Watch out for the shocking sodium and calorie counts in these five popular restaurant pasta dishes.
If you order creamy pasta at any restaurant, it’s definitely not going to be the healthiest option there, but sometimes you just need a little comfort food. If these food facts don’t scare you into ordering the following pasta dishes, it’s good to at least know which ones are less healthy than others, packing some with an astronomical amount of sodium and calories. Here are 5 unhealthy pastas to watch out for.
The Cheesecake Factory
The Cheesecake Factory has an amazing menu, and one of the many dishes there is their signature Fettuccine Alfredo. Unfortunately, this dish is loaded with about 2,040 calories, 139g of fat, 86g of saturated fat, and 2,650mg of sodium. You’re basically looking at a whole day’s worth of calories in just one dish, and that’s if you don’t get the cheesecake. Honestly, who doesn’t get cheesecake when they go to the Cheesecake Factory?
Buffalo Wild Wings
If you are a regular at Buffalo Wild Wings, be aware of the delicious, but calorie dense, Buffalo Mac & Cheese. This serving contains approximately 1,325 calories, 77g of fat, 32g of saturated fat, and 3,410mg of sodium. Mac and cheese is already a little on the heavy side, so loading up on extra cheese and sauce, while still factoring in the portion size, just kicks it up a notch.
Chili
Cajun Pasta (with chicken or shrimp) from Chili’s is another pasta dish to watch out for, which carries alarming amounts of sodium. Cajun pasta has about 1,310 calories, 70g of fat, 23g of saturated fat, and 3,690mg of sodium. With any creamy dish, the calorie count will probably be high, but it’s the sodium in this dish that is the most shocking.
Applebee’s
Applebee’s Bourbon Street Chicken & Andouille Sausage Penne is another filling, salty dish. At about 1,590 calories, 83g of fat, 46g of saturated fat, and 3,640mg of sodium, this is another pasta dish to keep in mind. Between the large portion, the rich sauce, and the many sausages, this isn’t exactly the healthiest dish on the menu.
The Olive Garden
Olive Garden has Chicken Tortellini Alfredo that diners truly love. That said, it’s important to be aware of the nutritional facts, especially if it’s your go-to. Chicken Tortellini Alfredo has about 1,980 calories, 131g of fat, 76g of saturated fat, and 3,720mg of sodium, and is easily one of the unhealthiest options with that high fat count in the hundreds.
Jess Kelly
Jess Kelly is a freelance writer and journalist with nearly ten years of experience contributing to well-known media outlets, including Huffington Post, Cosmopolitan, AAA, Elite Traveler, Eater, Food52, Insider, Wine Enthusiast, Kitchn, AAA World Magazine, Thrillist, Conde Nast Traveler, Lomiss Traveler, Lomiss Planet Read more about Jess
