Olive Garden Side Dishes Ranked Worst To Best
Sides are an interesting concept at Olive Garden. Some of them are so beloved that they are served in unlimited quantities, allowing them to easily amount to a full meal. And then there are the free breadsticks, which have a cult following so massive that you may begin to question who is actually there for the pasta. However, there are plenty of less popular, non-unlimited side dishes on Olive Garden's menu that may be getting overlooked. So how do all of Olive Garden's side dishes — both obscure and popular alike — fare when you pit them against one another?
That's exactly what we hoped to discover when we took up the task of ranking all of Olive Garden's sides from worst to best. These dishes are ranked on flavor, according to the preference of the author. With that in mind, this ranking doesn't say anything about your personal taste if you don't find your favorites in the winner's circle. All of Olive Garden's sides are pretty delicious, so you can't go wrong with any of its side dishes — even the ones on the kids' menu.
12. French fries
To the benefit of picky eaters of all ages, Olive Garden offers french fries as a side by way of the kids' menu. They typically come as a side option for the kids' pizza, but we found out you can get a side order to go with adult dishes as well. Unfortunately, Olive Garden's french fries miss the mark in terms of flavor and texture. When we tested these fries, they were not quite crispy enough to deliver that perfect crackle. That's not to say that they were soggy either, but if you want a nice crispy fry, you may have to order them to preference. Don't worry, though. When you're there, you're family.
The fries come with ketchup and have a nice coarse grind of salt on top. And the portion size is decent. But in the end, there are simply better options for the diner with a refined palate. Next time, we're leaving this one on the kids' menu.
11. Side of broccoli
Yes, you can order a side of broccoli at Olive Garden. No, we don't blame you if you didn't already know that. Broccoli doesn't go particularly well with much of Olive Garden's menu (outside of maybe fettucine Alfredo). Still, this broccoli side is a fairly tasty way to add vitamins, minerals, and fiber to an otherwise indulgent Italian feast.
Olive Garden serves its broccoli steamed, lightly salted, and complemented with a bit of garlic and Parmesan cheese. All of the florets are sized to be eaten in one or two bites, and the portion is reasonably sized. The fact that this dish doesn't come close to the salt level of other dishes makes us think that this exists to appease health-conscious diners. Although we'd happily eat broccoli cooked at Olive Garden again if the desire arose, this dish scores lower than most simply because it is blandly seasoned and, therefore, a little boring to eat by itself.
10. Side of meatballs
Speaking of foods that feel a little odd to eat by themselves, Olive Garden's side of meatballs feels a little bit plain. These three large meatballs are the same kind you would get from the spaghetti and meatballs entrée, minus any noodles or sauce. The texture of the meat is more of a purée than grind, making it uniformly soft and easy to eat with a fork and knife. The natural savory notes of the beef stand out through the light seasoning, but these baked hunks of meat are begging to be eaten with some sauce.
As good as they are, we would much rather order these as an add-on to a sufficiently saucy main dish than order these as a discrete side dish. Even if you eventually dump them over some pasta, you'll negatively affect the sauce-to-protein-to-noodle ratio. And we wouldn't recommend eating them by themselves either. They are far from bite size, and chomping into a huge ball of plain meat just isn't as appealing as ordering the meatballs parmigiana appetizer or simply eating another breadstick.
9. Side of grilled chicken
Of all the dedicated side dishes that Olive Garden offers, its grilled chicken is easily the most flavorful. This side portion is roughly the same amount that Olive Garden adds to its chicken Alfredo, one of its classic entrées. And if you've had that dish, then you know how well the crispy, well-seasoned chicken brings everything together.
As it turns out, Olive Garden's grilled chicken is good enough to eat on its own as a side too. It is well-seasoned with a blend of Italian herbs, which has a more robust spice than the meatballs have. Each chicken strip has a crispy, golden exterior that is almost like breading. The chicken is juicy when you cut into it, and it has a firm, yet yielding texture. The amount the restaurant gives you is decent for the price, too. Sure, it generally tastes better as an add-on to an existing pasta dish, but Olive Garden's grilled chicken is surprisingly satisfying on its own.
8. Chicken and gnocchi soup
Let us start by saying that none of the homemade (yes, they are made onsite) soups that Olive Garden offers as a side is bad. But not all soups are created equally, and the chicken and gnocchi soup is probably the weakest of the lot.
It is the only creamy soup in Olive Garden's lineup, and its core ingredients are roasted chicken, traditional Italian dumplings, and spinach. The bite-sized chicken pieces are tender and flavorful, the gnocchi is nice and pillowy, and the spinach adds a mild earthiness to the flavor profile. The soup has julienned carrots for no apparent reason, which is a recurring theme among Olive Garden soups. The biggest shortcoming of this soup, though, is that its broth doesn't feel creamy enough to get that true depth of flavor.
The chicken and gnocchi soup's broth doesn't feel thick enough to contrast against all of the delicious chunky soups on the menu. Or maybe it just felt that way after tasting all four back-to-back. It does have a nice, rich flavor, but the viscosity is weirdly close to that of the other soups without having the same hearty chunkiness. All this said, opinions tend to vary wildly on this issue. In fact, the chicken and gnocchi soup was the most popular soup at the restaurant based on a Mashed reader survey. To each their own.
7. Spaghetti with marinara
We find it appropriate that the spaghetti with marinara sits squarely in the middle when ranking all of the best side dishes at Olive Garden. As a longtime staple of the chain (and Italian-American restaurants at large), it is a fitting standard against which we can compare the quality of other Olive Garden offerings. But you may be wondering, does it count as a side?
The spaghetti with marinara is technically both a side and an entrée, as it can be served accompanying other mains like the chicken parmigiana and eggplant parmigiana or served in a large portion as a main course (pictured above). The dish's flavors are fairly simple by design, but they are still delicious enough to stand independently.
The most noticeable thing about Olive Garden's spaghetti with marinara is that the noodles are perfectly cooked. They have just the right amount of al dente firmness to be chewy and slurpable. You can definitely tell Olive Garden cooks have made this dish once or twice. The marinara sauce has strong, savory notes of tomato with herbaceous Italian seasonings. It has the right amount of chunkiness, too, such that it still easily coats a forkful of noodles. Still, the recipe is somewhat plain compared to some of the other side (and entrée) offerings. As delicious as Olive Garden's spaghetti with marinara is, there are still better options yet to cleanse your palate or fill your belly.
6. Pasta e fagioli soup
You may know the pasta e fagioli soup as one of Olive's Garden's most challenging menu items to pronounce (it's "fa-JOLE-ee" by the way), but you may also know it as a pretty solid soup offering. Its name translates to pasta and beans. Its core flavors are white and red beans, ground beef, fresh tomatoes, and tubetti pasta in a savory broth. And, like all food at Olive Garden, it is best served with a small mountain of shredded cheese on top.
Between the ingredients list and the beef broth base, pasta e fagioli brings the heartiness and robust flavors of homemade chili — only with Italian ingredients and seasoning. The rich and hearty tomato broth warms the soul, especially when Olive Garden has the air conditioning cranked up way too high. Don't worry. The soups are typically served steaming hot.
But while the flavors are generally well-balanced, you'll get way more beans and noodles per spoonful than ground beef or carrots. The meat is ground to mince, consequently taking the backseat in this dish. And once again, we have julienned carrots that just kind of feel out of place. Olive Garden, if you're listening, some nice carrot medallions would help this soup match the irresistibly chunky minestrone soup in the texture factor. As is, the pasta e fagioli soup is a respectably tasty side option, but there are still other soups we like better.
5. Minestrone soup
The minestrone soup is not only a delicious side option in general but also one of only two Olive Garden sides that are vegan by default. It is a chunky soup made with fresh vegetables, beans, and shell pasta in a light tomato broth. The flavor profile of the minestrone soup is comparable to that of the pasta e fagioli soup, but its chunkier texture gives it a slight edge in our rankings.
Each bite feels hearty and satisfying, with large pieces of onion, celery, green beans, and zucchini mixed throughout. Some other reviewers have actually criticized the minestrone soup for being too chunky, though, so whether or not this is a good thing is purely a matter of personal preference. Once again, the julienned carrots feel slightly out of place, but they still add flavor to the soup. The tomato base is the thinnest among Olive Garden's soup offerings, but the added seasonings make it feel just as rich as the creamy base of the chicken and gnocchi soup.
While this is a soup we will certainly order again, it still falls short of our personal favorite soup offering from Olive Garden: the zuppa Toscana.
4. Zuppa Toscana
One could make a compelling argument that any of Olive Garden's homemade soups are the best of the bunch, but in all likelihood, it's probably the zuppa Toscana. This soup, whose name translates to Tuscan soup, combines chunky pieces of spicy Italian sausage, fresh kale, and russet potatoes with a creamy broth to check all of the boxes when it comes to balance.
While its ingredients aren't quite as chunky as those of the minestrone soup, nor is its broth as creamy as the chicken and gnocchi soup, something magical happens in the middle ground. You get a great variety of textures from the tender sausage, soft kale, and pillowy potatoes. And the rich, creamy broth ties it all together. Some folks may be off-put by the mild spice of the Italian sausage or the heavy dairy content of the broth, but both only had us wanting more. But, as previously mentioned, all of Olive Garden's soups are fantastic, and ranking them is purely a matter of personal preference. That's why you'll find countless imitation recipes for each of these soups. Check out our copycat zuppa Toscana recipe to learn how to make this delicious soup at home.
3. Our Famous House Salad
Even with a name as ostentatious as Our Famous House Salad, a simple side salad probably doesn't sound very exciting on paper. But rest assured, Olive Garden's Famous House Salad is an absolutely delicious side dish that should not be skipped. One large salad comes complimentary with every entrée, or you can order bottomless amounts via the restaurant's unlimited soup and salad deal. And we wouldn't fault you for doing so.
Our Famous House Salad includes tomato, olives, onions, pepperoncini, and croutons served over a bed of garden greens with red cabbage and carrots. However, the real kicker with this dish is Olive Garden's signature Italian dressing. It brings a zesty and herbaceous flavor to the dish, making it just as craveable as some of the chain's less healthy options. The fact that Olive Garden has used the same dressing recipe for over 35 years is yet another testament to its quality. However, if you prefer, you can also opt for a low-fat version of the Italian dressing, or a simpler oil and vinegar dressing. No matter which option you go with, Our Famous House Salad from Olive Garden is undeniably delicious.
2. Fettucine Alfredo
Much like the spaghetti with marinara, Olive Garden's fettucine Alfredo also pulls double duty as a side dish and an entrée. You can order it by itself for a meal-sized portion (pictured above), but it also comes as a side portion when you order the 6-ounce sirloin. Unfortunately, there is no amount that Olive Garden can serve on one plate without us wanting more. Short of the fact that Olive Garden no longer offers its never-ending pasta deal, there is nothing to dislike about the fettucine Alfredo.
With this dish, Olive Garden once again proves that its cooks know how to prepare pasta to perfection. The fettuccine noodles are served perfectly al dente, with the just right amount of firmness. The Alfredo sauce transforms simple ingredients like Parmesan, cream, garlic, and butter into the perfect Italian comfort food. Considering that Olive Garden has an entire section of its menu dedicated to different Alfredo dishes, it is safe to assume that the recipe for its staple sauce is absolutely dialed in. And it certainly is. The sauce is rich and flavorful, with buttery warmth and a hint of dairy sweetness.
Considering that fettucine Alfredo is popular with picky eaters and gourmands alike, it would take an absolute behemoth of a menu item to keep it from earning the No. 1 slot among Olive Garden sides. And as it just so happens, one such juggernaut is still looming.
1. Breadsticks
No other Olive Garden side could possibly claim the top side slot other than the chain's iconic breadsticks, given their outrageous popularity and universal appeal. And it's not just because they are complimentary with every meal. It's because they are downright delicious.
These breadsticks are seasoned with a simple mix of garlic, salt, and a soy-based butter substitute. Surprisingly, this makes them as vegan-friendly as the minestrone soup. The copious amount of seasoning makes them delicious to eat by themselves or dipped into a soup or pasta sauce. If you want to elevate your breadsticks even further, you can pair them with one or two of Olive Garden's dipping sauces (which are served separately). These include a marinara dip, a homemade Alfredo dip, and a five-cheese marinara dip.
It might feel like a copout to give the crown up to bread with garlic and salt, but there can be no other winner. After all, no food item on the entire Olive Garden menu is quite as emblematic of the restaurant's culture. That's why it also topped our list of the best Olive Garden menu items outright. That steaming basket of breadsticks brought to you as you sit down is a contract of hospitality. It promises that even the most destitute diner won't leave hungry. It promises that. True to the chain's motto, you will be treated like family in this garden.
Methodology
In order for this critique of Olive Garden's side dishes to be as scientific as possible, it is important for us to add some additional details about what we consider a side dish and how exactly we evaluated them. If you go by Olive Garden's own menu categories, the restaurant chain only has three real non-kids' menu sides: meatballs, broccoli, and grilled chicken. However, for the sake of variety, we also decided to review all of Olive Garden's bottomless appetizers, the kids' menu french fries, and some of the pasta varieties that are served alongside certain entrée plates. Although any of these dishes could feasibly serve as an entrée themselves, we felt that they could also be categorized as sides.
As for our criteria for evaluation, we ranked these dishes primarily on taste and texture, with some consideration given to value and portion size. However, as previously stated, we also acknowledge that flavor comes down to personal preference, and that these rankings are ultimately filtered by the author's opinion.