Olive Garden’s New Lighter Fare Menu (Review)

My family loves to eat out so when I got the chance to review Olive Garden’s new Lighter Fare Menu I said yes. To tell you the truth, I am often dragged out to eat against my will.  It seems that a satisfying meal with a reasonable amount of calories can be hard to find. The fun of dining out can be ruined by the realization that I have just eaten 1000 calories.

Olive Garden has several new menu items that are delicious and all of them are under 575 calories. The appetizing menu items include Venetian Apricot Chicken, Herb-Grilled Salmon, Capellini Pomodoro, Seafood Brodetto, and Lasagna Primavera with Grilled Chicken. These dishes all sound so scrumptious that I assumed the portions would be tiny. I ordered the Herb-Grilled Salmon with very low expectations. I snapped the picture below when my plate came.

I was very surprised at the portion size as it was much larger than I expected. This meal left me feeling satisfied, not just because of the size of the meal, but primarily because the flavor of the salmon was so bright and colorful. Honestly, I have not ordered salmon from a restaurant that was this delicious in quite a while. I would definitely recommend this dish, and although I did not sample the other dishes, they look just as delicious.

If you have a Longhorn Steakhouse near you, they are offering a new Flavorful Under 500 menu which includes a 7 ounce filet, chicken, salmon, shrimp, and even rainbow trout. Longhorn just came to my state and we haven’t made it over yet, but plan to visit soon.

I like this new trend of popular restaurants making an effort to give their customers more healthful choices. If you are looking for a satisfying meal that won’t hit you in the waistline, check out the Lighter Fare Menu at Olive Garden.

Disclaimer: I was given a gift card to facilitate the review of this meal.  All opinions are my own.