Olive Garden Shrimp Scampi: What To Know Before Ordering

The shrimp scampi at Olive Garden is a "lighter take on a classic" Italian dish. The dish includes sautéed shrimp, asparagus, and tomatoes, tossed with angel hair pasta in a creamy garlic sauce.

This dish earned mixed reviews from customers, though professional food critics have enjoyed it. Cincinnati Enquirer critic Polly Campbell praised the dish's "good flavor," while critic Marilyn Hagerty said it was worth the visit.

Making this dish is quite simple. Give the shrimp a quick sauté in some butter first, and while cooking the angel hair pasta, sauté the garlic and red pepper flakes. Pour in wine and reduce to form the base of the sauce, add your asparagus, butter, and cream, and mix all the ingredients with the pasta.

The dish is among the more health-conscious options at the restaurant, with only 510 calories, 20 grams of fat (½ to ⅓ of the recommended daily intake), and 960 milligrams of sodium. It is also high in protein.

Debuting in January 2016, the scampi dish became the top-selling item on the restaurant's whole menu, tripling the sales that analysts predicted. This pushed the stock of their parent company — Darden Restaurants — to its highest price in years.