The Healthiest And Unhealthiest Menu Items At Noodles And Company Gallery

Noodles and Company is a fast-casual chain that, as the name implies, serves mostly pasta. You'll find comfort foods like macaroni and cheese and pad thai, as well as noodle-filled soups and salads on their varied menu. You might think that such a chain couldn't possibly offer options that pass for healthy — but among the oodles of noodles on the menu, there are dishes with surprisingly healthy ingredients.

Noodles and Company actually gives a lot of thought to the nutritional value of their menu, making it one of the healthiest chain restaurants according to our ranking. They add fresh vegetables to many of their meals and only use soybean oil to sauté with.

Plus, just because they serve pasta doesn't mean their food is not a healthy choice. It is possible to make a healthy pasta dish. Many meals based around pasta are loaded with cream- or butter-based sauces and cheese. Noodles and Company serves a balance of these items and ones with lighter sauce and heavier portions of vegetables. Sometimes you might really want a buttery bowl of carbs. Other times, you might want something with more fiber and nutrients. Here's a breakdown of the healthiest and unhealthiest menu items at Noodles and Company.

This is an over-the-top mac and cheese dish if we've ever seen one. The creamy, excessively cheesy pasta dish is paired with truffle, mushrooms, Parmesan, and a toasted layer of breadcrumbs to top it all off. The regular size of the Truffle Mac totals to 1,070 carb-filled calories and 43 grams of fat.

This menu item combines two American food classics: mac and cheese and Buffalo wings. Breaded chicken is doused in hot sauce and folded into rich globs of cheese and pasta — the only vegetable is the sprinkle of green onions spread over the top. This insanely cheesy bowl is 1,100 calories and 3,180 milligrams of sodium. The sodium is probably the fault of the hot sauce; your blood pressure could be at risk if you eat too much.

This street food traditionally from Thailand has become incredibly popular in America; but this version of the Asian dish is far from the healthiest thing on the menu. The stir-fried noodles are loaded with egg, peanuts, and cooking oils, driving up the calorie count to 1,240 for the entire dish. There are some vegetables such as cabbage and green onions cooked into the meal, but no added protein or greens. The dish has just 19 grams of filling protein for its 131 grams of carbs — not exactly an Atkins-friendly meal.

Noodles and Company's menu isn't all carbs and cheese. In fact, they're trying out a new low-carb option on the menu — zucchini pasta, otherwise known as zoodles. If you don't cook them right, a bowl of zoodles can taste tragic. But this chain covers them in a savory sauce and tops them with almonds so they feel a little more satiating. There are tons of vegetables in this dish; however, if you're craving carbs, do yourself a favor and order real pasta. Zucchini just isn't going to cut it. The Zucchini Romesco dish is 570 calories if you order the regular size; you could also order the small for 280 calories and pair it with a more satisfying side. Not all vegetable-filled meals have to be salad!

Don't order this if you don't want something spicy — though the spice could kick up your metabolism a little. This pasta comes with tomato sauce with a kick, plus greens and mushrooms to complement the Parmesan- and feta-covered pasta. The small size of this menu item contains 360 calories. You can order your meal topped with a protein to make it more filling and nutritious.

Curry is one of the healthiest popular dishes from around the world, made with coconut milk and lots of fresh vegetables. Noodles and Company makes a Thai Green Curry with shrimp, which is a great lean source of protein, rice noodles, sesame seeds, and four types of vegetables. The pineapple and green curry sauce kick up the flavor — the small size of the dish is 460 calories total. There's no need to opt for the zucchini noodles unless you genuinely want them, but if you do, it's 260 calories for a small and 440 for a regular size.

This soup offers all the health benefits of coconut alongside chicken for protein and vegetables for some fiber. Lemongrass pairs with turmeric, offering additional anti-inflammatory benefits of curcumin from the orange-tinted spice. The regular size is 370 calories and has six different types of vegetables that offer a variety of nutritional benefits. Unlike broth-based soups, this bowl won't leave you hungry since it's filled with healthy fats.