Healthi
Restaurant Guide to
Olive Garden
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OVERVIEW
Who doesn’t love an amazing Italian dish?! “The comfort you crave” is spot on for Olive Garden. With so many variations and choices, anyone on a weight loss journey would love the choices here. With things like chicken parmigiana and shrimp scampi as well as soups and salads, you’re sure to stay on track. Just be cautious of the many sauces and fried food items.
THIS PLACE IS KNOWN FOR
3 QUICK TIPS FOR EATING HEALTHI AT OLIVE GARDEN
- Stick with the lunch size portions
- Opt for angel hair pasta and their original Marinara
- Add shrimp or the grilled chicken breast for good protein
FRIENDLY MENU ITEM’S AT OLIVE GARDEN
MAIN COURSE
Of course, Olive Garden is famous for their pasta dishes. We know pasta can be high in calories and carbs, but nothing says you can’t have some from time to time!
You may want to avoid the heavier sauces like Alfredo and mushroom sauce, but their original marinara is a delicious lighter option. You can also choose the angel hair pasta for a little less calories. A great tip is to look at their lunch sized portions (unless you love leftovers- get the dinner portion and take half home).
Let’s start with the lunch-sized favorites menu. It’s a great place to order from! The Shrimp Scampi is a delicious choice with shrimp sautéed in a garlic sauce, asparagus, tomatoes, and angel hair pasta.
If you’re in the mood for ravioli, try ordering the cheese ravioli with marinara for 440 calories, or for 60 calories more you can choose the meat sauce with it.
Maybe you’d like pasta and soup. You could order the lunch sized portion of spaghetti and marinara (290 calories) with some Zuppa Toscana or Chicken Gnocchi soup.
You could also create your own lunch size portion. For example, start with angel hair pasta, then add marinara sauce. You could then choose to add grilled chicken on top. All that for 630 calories!
Let’s not forget about the soups and salad! The Minestrone (110 calories) and Pasta Fagioli (150 calories) soups are the lightest options, and oh so good! The Chicken & Gnocchi (230 calories) and Zuppa Toscana (220 calories) are a little higher, but still a delicious choice. Choose your favorite soup and then you can order the salad without dressing for 70 calories per serving. Ask for the Low-Fat Italian Dressing for only 30 calories more.
SIDES
There are only a couple side options here, but still great choices!
