Calories in Olive Garden Tour of Italy

When it comes to indulging in delicious, rich, and savory Italian dishes, Olive Garden is a popular go-to destination for many. One of their most popular dishes is the Tour of Italy, which is a combination of three classic dishes: lasagna, chicken parmesan, and fettuccine alfredo. But, for those who are watching their calorie intake, is the Tour of Italy a wise option? Let’s look at the nutrition summary to find out.

Nutrition Summary

A serving size of Olive Garden Tour of Italy is around 42 oz or 1190 grams. A single serving contains a total of 1,450 calories. This amount of calories can provide an average person with all the energy they need for a day, if not more. The dish is also rich in fats and carbs, each accounting for 108 grams and 101 grams, respectively. Protein content in the dish is moderate, at 87 grams per serving.

The Tour of Italy is rich in flavors and textures, making it a satisfying meal for those craving Italian food. The dish is also high in calories, which can be beneficial for individuals looking to gain weight. Additionally, the dish provides a good amount of protein, which is essential for building and repairing muscle tissue.

The most significant drawback of the Tour of Italy is its high calorie count, which can be detrimental to the health of individuals looking to lose weight or maintain their weight. Moreover, the dish is high in saturated fats, which can increase the risk of heart disease and other health issues. The dish’s high carb content can also make it difficult for individuals with diabetes to manage their blood sugar levels.

Additional info:

It is essential to note that the calorific value and nutritional content of Tour of Italy can vary depending on the preparation and serving sizes. Individuals with specific health conditions or dietary restrictions should consult a medical professional before consuming this dish.

Other common serving sizes:

Besides 1190 grams, Tour of Italy is also available in other serving sizes, including 1 oz, 100 grams, and 1 cup. These serving sizes have differing calorific values and nutritional content, making it crucial to check the information before consumption.

Some quick facts about Calories in Olive Garden Tour of Italy

Here are some fast facts about calories in Olive Garden Tour of Italy:

– The dish provides 47% of an average person’s daily calorie requirements. – The dish’s fat content accounts for 166% of the recommended daily intake. – Its carb content accounts for around 33% of the recommended daily intake.

Main Nutrition Facts

Tour of Italy contains the following nutrition facts:

Food Energy

A serving of Tour of Italy has 1,450 calories.

Fats & Fatty Acids

The dish contains 108 grams of fat, with 43.6 grams coming from saturated fat.

Carbohydrates

Tour of Italy has 101 grams of carbohydrates, with 13.1 grams coming from dietary fiber and 20.1 grams from sugar.

Protein & Amino Acids

This dish has 87 grams of protein and 2.8 grams of amino acids.

Tour of Italy contains several vitamins, including Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium, and Iron.

The dish contains several essential minerals like Sodium, Potassium, Magnesium, and Zinc.

Calorie Burn Time: swimming, jogging, cycling, walking

The calorie burn time for an individual depends on several factors such as gender, weight, age, and level of activity. Here’s an estimated calorie burn time for a person weighing around 150 lbs engaging in these activities:

– Swimming – around 510-762 calories per hour. – Jogging – around 450-680 calories per hour. – Cycling – around 300-508 calories per hour. – Walking – around 240-290 calories per hour.

Here are some frequently asked questions related to the calories in Olive Garden Tour of Italy:

1. Is Tour of Italy suitable for individuals on a weight loss diet?

No, Tour of Italy is not suitable for individuals on a weight loss diet. A single serving of this dish contains more than the daily calorie intake of an average person, making it unsuitable for weight loss programs.

2. Is Tour of Italy suitable for an individual with diabetes?

No, Tour of Italy is not recommended for individuals with diabetes. The dish’s high carb content can cause a spike in blood sugar levels, making it unsuitable for consumption for diabetic individuals.

3. Is it healthy to consume Tour of Italy regularly?

No, it is not healthy to consume Tour of Italy regularly. The dish is high in calories, fats, and carbs, making it unsuitable for regular consumption.

4. Can Tour of Italy be a good choice for individuals looking to gain weight?

Yes, Tour of Italy can be a good choice for individuals looking to gain weight. The dish is high in calories, making it an excellent option for people who want to increase their calorie intake and gain weight.

5. Is there any way to make Tour of Italy healthier?

Yes, some tweaks can make Tour of Italy healthier. You can replace its high-carb pasta with a lower calorie option like zucchini noodles, reduce the serving size, and skip the cheese or add a healthier cheese option like feta cheese.

6. Can vegan or vegetarian options be prepared with Tour of Italy?

Yes, vegan or vegetarian options can be made with Tour of Italy. You can replace meat with plant-based meat options and cheese with vegan cheese.

7. How can I check the nutritional information of Tour of Italy?

The nutritional information for Tour of Italy is available on Olive Garden’s official website.

8. Is Tour of Italy gluten-free?

No, Tour of Italy is not gluten-free as it contains pasta made from wheat flour.

9. Is Tour of Italy spicy?

No, Tour of Italy is not a spicy dish. However, the level of spiciness can vary depending on individual preference and the preparation style.

10. Can I customize the Tour of Italy dish as per my preference?

Yes, you can customize Tour of Italy as per your preference. Olive Garden provides customization options for the dish, allowing you to choose various sauces, seasonings, and ingredient options.

11. How long does it take to burn off the calories consumed from Tour of Italy?

The time taken to burn off the calories from Tour of Italy depends on several factors like weight, age, and level of activity. However, it can take around 2-3 hours of high impact exercise to burn off the calories consumed from this dish.

12. What are some healthier options available on the Olive Garden menu?

If you are looking for healthier options on the Olive Garden menu, you can try out dishes like Herb-Grilled Salmon, Shrimp and Asparagus Risotto, Chicken Margherita, or Zoodles Primavera. These dishes are relatively low in calories, fats, and carbs and provide a good amount of protein, fiber, and other essential nutrients.

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About Mary J. Shepard

Mary is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute and has worked as a professional chef in numerous kitchens in Brooklyn and Manhatten. She has a hectic work life, so doesn't get as much time to write and share her thoughts on recipes and cooking in general as she would like. But when she does, they are always well worth a read. Even though she is a pro, she loves Sundays, when she can stare into her fridge at home and try and concoct something interesting from the week's leftovers. She lives in New York with her hamster, Gerald.

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How many calories in Olive Garden Tour of Italy

1520 calories.

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How long would it take to burn off 1520 Calories of Olive Garden Tour of Italy?

127 minutes

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423 minutes

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Olive Garden Tour of Italy

Nutrition summary.

There are 1520 calories in a 1 serving serving of Olive Garden Tour of Italy. Calorie breakdown: 56.4% fat, 24.0% carbs, 19.6% protein.

Calorie Burn Time

How long would it take to burn off 1520 calories of Olive Garden Tour of Italy ?

129 minutes

175 minutes

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424 minutes

Calorie Breakdown

Please note that the variety of menu may vary depending on your Olive Garden location .

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Recipe for Olive Garden's Tour of Italy

Currently there is no recipe available for Olive Garden Tour of Italy, however here are some other copycat recipes you might be interested in:

  • Jack In The Box Pina Colada Smoothie Recipe
  • Jack In The Box Chipotle Chicken Club Sandwich Recipe
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Olive Garden Deals & Coupons

You may also check if there are any coupons and deals available to save on this and many other Olive Garden menu items.

Nutrition Facts

Shady Things About Olive Garden's Menu

olive garden meal spread

Olive Garden is one of Americans' favorite places to eat out, whether it's for a weekday dinner, casual lunch, or special occasion. Evoking homestyle favorites and a generalized Italian sensibility in serving up pasta dishes, fried appetizers, and decadent desserts, it ranks with the likes of Red Lobster and The Cheesecake Factory as one of the most popular and indulgent restaurants found in hundreds of cities across the United States. ( Texas in particular is home to the most Olive Gardens in the country.)

But alongside the simmering red sauce, flavorful meatballs, and baskets of warm and buttery breadsticks, Olive Garden's kitchens offer some uncomfortable truths and unpalatable secrets. To serve hundreds of customers a day as quickly, efficiently, and consistently as possible, the chain has to run like a well-oiled machine. Numerous corporate-ordered procedures are in place to make Olive Garden both pleasant and popular. Many of these standard operating procedures disappoint those who think Olive Garden is a unique eatery, or are expecting a scratch-made meal like they'd find in a quaint kitchen in an idealized Italy. Here are the most discomfiting and shady things about Olive Garden's legendary food, including the famous breadsticks and salads.

Olive Garden doesn't salt its pasta water

In 2016, investment group Starboard Value LP seized control of Darden Restaurants, the parent company of Olive Garden. To improve the quality of Olive Garden's products and increase profitability, Starboard Value's financial experts recommended the restaurant's kitchens chain-wide should institute an easy, inexpensive, and traditional preparation tip to make its staple menu item, pasta, taste better: add salt to the water at the beginning of the cooking process . Olive Garden, which purports to offer customers a homemade-style dining experience, never did this before the Starboard Value takeover. 

It didn't adopt the procedure afterward either. Salt can rust and corrode kitchen equipment over time and cause pitting, so internal research at Olive Garden suggested that using salt in its pricey pots and pans would void the warranties on the gear. The board of directors decided that Olive Garden's final, composed dishes tasted fine enough without adding salt.

But you'll still get plenty of salt at Olive Garden

Chain restaurant food (particularly, abundant portions like Olive Garden serves) is widely understood to be less than healthy and rife with fat, calories, and sodium. Olive Garden is especially guilty of including too much of the latter across its sprawling menu; the food is unequivocally loaded with salt. Several popular favorites at the chain contain more sodium than the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends a person should consume over an entire day. 

The USDA's official guideline on sodium intake is to limit consumption to under 2,300 milligrams per day. Olive Garden dinner menu items like the Chicken Parmigiana (3,300 milligrams), Tour of Italy (3,220 milligrams), Chicken Marsala Fettuccine (2,580 milligrams), and the Chicken Tortelloni Alfredo (3,720 milligrams), one of the unhealthiest chain restaurant chicken dishes of all , all exceed the USDA's figure. Some appetizers, intended to be just part of the larger meal experience, provide more than enough sodium for a day, like the Meatballs Parmigiana (2,800 milligrams) and the Spinach-Artichoke Dip with Flatbread Crisps (2,440 milligrams). The single saltiest dish on offer at Olive Garden is the Shrimp Fritto Misto appetizer, packing in two whole days' worth of sodium with 5,010 milligrams.

The many secrets of Olive Garden breadsticks

Olive Garden's breadsticks are delicious , widely beloved, and easily the chain's most famous contribution to American cuisine (the free refills with your meal don't hurt either). They may taste magical and go great with reliable, restaurant-made Italian-American fare, but they're also extremely simple to make. (There are even some legitimate copycat Olive Garden breadstick recipes .) It's just white bread dough, shaped into a cigar and brushed with a garlic butter sauce that consists mostly of margarine and garlic salt. Olive Garden doesn't actually make its most notable concoction in-house, partnering with commercial bakeries located near its restaurants to prepare and partially bake all those breadsticks. The semi-cooked breadsticks arrive at each Olive Garden daily, where the staff heats them just before serving.

As for their unlimited nature and to ensure that each restaurant doesn't run out of its supply or have to throw out any uneaten ones (and contribute to costly food waste), they're distributed in a particular way. After diners order their entrees — and not before, to prevent customers from eating bread and leaving — they're given a basket containing the same number of breadsticks as there are people in their party, plus one extra.

It's not always authentically Italian

Olive Garden proclaims itself to be an Italian restaurant, but its food is definitely more of the Americanized or Italian-inspired variety. Popular picks like Chicken Parmigiana, Fettuccine Alfredo, and Spaghetti and Meat Sauce aren't painstakingly authentic, but Olive Garden doesn't purport them as such. In the 2010s, the restaurant chain attempted to position itself as the real deal with the introduction of several new menu items with Italian-sounding names marketed as obscure, gourmet, Italian dishes. (Which is to say nothing of its briefly available Loaded Pasta Chips, an Italian-style take on nachos, built with a base of chips made from fried lasagna sheets.) 

Olive Garden pushed Soffatelli and Pastachetti most of all. The Soffatelli was a series of entrees consisting of a puff pastry shell loaded with a blend of cheese and herbs and topped with chicken and a creamy garlic sauce or braised beef in a balsamic sauce. The Pastachetti was an elaborate, multi-layered take on lasagna. Neither concoction came from Italy anyway — both were invented in Olive Garden kitchens and given names to sound Italian that were ultimately meaningless.

The pasta is made ahead of time

The pasta and noodles that form the foundation of most entrees at Olive Garden may arrive at diners' tables hot and steaming, but that doesn't mean they're fresh. Chances are, the pasta was cooked many hours before. The average Olive Garden handles so many customers every day that food prep occurs on a massive scale. It would take too much time and kitchen space to boil water for each of the countless pasta orders. Instead, the staff pre-cooks all the pasta for the day first thing in the morning. It's then placed in an ice bath and transferred into portioned bags (for special pasta types) or a massive vat (for high-volume noodles like fettuccine and spaghetti). 

When a customer orders their dish, the staff gets to work reheating the pasta. Pots of water are kept boiling all the time at Olive Garden, and cooks can just throw a measured portion of pre-made pasta into the water, getting it ready for serving in just a couple of minutes or less. Then it's strained, plated, and topped with the appropriate sauce.

Some of the food gets microwaved

The average Olive Garden has to serve a restaurant full of customers through lunch and dinner hours, and it needs to utilize time-saving measures to ensure diners aren't kept waiting unreasonably long for their meals. Every Olive Garden kitchen is equipped with at least three microwaves that can heat or cook most foods in a much shorter time than an oven or range top. That's not quite providing a top-level restaurant experience, or one that will make food taste the best it can, but it's a process Olive Garden uses for several of its offerings.

The chain uses the microwave to speed up the cooking times for potato items, hot vegetables (most notably broccoli), as well as for some sauces and meat portions. A former employee made a TikTok video (via Newsweek ) and compared the Olive Garden meal preparation process to "a Hamburger Helper Italian kind of thing," with convenience and shortcuts driving many kitchen procedures. 

Despite depending on multiple microwaves in its restaurants, Olive Garden attests that many of its menu items are freshly prepared the same day on the premises, notably the variety of soups and pasta sauces. The meat used in various entrees arrives frozen at each restaurant and is cooked on the premises as needed.

The salad is carefully managed

Just as the complimentary breadsticks at Olive Garden are unlimited, within reason and subject to a strict set of rules, the also free-not-totally-free pre-meal salad is also doled out with parameters secretly coming into play. While it may appear without fail that a server plops down that giant bowl of salad (a romaine mix with a smattering of red onions, croutons, black olives, pepperoncini, and tomatoes slathered in tangy Italian dressing), it's all been measured and assembled based on the number of people in the dining party. 

Olive Garden is stingy with the more expensive ingredients, namely olives, tomatoes, and peppers. The more people sitting at one table, the more croutons and specialty vegetables and toppings they'll get in their salad. They can certainly order as many more bowls as they want — it's unlimited, after all — but the exact permutation of salad ingredients will likely always be the same.

Customers don't even have to go to Olive Garden and buy an entree to gain access to that salad. The one-of-a-kind Italian-style dressing is sold in grocery stores. The recipe has remained unchanged for decades, and what's sold in stores is the same stuff used in the restaurants.

Olive Garden is lying about Parmesan

Olive Garden operates under an all-you-can-handle Parmesan cheese policy. Servers wielding white plastic shredders will grind down a hunk to provide customers with as little or as much salty, tangy garnish as they want. While that remains one of the most generous and tasty practices at Olive Garden, it's something of a lie — diners don't really get unlimited Parmesan cheese because that cheese isn't actually Parmesan. 

Across the chain for table-side purposes, Olive Garden uses Lotito Romano, an Italian cheese with a taste and texture similar to Parmesan. What's the most important difference, as far as Olive Garden is concerned? The Romano variant is much cheaper than Parmesan (especially  the authentic stuff which is different from the American version).  The Lotito Romano cheese does the trick and only someone with a hyper-attuned palate for cheese will notice. Nonetheless, it's a dishonest cost-cutting measure. Similarly, the Chicken Parmigiana entree recipe doesn't employ Parmesan at all — it's made with American-style mozzarella.

The fettuccine Alfredo is not as fresh as you think

As a signature menu item, Olive Garden's Fettuccine Alfredo is a crowd-pleaser. Consisting almost entirely of thick noodles, a creamy and cheesy sauce, and grilled chicken on top for an extra charge, it's an extremely simple dish. It's even more basic and easy to prepare than Olive Garden customers would think. It takes less than a minute to make, according to Olive Garden kitchen workers, making it an even faster dish than most fast food — but at a significantly higher cost than a burger combo.

The entree begins with pasta, and since Olive Garden cooks all of its most-used noodles in advance in large batches, all a cook has to do to get the fettuccine ready is pull it out of a holding vessel and give the right portion a quick bath in boiling water to bring it up to a warm serving temperature. Then it's topped with pre-cooked Alfredo sauce, kept constantly available because Olive Garden sells so many meals that use the stuff. The total amount of time required to make Olive Garden Fettuccine Alfredo is about 20 seconds. Servers often wait to put in orders to the kitchen on that item to give cooks a head start on prepping other dishes ordered by the table and ensure everything is ready at the same time.

Olive Garden quietly makes use of many secret ingredients

Italian food, particularly the kind of Italian-suggesting fare served at Olive Garden, is very reliant on flavorful sauces. Some of the ways the restaurant company's kitchens have devised those sauces aren't necessarily gross, just a bit mundane and a little surprising. Across its menu, Olive Garden offers four sauces, but most options are built around a marinara or Alfredo base. And then there's the proprietary five-cheese blend. If it seems like the latter is part red sauce and part cream sauce, that's because it is — it's just the chain's two chief sauces mixed together to create something seemingly new.

Then there are Olive Garden's meatballs, which feature in the Meatballs Parmigiana appetizer and can be added to most pasta entrees. Despite the strong taste of pork, none of the meatball-based menu items contain it. Olive Garden's menu mentions that its meat sauces contain Italian sausage, which is categorically made with pork. But Olive Garden's meatballs don't include it, instead utilizing the spices that create the Italian sausage flavor profile while omitting the pork. A mixture of Italian seasonings, mostly marjoram, sage, and thyme, provide the familiar taste.

The gluten-free pasta isn't necessarily gluten-free

Many people avoid gluten in their diets for a variety of reasons. As pasta is primarily made with wheat flour, there aren't a lot of gluten-excluding choices on the menu at the pasta-forward Olive Garden, but the chain makes its nutritional information available with a Q&A and warnings for its customers on a "Gluten Sensitive Diet." 

While confirming that its gluten-free pasta option is made from brown rice flour and, with another nod to safety, cooked in different pots than its wheat-heavy pastas, the restaurant suggests that gluten-free customers proceed at their own risk. "The menu items we call 'gluten sensitive' are our menu items that are made without gluten-containing ingredients," the fine print reads . "We do not claim these items are 'gluten free' because we have not chemically analyzed them to confirm if they meet the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) definition of 'gluten free' (20 parts per million of gluten)."

Olive Garden is ambivalent about nut allergies

Olive Garden makes an allergen guide  available for customers , listing which menu items contain potentially problematic elements like dairy, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, and peanuts. Only one item at Olive Garden contains nuts of any kind — the Almond Biscotti, a small cookie given out with the specialty coffees on the dessert menu. Nevertheless, Olive Garden may still not be a safe place to dine for people with nut allergies.

In a letter sent to a customer and published on Allergy Eats , Olive Garden's customer service department admitted that it couldn't ever guarantee that its kitchens were free of nuts, while also absolving itself of responsibility. "Identifying allergens is a complex process for restaurants as there may be minuscule amounts of ingredients our vendors may not list," Olive Garden's representative wrote. "As you know peanuts have been hidden in pie crusts, gravies, chili, spaghetti, soups, and cheesecakes." Because it can't control and doesn't test everything that its vendors provide, Olive Garden doesn't proclaim itself to be entirely nut-free.

Olive Garden knowingly added a common allergen to the breadsticks

Until the end of 2022, Olive Garden's complimentary breadsticks didn't contain sesame. But to be compliant with the FASTER Act that went into effect on January 1, 2023, signed into law by President Joe Biden, the restaurant altered its breadstick recipe by adding sesame to the flour. One stipulation of the new allergen labeling law: Food manufacturers had to clearly inform customers if a product contained sesame. Rather than run the risk of sesame found in other menu items contaminating its breadsticks, or take the arduous steps necessary in its restaurants' kitchens to prevent that contamination, Olive Garden deliberately put sesame into the breadstick mix. That way, they could just label the breadsticks as definitely containing sesame to keep customers allergic to that ingredient away.

After diners noticed the recipe for one of its most popular items changed, and to skirt a complicated food allergen labeling law, Olive Garden changed flour suppliers. By the end of 2023, sesame-free breadsticks returned to Olive Garden, although the chain's allergen guide warns that cross-contamination could be possible at supplier facilities.

14 Discontinued Olive Garden Menu Items We Forgot All About

discontinued Olive Garden dishes

Olive Garden has served a lot of different dishes since the Italian-American eatery first opened its doors in 1982. Some of the restaurant's popular menu staples have survived over the long haul, like chicken fettuccine Alfredo , shrimp scampi, and, of course, unlimited salad and breadsticks. But other Olive Garden menu items haven't stood the test of time, with countless entrees and appetizers seeming to disappear as quickly and suddenly as they appeared — much to the dismay of their fans.

Now, it's actually possible to recreate select discontinued dishes at your nearest Olive Garden with customization requests from the kitchen. Then again, unless you were a die-hard fan of certain discontinued menu items, you might've forgotten many of them existed in the first place — until now. With that in mind, take a stroll down memory lane with us as we discuss 14 discontinued Olive Garden dishes you may have forgot all about.

Spicy Calabrian chicken breadstick sandwich

Olive Garden went through a bit of a mid-life crisis in the mid-2010s, when investors complained that the restaurant's oversized portions, unlimited salad and breadsticks promotion, and excessive leftovers were costing the chain money. As a result, it started testing new (and sometimes unusual) ideas to revitalize its brand and increase profits, including the now-discontinued spicy Calabrian chicken breadstick sandwich.

Using its popular breadsticks as a bun, the spicy Calabrian chicken breadstick sandwich — along with several other breadstick bun options, including a chicken parmigiana breadstick sandwich – was part of a push to bring more customers through the door. The breadstick bun was virtually identical to the regular breadsticks brought to your table at the start of each meal, only larger. The crispy chicken was tossed in a red Calabrian sauce made from spicy Calabrian chili paste, pesto, and butter, and topped with a sharp, earthy gorgonzola sauce (plus a side of parmesan garlic fries).

Olive Garden even sent a food truck on a U.S. tour offering free breadstick sandwich samples to promote them. However, for unknown reasons, the entire breadstick sandwich line was eventually discontinued. Some have speculated it was removed because Olive Garden chose to focus on more authentically Italian dishes — and the spicy Calabrian chicken sandwich clearly was not.

Spaghetti pie

The spaghetti pie was another Olive Garden experiment that appeared on the menu in 2016 around the same time as the breadstick sandwiches – though this one was at least plausibly authentic. Pasta frittata is a dish that allows you to  reinvent leftover pasta by assembling a pie  of cooked pasta, eggs, and (usually) cheese, after all, and the chain's spaghetti pie was essentially a take on that classic Italian meal.

Adding spaghetti pie to its menu in that spirit, Olive Garden also hoped to make use of any leftover cooked pasta in its kitchen. There were several spaghetti pie variations to choose from — including meatball deep dish and chicken Alfredo. Each started with spaghetti and seven kinds of cheese and was bound together with eggs, then baked until a golden brown crust was formed.

Now, Olive Garden may be able to whip up some discontinued dishes if they have the ingredients available (and the kitchen's not too busy). But while the essential elements for its spaghetti pie are likely on hand, preparing the dish is simply too time-consuming for the kitchen to handle — even on a slow day. Fortunately, the simplicity of the pasta frittata method means making this discontinued Olive Garden menu item at home is a piece of pie ... we mean, cake.

Garlic herb chicken con broccoli

Olive Garden's garlic herb chicken con broccoli featured sliced grilled chicken, tender broccoli, and a special garlic Alfredo sauce. However, the real star of the show was the orecchiette, or a shell-like pasta that somewhat resembles little ears. The recipe was similar to orecchiette alla Pugliese, a traditional dish made with broccoli rabe, garlic, and sausage.

Though it was a relatively straightforward plate, fans of this pasta dish still felt its void when the restaurant removed it from the menu. The chain has introduced variations of the garlic herb chicken con broccoli since that time — including a chicken con broccoli pot pie — but these menu items were short-lived, as well.

Since the orecchiette pasta isn't available as of May 2024, you'll have to settle for a rough approximation of this discontinued dish if you're hoping to replicate it at your local Olive Garden. The chicken Alfredo with added broccoli is pretty close, but it lacks both the pasta and more intense flavor of the special garlic Alfredo that drenched the original dish. In other words, this modification likely won't be the same for many fans.

Steak gorgonzola Alfredo

Fettuccine Alfredo is a staple on the Olive Garden menu and is available with shrimp, chicken, or on its own. However, one variation that came and went left those who got to try it wanting more: the steak gorgonzola Alfredo. This unique twist on the classic dish brought wonderfully complementary flavors to the rich, creamy decadence of fettuccine Alfredo.

It began with a bed of fettuccine ribbons smothered in Olive Garden's homemade Alfredo sauce. Then, things took a turn as earthy gorgonzola cheese enhanced the steak  and turned up the volume of the sauce, adding an unexpected bite to its smooth butteriness. Tender grilled steak capped off the dish, drizzled in a tangy balsamic glaze that paired delightfully with the gorgonzola. The combination of flavors made the steak gorgonzola Alfredo a clear favorite dish for many, but that didn't stop Olive Garden from removing it from the menu.

Olive Garden continues to offer a sirloin steak with fettuccine Alfredo option as of May 2024. But it will never be quite the same without the contrast of the balsamic glaze and gorgonzola cheese used on this discontinued menu item.

Ravioli di portobello

Ravioli is about as traditional as it gets when it comes to Italian cuisine, so it makes sense that it's a mainstay of the Olive Garden menu. There are a variety of different ravioli flavor and sauce options offered by the chain, including a ravioli carbonara variation with bacon, as well as a now-discontinued ravioli di portobello dish that many guests absolutely loved.

The recipe featured round ravioli pasta stuffed with a portobello mushroom filling and topped with a smoked cheese sauce made with sundried tomatoes. The tangy tomatoes nicely complemented the earthy mushrooms and cheese, resulting in an unforgettable flavor profile that delighted diners — until it was erased from the menu and replaced with a similar creamy mushroom ravioli dish.

Unfortunately, this new dish came with Alfredo sauce instead of the cheese and sundried tomatoes, and simply wasn't the same. Home cooks can attempt to recreate the original ravioli di portobello at home using copycat recipes available online if they're so inclined, though many claim those miss the mark, too.

Stuffed chicken Marsala

Chicken marsala is a classic dish that, legend has it, was born from a fusion of French and Italian cuisine in Sicily. The traditional recipe features a sauce made from butter, mushrooms, and the caramelized flavors of Marsala wine . But Olive Garden upgraded it by stuffing the chicken breast with cheese and sundried tomatoes and serving it with smooth mashed potatoes (because adding sundried tomatoes to anything at Olive Garden makes it a hit, it seems).

Unfortunately, like many other fan-favorite Olive Garden dishes, the stuffed chicken marsala disappeared from the menu without any real explanation. You can still order a standard chicken marsala with pasta from the chain, which is more in line with the traditional recipe. But since you can't get the chicken breast stuffed with cheese and tomatoes, nor the mashed potatoes, the result is ... not even remotely the same, to be totally honest.

Shrimp scampi fritta

Olive Garden often takes Italian favorites and adds a modern twist, and the shrimp scampi fritta appetizers was a perfect example of that. These two dishes — classic and spicy — were like what would happen if shrimp scampi and boneless Buffalo wings had a baby. All the flavors of the original shrimp scampi, minus the pasta, were found in these battered, deep-fried shrimp. The result was a shareable snack with a satisfying crunch that you could order by itself or on top of a salad.

Despite being tasty, the shrimp scampi fritta appetizers were discontinued at some point and replaced with the shrimp fritto misto. The newer option also features breaded and fried shrimp along with onions and bell peppers. Yet unlike the classic shrimp scampi fritta, the shrimp fritto misto isn't tossed in a garlic white wine sauce, but served with dipping sauces on the side.

Now, in theory, you could roughly recreate this dish at Olive Garden by ordering the shrimp fritto misto and asking for a side of scampi sauce. Then again, if you don't want to assemble a dish at the restaurant, you can also make a variation of this discontinued Olive Garden menu item at home. You could even skip a few steps by using your favorite frozen popcorn shrimp, or try our  spicy shrimp scampi recipe .

Venetian apricot chicken

Olive Garden's entrees are known for being rich and heavy, but occasionally, the restaurant adds a selection of lighter options. The Venetian apricot chicken was one of the dishes born from the chain's then-new "Lighter Italian Fare" menu in 2012. It featured grilled chicken breast, a sweet apricot sauce, and sauteed asparagus, broccoli, and tomatoes for a satisfying meal that didn't leave diners feeling weighed down.

Unfortunately, since this item was always intended to be a limited-time offering, the Venetian apricot chicken left the menu after the end of its promotional period. Additionally, there's nothing even remotely similar to this dish on the chain's menu, so there's no real way to duplicate it in-house.

Of course, if you're craving the dish and willing to make the effort to prepare it at home, the recipe is actually quite simple. To make the apricot sauce, combine chicken broth and apricot preserves in a saucepan, season with salt and pepper to taste, then bring to a boil. For the veggies, saute diced tomatoes with blanched asparagus and broccoli florets, seasoning the vegetables with garlic pepper and Italian seasoning. Serve this with grilled chicken breast topped with sweet apricot sauce, and you'll never again forget this discontinued Olive Garden item.

Smoked mozzarella fonduta

The smoked mozzarella fonduta was a simple dish — but a delicious one, nonetheless. The appetizer featured a blend of four cheeses (provolone, parmesan, romano, and smoked mozzarella) baked until golden brown and bubbly. It arrived at your table piping hot in one of the restaurant's signature white serving dishes alongside crunchy round crostini pieces that were perfect for scooping up the cheesy goodness.

For unclear reasons, though, the smoked mozzarella fonduta is no longer on the Olive Garden menu, as it was discontinued at some point after its introduction. The odds of getting it prepared in-house are pretty slim, as well, since there's nothing else that resembles this discontinued dish. Given the four cheeses used in the recipe are almost certainly on hand in the kitchen, you could always ask them to make it. But if they tell you no, you can always go home and broil up cheeses yourself — perhaps with an order of Olive Garden bake-at-home breadsticks to scoop up your homemade fonduta.

Sausage and peppers rustica

Olive Garden's sausage and peppers rustica was, at its core, a basic pasta and marinara dish. But the recipe built on that simple formula by adding sliced Italian sausage, red and green bell peppers, and mozzarella cheese. The spiciness of the sausage was a perfect contrast to the coolness of the mozzarella, and the dish as a whole had a bright, fresh quality to it.

For some time, the sausage and peppers rustica was an option on Olive Garden's "2 for $25 Italian Dinner" promotion: a three-course meal for two with two entrees and an appetizer and dessert to share. Eventually, though, the sausage and peppers rustica was removed from the menu altogether.

Still, you may be able to recreate something similar to the dish by ordering a "create your own pasta" entree with rigatoni (not penne, but still tubular), marinara sauce, and adding two Italian sausages. To complete the order, ask for bell peppers (it's available as of May 2024 in the shrimp fritto misto) and mozzarella cheese. While it won't be an exact match to the original recipe, it's a pretty satisfying copycat, and one that won't ask too much from the kitchen staff to prepare.

Tuscan garlic chicken

Another popular menu item from the "2 for $25" promotion in 2013 was the Tuscan garlic chicken. This dish featured pan-seared chicken breast (not breaded) with fresh spinach and red bell peppers in a white wine garlic sauce served over al dente fettuccine pasta. The spinach, peppers, and white wine sauce made the dish bright and fragrant, and the tender chicken and firm pasta made it a delightfully satisfying entree.

Of course, like several of its fellow promotional comrades, the Tuscan garlic chicken was eventually discontinued and removed from the Olive Garden menu. Fortunately, lovers of this dish won't have to work too hard to duplicate it in the restaurant if they're craving this classic flavor as the chicken scampi is a very similar entree. It has sliced red onions and is served over a bed of angel hair pasta and white wine sauce rather than fettuccine, but it's a pretty close match to the original Tuscan garlic chicken overall.

Giant stuffed shells

For a couple short months in 2019, Olive Garden ran a "Giant Classics" promotion featuring comically oversized versions (and portions) of well-known, traditional Italian dishes. The massive meals included a baseball-sized meatball with spaghetti, a chicken parmigiana more than 11 inches long, and giant stuffed pasta shells.

The commercials for the giant stuffed shells had us drooling every time they aired. The plate came with five beautifully arranged pasta shells overfilled with a four-cheese blend, doused with not one but two sauces — Alfredo and marinara — and sprinkled with toasted breadcrumbs. This larger-than-life entree was available with or without shrimp, but even on its own, it was incredibly satisfying.

There are no giant shells on the Olive Garden anymore, meaning it's not available to current diners. But seeing how this dish was basically pasta stuffed with cheese, the cheese ravioli may be close enough to satisfy a craving for anyone who fondly remembers the giant stuffed shells.

Braised beef with tortelloni

In any online discussion about old Olive Garden menu items among die-hard fans, the braised beef with tortellini always seems to come up, and it's easy to see why. The recipe featured cheese-filled tortellini drenched with an original sauce made from equal parts Alfredo and marsala and topped with spoon-tender braised beef. The dish was rich and filling, with a delightfully down-home touch from the beef. It disappeared from the menu before briefly returning in 2014 — only to vanish again, sending fans of the dish on an emotional rollercoaster.

You can still special-order the pasta and sauce that formed the foundation of this guest favorite, as both sauces are still featured on the current menu. You could always ask for the cheese tortellini entree with Alfredo sauce and a side of marsala, then mix it up at the table. However, since there's no braised beef anymore, an exact match isn't possible in-house, so your best bet may be to  make your own braised beef  at home when craving this discontinued entree.

Chicken giardino

A lower calorie option that came and went as part of the limited-time "Taste of the Mediterranean" menu in 2017, the chicken giardino was a bright dish that starkly contrasted with Olive Garden's more decadent entrees. It featured marinated chicken and a smorgasbord of fresh vegetables — asparagus, zucchini, yellow squash, red bell pepper, spinach, peas, carrots, and broccoli — sauteed to perfection and served over a bed of ruffly pappardelle pasta. Finally, the whole plate was topped with a silky lemon chicken herb sauce.

Though this dish could be described as summer on a plate, the chicken giardino is no longer available at Olive Garden locations. More than that, the signature sauce and pappardelle pasta aren't offered by the chain, either, so fans who remember this dish are out of luck when visiting.

There are, however, numerous copycat recipes out there for home chefs to try. It's fairly easy to prepare, as well, despite the long list of ingredients, so if you've never forgotten this entree? You can still enjoy it at home.

IMAGES

  1. Olive Garden: Tour of Italy from Look at the Insane Calorie Counts of

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  2. The Tour Of Italy At Olive Garden

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  3. Olive Garden

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  4. Olive Garden Create Your Own Tour of Italy TV Spot, 'Everything You

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  5. Every Pasta Dish at Olive Garden, Ranked by Nutrition

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  6. Tour of Italy provides robust meal at Olive Garden

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COMMENTS

  1. Tour of Italy

    Tour of Italy. 21.99. 1,550 cal. Three OG classics all on one plate! Chicken Parmigiana, Lasagna Classico** and our signature Fettuccine Alfredo - all with homemade sauces made fresh every morning. **Our meat sauce is made with pan-seared beef and Italian sausage. Choose Soup or Salad (Included With Your Entree) All Entrées Include 2 ...

  2. Olive Garden Tour of Italy Nutrition Facts

    A Olive Garden Tour of Italy contains 1520 calories, 96 grams of fat and 92 grams of carbohydrates. Keep reading to see the full nutrition facts and Weight Watchers points for a Tour of Italy from Olive Garden Italian Kitchen.

  3. Calories in Tour of Italy from Olive Garden

    Serving Size: serving. Amount Per Serving. Calories 1550. % Daily Value*. Total Fat 97g 124%. Saturated Fat 50g 250%. Trans Fat 1.5g. Cholesterol 325mg 108%.

  4. Calories in Olive Garden Tour of Italy

    A serving size of Olive Garden Tour of Italy is around 42 oz or 1190 grams. A single serving contains a total of 1,450 calories. This amount of calories can provide an average person with all the energy they need for a day, if not more. The dish is also rich in fats and carbs, each accounting for 108 grams and 101 grams, respectively.

  5. Tour of Italy

    Black Tie Mousse Cake (V) $9.49. 750 cal. Add. Sweet Pink Moscato Blend Confetti. $24.75. Add. Layers on layers, and more on one plate! Three OG classics including Chicken Parmigiana, Lasagna Classico and our signature Fettuccine Alfredo - all with homemade sauces made fresh every morning.

  6. Calories in Olive Garden Tour of Italy

    There are 1520 calories in 1 order of Olive Garden Tour of Italy. You'd need to walk 423 minutes to burn 1520 calories. Visit CalorieKing to see calorie count and nutrient data for all portion sizes.

  7. Nutrition Facts for Olive Garden Tour of Italy • MyFoodDiary®

    Burn 1520 Calories. 279.1 minutes Walking at 17 min/mile. 150-pound adult. No incline or extra weight carried. Top Olive Garden Items. Olive Garden Breadstick w/ Garlic. 1 breadstick. Log food. Olive Garden Salad w/ Signature Italian Dressing.

  8. Tour of Italy Nutrition Facts

    Tour of Italy Olive Garden. Main info: Tour of Italy Olive Garden 1 serving 1550 Calories 99 g 97 g 72 g 7.0 g 325 mg 50 g 3220.0 mg 12 g 1.5 g. Find on Amazon. ... Nutrition Facts; For a Serving Size of : How many calories are in Tour of Italy? Amount of calories in Tour of Italy: Calories: Calories from Fat (%) % Daily Value * How much fat is ...

  9. Classic Entrées

    Find calories, carbs, and nutritional contents for Classic Entrées - Tour of Italy and over 2,000,000 other foods at MyFitnessPal ... Community. Blog. Premium Olive Garden. Classic Entrées - Tour of Italy. Serving Size: 739 g (1 entrée) 1550. Cal. 27%. 99g. Carbs. 53%. 86g. Fat. 20%. 72g. Protein. Track macros, calories, and more with ...

  10. Calories in Olive Garden Tour of Italy

    Comprehensive nutrition resource for Olive Garden Tour of Italy. Learn about the number of calories and nutritional and diet information for Olive Garden Tour of Italy. This is part of our comprehensive database of 40,000 foods including foods from hundreds of popular restaurants and thousands of brands.

  11. Calories in Olive Garden Tour of Italy

    1550. Fat. 97g. Carbs. 99g. Protein. 72g. There are 1550 calories in 1 serving of Olive Garden Tour of Italy - Dinner Entrées. Calorie breakdown: 56% fat, 25% carbs, 18% protein.

  12. Calories in Olive Garden Tour of Italy and Nutrition Facts

    1450. Fat. 74g. Carbs. 97g. Protein. 100g. There are 1450 calories in 1 serving of Olive Garden Tour of Italy. Calorie breakdown: 46% fat, 27% carbs, 28% protein.

  13. Decoding the Tour of Italy Olive Garden Calories: A Delicious Trio with

    According to the Olive Garden website, the Tour of Italy has a staggering 1,490 calories per serving. That's about two-thirds of the daily recommended caloric intake for an average adult. To put it into perspective, that's the equivalent of consuming three McDonald's Quarter Pounder with Cheese burgers, or about 22 ounces of cola.

  14. Calories in Olive Garden Tour of Italy and Nutrition Facts

    There are 1500 calories in 1 serving of Olive Garden Tour of Italy. Get full nutrition facts for other Olive Garden products and all your other favorite brands. Register | Sign In. Canada. ... Olive Garden Tour of Italy. Nutrition Facts. Serving Size: 1 serving: Amount Per Serving. Calories. 1500 % Daily Values* Total Fat. 93.00g. 119% ...

  15. Olive Garden Tour Of Italy

    In a Tour Of Italy ( 1 Serving ) there are about 1450 calories out of which 666 calories come from fat. The total fat content of 1 Serving Tour Of Italy is 74 g. Within the fat content, a Tour Of Italy contains 33 g of saturated fat, 0 g of trans fat, 0 g of polyunsaturated fat and 0 g of monounsaturated fat. To reduce the risk of heart ...

  16. Nutrition

    At Olive Garden, while perfect plates of pasta are our specialty, we know healthy meal options are important for your family. We've committed to offering a variety of choices available every day while ensuring our smart dining options maintain the delicious flavor your family desires. You can learn more about the sustainability pledge that ...

  17. Calories in Olive Garden Northern Tour of Italy and Nutrition Facts

    1180. Fat. 76g. Carbs. 74g. Protein. 49g. There are 1180 calories in 1 serving of Olive Garden Northern Tour of Italy. Calorie breakdown: 58% fat, 25% carbs, 17% protein.

  18. Tour of Italy Nutrition Facts

    For a Serving Size of 1 Serving ( 100 g) How many calories are in Tour of Italy? Amount of calories in Tour of Italy: Calories 1450. Calories from Fat 666 ( 45.9 %) % Daily Value *. How much fat is in Tour of Italy? Amount of fat in Tour of Italy: Total Fat 74g.

  19. Olive Garden Tour of Italy

    There are 1520 calories in a 1 serving serving of Olive Garden Tour of Italy. Calorie breakdown: 56.4% fat, 24.0% carbs, 19.6% protein.

  20. Shady Things About Olive Garden's Menu

    The USDA's official guideline on sodium intake is to limit consumption to under 2,300 milligrams per day. Olive Garden dinner menu items like the Chicken Parmigiana (3,300 milligrams), Tour of Italy (3,220 milligrams), Chicken Marsala Fettuccine (2,580 milligrams), and the Chicken Tortelloni Alfredo (3,720 milligrams), one of the unhealthiest chain restaurant chicken dishes of all, all exceed ...

  21. Discontinued Olive Garden menu items that we forgot

    A lower calorie option that came and went as part of the limited-time "Taste of the Mediterranean" menu in 2017, the chicken giardino was a bright dish that starkly contrasted with Olive Garden's ...