These 10 Olive Garden Side Dishes Outshine The Main Courses

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Be it a never-ending pasta option, the rustic atmosphere, or the hearty portions, there are a lot of aspects of Olive Garden that draw in diners craving Italian cuisine. My own trips to the chain have routinely left me debating between Chicken Parmigiana, Steak Gorgonzola Alfredo, or a heaping helping of Lasagna Classico. But what if focusing on the entrees has left the real stars of the menu overlooked? Some sides are more like understudies waiting for a chance to steal the spotlight.

Along with personal experience, gathered online consensus explores the tastes, textures, and overall longing that some fans have for Olive Garden's various offerings. The list includes items already sharing space with entrees, available add-ons, appetizers, and even a piece of equipment that each outshine main courses in their own right. From a favorite soup to the best starters, this list will leave you with all-star picks to build a top-tier meal beyond the most notable dishes.

Like the Cheddar Bay Biscuits of Red Lobster and the honey cinnamon butter-slathered rolls of Texas Roadhouse, the complimentary table snack at Olive Garden is more than enough to keep some customers coming back. I'm, of course, talking about the chain's toasty breadsticks. They're delivered to your table by the bundle, swaddled like a delicate baby, and there's a reason these warm, soft, and doughy delights are the anchor of the Soup AND Salad AND Breadsticks menu option.

Fans know the three toppings that make Olive Garden's breadsticks taste so good are garlic powder, liquid margarine, and salt. It's true that they are enjoyable as-is, but I, like others, prefer the breadsticks all the more as edible utensils. Whether polishing off your latest bowl of endless soup or squeegeeing sauce following a plate of pasta, the bread is an ideal vehicle for all the restaurant's flavors. So much so, in fact, that an employee recommends first-time visitors order one of the never-ending dipping sauces — be it Alfredo, five cheese marinara, or regular marinara — to make the most of your side dish experience.

Entrees at Olive Garden come with one of two unlimited options. They made divide some fans, but both are justified in making this list. Whether you want something fresh or are simply seeking a light contrast to what could prove a heavy meal, the House Salad is a fresh, vibrant choice to brighten up the table. Served family style, slices of red onion and tomato are found among black olives and pepperoncini, all tossed with the dressed lettuce and croutons. As an added touch, you can have your server dust — or bury — your salad with freshly grated cheese.

I, for one, prefer the salad on warmer days when soup is far from my mind. To me, it's especially great when my fellow diners aren't also using the tongs to search for the high-commodity pepperoncini that deliver a zesty kick. Thankfully, a quick trip to the grocery store makes it so you can recreate the experience at home with as much or as little of each ingredient as you prefer. Olive Garden makes both its Signature Italian Dressing and its Signature Recipe Croutons available for retail purchase; your next salad may leave you wondering where the server is with a batch of breadsticks.

The word spicy comes to mind when I think of my — and many others — preferred option out of Olive Garden's four never-ending soup selections: Zuppa Toscana. While the Chicken & Gnocchi, Minestrone, and Pasta e Fagioli each have their own merits, I find the Tuscan soup to be the standout. On top of the bite from the spices in the Italian pork sausage, you get bold freshness from the kale as potatoes do double-duty delivering earthiness to the bowl; the starch also helps thicken the creamy broth.

To me, this dish dances close to the line of hearty and rib-sticking without being overly filling and threatening to ruin the rest of the meal. Along with my opinion of the soup, numerous reviews name it as a must for those embarking on their first, ahem, tour of Italy courtesy of Olive Garden. That includes an employee, who notes that the soups are regularly made fresh, while another review doesn't just credit the dish as the best on the menu; it deems the Zuppa Toscana as the "best soup in the world."

When I visit Olive Garden with my wife, there's one menu item that is a no-brainer for both of us. We aren't alone in treating the chain's Spinach-Artichoke Dip appetizer as a go-to. The star of this side is the warm and gooey blend of artichoke, five different kinds of cheese, and spinach. In addition to the creamy and salty mix of the fromage, the veggies contribute to the depth of flavor while also making the combination something you can really sink your teeth into.

To some, the dip is the best appetizer on the menu, and the chips play a big role in that. The crispy bits of flatbread are seasoned with garlic salt and parmesan. Should you find yourself short on supply of these golden brown goodies, rest assured knowing any remaining dip pairs just as well with the breadsticks — or, you know, you could just use a spoon.

On top of being a side surpassing Olive Garden's main courses, Shrimp Fritto Misto also happens to be one of 29 Italian dishes you need to try at least once. While assorted seafood and a veritable charcuterie board of options are on the table, the chain chooses to serve up a melange of shrimp with slices of bell pepper and onion.

Amounting to more than a half pound of food, an Olive Garden employee on Reddit explains that this double-battered dish is made fresh on a daily basis. As much love as the savory, albeit salty, seafood and vegetables get, one of the two accompanying dipping sauces is practically a show stealer unto itself.

Along with marinara, each order of Shrimp Fritto Misto comes with spicy ranch. Worth the retail treatment, this kicked-up version of ranch has fans asking servers how they can get more. This means subbing out the marinara for double spicy ranch and even asking if they can get a breadstick dipping bowl to maximize the volume. How much that costs and whether or not Olive Garden will honor the request remains subject to the location.

St. Louis, Missouri, is known as the Gateway to the West thanks to the strategic location that explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark capitalized on. It also has a reputation as the home to some unique cuisine. In addition to Provel cheese, the Gerber sandwich, and a slew of iconic American foods tracing back to the 1904 World's Fair, St. Louis is considered the birthplace of toasted ravioli. Where it concerns Olive Garden's version of this crispy stuffed pasta, the city of origin may have its work cutout trying to match the experience.

Each ravioli is packed with seasoned ground beef, pitted against the lightly fried exterior with its herbs and parmesan dusting. Not only did these umami-loaded finger foods make the top of our rankings of Olive Garden appetizers, but the review deems the side worthy of being an entree of its own. Whether experiencing them for the first time or returning for your next round of these dippable delights, fans often dream of these pasta pillows.

If, like me, you find the sausage in the Zuppa Toscana a highlight of any trip to Olive Garden, then you'll be pleased to know that soup isn't the only way to score some links at the chain. While past menus have featured selections like a Spicy Sausage & Peppers Rigatoni — one of the best new Olive Garden dishes in 2026 — the sausage remains an optional side. That means any one of the restaurant's pasta plates can be leveled up with sausage, adding another dimension of flavor.

As for where Olive Garden sources its links, many have identified Johnsonville as the provider. At the same time, fine-tuned palates recognize a unique quality in the seasoning of the restaurant sausage and deem it more tender than the store-bought Johnsonville Mild Italian Pork Sausage. This is explained by someone claiming to be a supplier sticking to a specific recipe for Olive Garden that some say makes it the best food on the menu. The side also comes with marinara, adding another source for breadstick dipping.

It may not be categorized as an entree, but Olive Garden's Lasagna Fritta can certainly fit the bill, especially if you're not keen on sharing. As one of my personal favorites on the menu, I fully understand the impulse to keep each crispy bite to myself. At the same time, I love how easy it is to divvy up the fried parmesan-breaded lasagna pieces.

No matter how many you eat, this appetizer has multiple levels of flavor. You get dueling sauces, along with the crunchy, smooth textures of the crust and filling contrasting in the decadent dish. Atop the lasagna is a hearty meat sauce offering both beef and sausage with the vibrant tomatoes. All of this is resting on a creamy Alfredo, enhancing the richness. Beyond simple love and admiration for this favorite of many, the argument has been made that Olive Garden doesn't need to sell anything else.

Pastas and breads may be top of mind when thinking of Italian cuisine, but the myriad regions also have an array of applications for the humble root vegetable brought back by explorers voyaging to the Americas. Though it may not be one of the 12 Italian potato dishes you should try at least once, I'm not the only person who considers Olive Garden's mashed potatoes to be an underrated star out of the chain's kitchen.

Available as its own side as well as accompanying the Stuffed Chicken Marsala, I, along with others, find the garlic mashed potatoes are on a different level with the main dish's sauce and mushrooms stirred through. Unlike the disappointing mouthfeel delivered by restaurants using powders or flakes to make their spuds, these mashed potatoes are creamy and reminiscent of home cooking. If you get carried away with the appetizers and know you'll need a carryout box for the rest of this meal, be warned about a challenging choice. While you may want to save as much of the side for later, you may not be able to resist one more bite as you scrape your plate.

Much like the complimentary breadsticks, there's a built-in experience with every trip to Olive Garden that is the delight of many. Visits to the chain include the customary question as to whether you want freshly grated cheese or not. Assent ranges from a light dusting to those playing chicken with their server to see who cracks first as the pile begins to form. Wherever you land on that spectrum, know that the cheese and grater can be a side as well since the pairing is for sale.

Availability is not heavily promoted, but participating locations will sell you one of Olive Garden's preferred cheese grater model if you ask. It even appears on the menu for takeout orders. Servers have been known to find excitement in ensuring the fresh cheese experience makes it to your table at home. Plus, you can get cranking right away in your new grater workout as each model sold comes with its own block of Olive Garden's Romano cheese. If this information gets you wondering what else you can buy from the restaurant, know that it never hurts to ask; a former employee admitted to selling a set of cups.

Narrowing down this list of the best sides relied on finding consensus, along with many of my own visits to Olive Garden over the years. I utilized reviews on Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, X, and Yelp to track down dishes with lots of fanfare and identify why they stand out. This includes dynamic flavors, satisfying textures, and overall satiety that exceeded impressions left by main courses. These elements keep customers coming back for more.