How Many People Can You Really Feed With An Olive Garden Lasagna?
When having a party or some other type of gathering, having the event catered spares you a lot of hassles and headaches when it comes to meal preparation. Securing catering services from a chain restaurant like Olive Garden — which is used to serving lots of customers — all but ensures that your guests will leave sated. In this case, the Italian-inspired restaurant's Lasagna Classico is an excellent selection for moderately sized affairs. The ample portion can accommodate up to 12 people for $56.99, which equals about $4.75 per person.
In addition to the pasta, the star of Olive Garden's lasagna is the meat sauce. Along with beef, the sauce also contains seasoned Italian sausage, both of which are seared in a pan to bring out their characteristic flavors. The dish also features four distinct cheeses, including Romano, mozzarella, parmesan, and ricotta. In the event you're having a larger gathering or just want to ensure that your guests have plenty of options, Olive Garden offers a number of other dishes that will complement the Lasagna Classico.
How to make your lasagna feast go even further
While Olive Garden is perhaps best known for its wide selection of pasta, its soups, salads, and breadsticks are equally beloved by fans of the chain. Along with the Lasagna Classico, you can opt for a jumbo-sized salad plus 12 breadsticks for $22.99. The vegetarian assortment, which can accommodate parties of six, includes tomatoes, olives, pepperoncini, and onions. It also comes with parmesan, crispy croutons, and Olive Garden's signature Italian dressing, which consists of vinegar and oil, as well as a selection of Italian seasonings. The zesty, snappy veggies provide an ideal counterpoint to lasagna's richness, which is why salad is considered a superior side dish for the pasta entree among Italian-American chefs like Lidia Bastianich.
You can never have too many breadsticks, so Olive Garden offers an additional order of six or 12 for $4.49 or $6.79. Soup is another possible add-on to your catering order, which feeds up to six people for $17.29. Choices include Stellini, minestrone, chicken and gnocchi, Zuppa Toscana, and pasta e fagioli. Olive Garden can also supply desserts, such as tiramisu, or beverages, including refreshing raspberry lemonade by the gallon.
What you should know about Olive Garden catering
When it comes to catering, a little pre-planning goes a long way. In this case, Olive Garden asks that catering orders be placed before 5 p.m. if you want the food to be delivered by lunchtime the subsequent day. However, you're free to place the order days or weeks before the event if desired. You'll need to place the order online to determine whether your nearest Olive Garden offers delivery services. If not, you can pick up your food at the restaurant. Keep in mind that you'll also need to satisfy a $100 minimum to opt for delivery.
In addition to the food you order, Olive Garden also provides some additional items to ensure a convenient catered meal. These extras include plates, utensils, napkins, and even covers for the table. The restaurant also offers grated cheese for garnishing your dishes, as well as mints for after the meal is complete. To make certain that food remains warm and tasty for the entire event, you can also ask for a chafing dish to accompany your meal.