FOOD NEWS
Are Olive Garden's Meatballs Beef Or Pork?
By Stacie Adams
For many, the meatballs from Olive Garden are a highlight of their dining experience, and some customers swear that they contain pork due to their robust flavor.
However, a section of the restaurant's website, which lists menu information regarding the pork content of certain dishes, illustrates that this is not actually the case.
The guide lists three separate meatball preparations: Meatballs Parmigiana, Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce and Meatballs, and the Meatballs in the Create Your Own Pasta option.
In all three preparations, the meatballs are marked as containing no pork, so they might get their robust flavor from the Italian seasoning used to enhance the beef.
While it's not fully clear which spices Olive Garden uses in its own Italian seasoning, traditional preparations usually feature oregano, thyme, basil, and marjoram.
Olive Garden does have menu items that contain pork, but its famous meatballs are completely pork-free, despite what their hearty flavor might indicate.