Olive Garden is a popular Italian-American restaurant franchise. It is owned by Darden Restaurants and was founded in 1982. With locations throughout the United States, Olive Garden restaurants serve appetizers, pasta, pizza and desserts to diners in a casual family dining setting. Olive Garden restaurants are decorated in the style of an Italian farmhouse in Tuscany.
Alfredo Sauce Ingredients
Alfredo sauce is commonly used in pasta dishes or as a dipping sauce for appetizer dishes at the Olive Garden. It's a classic Italian-American white sauce, made with high-fat, calorie-dense ingredients such as milk, heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese, egg yolk, salt and pepper. Many people love the creamy taste and flavor.
Appetizers: Nutritional Information
On the appetizer menu, the Alfredo Dipping Sauce has 380 calories, 35 g of total fat, 22 g of saturated fat, 510 mg of sodium, 9 g of carbohydrates and 1 g of fiber.
The Chicken Alfredo pizza uses Alfredo sauce instead of tomato sauce as the base. This pizza contains 1,180 calories, 40 g of total fat, 17 g of saturated fat, 3,333 mg of sodium, 144 g of carbs and 11 g of fiber.
Entrees: Nutritional Information
The Never Ending Pasta Bowl has 610 calories, 56 g of total fat, 35 g of saturated fat, 820 mg of sodium, 14 g of carbs and 2 g of fiber.
The lunch portion of Fettuccine Alfredo has 800 calories, 48 g of total fat, 30 g of saturated fat, 810 mg of sodium, 69 g of carbs and 4 g of fiber. The dinner portion of the Fettuccine Alfredo entree contains 1,220 calories, 75 g of total fat, 47 g of saturated fat, 1,350 mg of sodium, 99 g of carbs and 5 g of fiber.
Substitutes for Alfredo Sauce
To lower your intake of calories, fat and carbohydrates, substitute the Alfredo sauce with a lighter sauce, such as the tomato-based marinara sauce. Try the Linguine alla Marinara or Capellini Pomodoro. Both dishes are Garden Fare items, which are designed to be lower in fat and calories.
Ordering Options
If you still want to order Alfredo sauce, use several methods to reduce portion size and overall daily calorie intake. If you order appetizers or a large entree, split it with friends. For pasta dishes, ask if you can order the lunch portion during dinner. Request that the server box up half of an entree to take home to eat the next day.
Order a side salad with a light dressing to add more vegetables and to balance out the meal. Avoid adding extra grated Parmesan to dishes made with Alfredo sauce, since this white sauce already contains two types of cheese.
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