Here Are Healthy Swaps To Make When Ordering Italian

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Love going out for Italian? Join the club. You’re probably aware though that some of your favorites aren’t exactly healthy. Yes, it’s sad, but there are ways to eat deliciously at your go-to Italian restaurant without consuming all the calories and fat. We’re here to tell you how. Here are some healthy Italian dish swaps you can make the next time you’re out:

1. Instead of zuppa toscana, go for minestrone.

If you’re ordering soup, steer clear of options that include heavy cream or lots of cheese. While zuppa toscana seems like a safe choice with ingredients like potatoes, chicken broth and kale, the heavy cream and Italian sausage make it quite heavy. The Olive Garden nutrition guide shows that a serving of zuppa toscana comes in at about 220 calories while minestrone, which is packed with non-starchy vegetables and kidney beans, is only about 110 calories. Trust us — 100 extra calories can go a long way.

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2. Instead of pasta alfredo, go for pasta primavera.

The cream sauce in pasta alfredo is addictive, and it’s hard to find a substitute for it. But just a quarter cup of alfredo sauce pack ins around 15 grams of fat and 150 calories. You can get your carb fix while still cutting the heavy cream by ordering pasta primavera. The dish typically includes a variety of delicious veggies and it’s dressed with olive oil and Italian herbs. Even better: ask for light Parmesan on top so that you don’t miss out on the cheese.

3. Instead of chicken parmesan, go for chicken paillard.

We love chicken parm, so we understand that this one’s a hard swap. Despite its yumminess, consider another option like chicken paillard. An average serving of chicken parm packs in 27 grams of carbs and unlike chicken parm, chicken paillard isn’t breaded or fried. (Traditionally, it’s grilled.) Chicken paillard is dressed in a refreshing lemon dressing and typically comes with a side salad. You get big flavor without tons of calories and saturated fats.

4. Instead of a side of pasta, go for broccoli rabe (or any other side of dark greens).

It should come as no surprise that a side of pasta won’t do you any favors. Starchy and heavy, the average side of cooked spaghetti is about 220 calories and packs in over 42 grams of carbs (yikes). A well-seasoned side of broccoli rabe, on the other hand, can be as low as 20 calories and it gives you a number of excellent vitamins and minerals. Just make sure it’s not drenched in oil.

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5. Instead of tiramisu, go for biscotti.

We’ll love tiramisu until we die, but we admit that the cream and the fat goes a bit…overboard. How overboard, exactly? An average slice of tiramisu can have as many as 655 calories and 33.5 grams of saturated fat, which is 168 percent of the average person’s recommended maximum. Ohhhh my god. 😳 A serving of biscotti, on the other hand, comes in at only 170 calories and 0 grams of saturated fat. Yep, that’s an easy choice.