their sodium content puts them in an unhealthy range. For example, the Pasta e fa*gioli soup has just 150 calories, not enough for a meal, but still has 710mg of sodium.

Read On ›

Does Olive Garden cook their food in house? ›

The soups are made in-house daily—but all the desserts are frozen. The pasta, however, is made to order. The restaurant only uses microwaves for heating dipping sauces and warming desserts. Otherwise, everything is pan fried, deep fried, or grilled.

Does Olive Garden have MSG in their food? ›

Our food recipes do not use added MSG (Monosodium Glutamate) and, based on information from our suppliers, MSG is not added to any of the ingredients we use. However, certain foods and ingredients naturally contain glutamate or glutamic acid (such as tomatoes, milk, cheese, mushrooms and certain yeasts and proteins).

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Are Olive Garden lunch portions smaller? ›

According to Olive Garden's menu, the lunchtime Alfredo is around 650 calories, while a dinner portion is closer to 1,310 — nearly double the size of the lunchtime serving.

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Is Olive Garden pasta fresh or frozen? ›

The pasta at Olive Garden isn't frozen or microwaved, but it is prepared in advance of service. In a Quora thread, one server explained the process: "The pasta is precooked in the morning and given an ice bath while it's still al dente.

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How many calories are in each breadstick at Olive Garden? ›

Olive Garden Breadstick (1 serving) contains 25g total carbs, 24g net carbs, 2.5g fat, 4g protein, and 140 calories.

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How many calories are in a bowl of spaghetti from Olive Garden? ›

with Meat sauce 360 cal. | Spaghetti with Marinara 290 cal.

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What is the highest calorie dish at Olive Garden? ›

Unhealthiest Things At Olive Garden

#6 Chicken Scampi. Calories: 1,310. Fat: 76 grams.
#5 Steak Gorgonzola-Alfredo. Calories: 1,380. Fat: 85 grams.
#4 Spaghetti with Italian Sausage. Calories: 1,410. Fat: 83 grams.
#3 Tour of Italy. Calories: 1,500. ...
#2 Chicken Alfredo. Calories: 1,540. ...
#1 Chicken & Shrimp Carbonara. Calories: 1,540.

Oct 21, 2014

Find Out More ›

What is the most unhealthy thing at OLIVE GARDEN? ›

The worst order at Olive Garden is…the Chicken Tortelloni Alfredo. "Overall, the Chicken Tortelloni Alfredo is the worst choice due to its excessive calories, saturated fat, sodium, and lack of nutritional balance," Sabat tells us.

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Is spaghetti healthy for you? ›

Pasta is made from grain, one of the basic food groups in a healthy diet that also can include vegetables, fruits, fish, and poultry. It's a good source of energy and can give you fiber, too, if it's made from whole grain. That can help with stomach problems and may help lower cholesterol.

Get More Info Here ›

How many calories are in a bowl of salad at OLIVE GARDEN? ›

290 cal. Our Famous House Salad served with our signature Italian dressing (served on the side). Includes two breadsticks.

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Why do people eat at Olive Garden? ›

Freshness and Quality: Olive Gardens emphasizes the freshness of its ingredients, particularly its soups, sauces, and famous breadsticks, enhancing the overall dining experience.

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Are olives a healthy food? ›

Olives are very high in vitamin E and other powerful antioxidants. Studies show that they are good for the heart and may protect against osteoporosis and cancer. The healthy fats in olives are extracted to produce olive oil, one of the key components of the incredibly healthy Mediterranean diet.

Are Olive Garden meatballs all beef? ›

When it comes to Olive Garden's seasoned, all-beef meatballs, social media shows that customers have varying opinions. As illustrated by a video uploaded to TikTok, the restaurant's meatball parmigiana appetizer has received some high praise.