Most guests’ first impressions of Olive Garden are its unending breadsticks, substantial pasta meals, and welcoming atmosphere for families. Another crucial component of Olive Garden eating is commonly disregarded: soups.
It’s important to know which of the four Olive Garden soups is the best option, whether adding soup to your meal or going for the soup, salad, and breadstick combo.
Understanding the Soup Menu
At Olive Garden, you can choose from four different soups: Pasta e Fagioli, Minestrone, Zuppa Toscana, and Chicken & Gnocchi.
These soups offer a variety of flavors, from light and vegan options to heartier meat and potato combinations. Let’s look at each soup’s appearance, taste, texture, and price to see which one is the best value.
Breaking Down the Best Olive Garden Soups
The Vegetarian-Friendly Version of Minestrone
Facts about Nutrition (Each Serving):
- 110 calories
- One gram of fat
- 810 milligrams of sodium
- 17 g of carbohydrates
- 9 g of protein
Olive Garden’s lightest soup is minestrone. It’s a vegan option with a light tomato broth and lots of fresh vegetables, beans & noodles.
Texture and Appearance: Packed with small pasta fragments, diced tomatoes, zucchini, and beans, the minestrone has a bright, colorful appearance.
But because of the transparent broth, the meal feels less like a robust soup and more like a vegetable stew. Olive Garden’s lightest soup is minestrone. It’s a vegan option with a light tomato broth and lots of fresh vegetables, beans & noodles.
Taste & Flavor: Although the thought of a light, vegetable-rich soup is appealing, the flavor could have been more impressive. The soup had a lovely flavor and was pretty watery. Sadly, the overdone veggies and mushy noodles didn’t enhance the experience much.
This soup could be your only option if you’re vegan, but the Olive Garden soup menu offers better options if dietary restrictions do not constrain you.
Gnocchi & Chicken: A Creamy Favorite
Facts about Nutrition (Each Serving):
- 230 calories
- 12 grams of fat
- 1,290 mg of sodium
- 22 g of carbohydrates
- 11 g of protein
Many people like Chicken & Gnocchi soup because it is thick and creamy. It has traditional ingredients like soft Italian dumplings and roasted chicken, making it a favorite comfort food.
Visual Appeal & Texture: This soup has the richest, thickest consistency. Its dotted carrots and spinach add a splash of color to the creamy white soup. The dish has just a few pieces of each, so the gnocchi and chicken portions might be more significant.
Taste and Flavor: Sadly, the soup lacked depth. It was more akin to a thick cream with a faint chicken flavor. But the gnocchi redeemed the dish, which has a pillowy, delicate texture that melts on your tongue.
Though it seemed thick, the soup fell short of providing the flavorful delight one would anticipate from a dish centered on Chicken. Although it’s hearty, its weak flavor won’t be as memorable as Olive Garden’s other soups.
Pasta e Fagioli: A Filling and Flavorful Choice
Facts about Nutrition (Each Serving):
- 150 calories
- 5 grams of fat
- 710 milligrams of sodium
- 16 g of carbohydrates
- 8 g of protein
Pasta e Fagioli is a filling Italian soup with ground beef, beans, tomatoes, and pasta that tastes like a full meal. The soup’s name translates to “pasta and beans,” and that’s precisely what it is: simple yet filling.
Look and Texture: The soup is nicely balanced between beans, vegetables, and noodles, and it has a heartiness evocative of chili. However, the texture is diminished by the ground beef’s fine grinding, which makes it nearly dissolve into the soup. Conversely, the noodles & beans provide a delicious bite.
Taste and taste: With a thick tomato foundation and delicious beef undertones, this soup tastes richer than minestrone or Chicken and gnocchi.
The pasta is perfectly cooked, and the beans offer a lovely layer of texture and protein. But the food would taste nicer with some more flavor. Adding a little red pepper flakes or parmesan cheese might make it taste even better.
Zuppa Toscana: Defending Champion
Facts about Nutrition (Each Serving):
- 220 calories
- 17 g of fat
- 790 mg of sodium
- 15 g of carbohydrates
- 7 g of protein
The Zuppa Toscana at Olive Garden is their best soup. It has kale, potatoes, and spicy Italian sausage in a creamy, light broth, balancing richness & freshness perfectly.
Appearance and Texture: The Zuppa Toscana has large potato chunks, sausage, and kale in a creamy soup. The different colors & textures make it look nice and well-matched. The spicy sausage adds a kick to the potatoes & is cooked just right.
Taste and Flavor: The Italian sausage makes this soup spicy and flavorful. The creamy broth goes well with the other ingredients. The kale adds a fresh taste to balance out the richness. Overall, this soup is the best choice at Olive Garden because it is delicious & satisfying.
Final Verdict:
Olive Garden offers a variety of soups, but the Zuppa Toscana is our top pick because it has the ideal blend of robust flavors, gratifying textures, and well-balanced richness. A great choice for a lighter meal is Pasta e Fagioli. It’s filling and tasty.
Though it might not have the depth of flavor you expect, minestrone is a light, healthful alternative for vegans. Regarding the Chicken and gnocchi, its excessively thick and mild broth lets the meal down overall, even though the gnocchi are delicious in and of themselves.
Be sure to limit yourself to the salad the next time you visit Olive Garden. Try the Zuppa Toscana; it quickly becomes your new favorite dish.