How Many Calories in Minestrone Soup from Olive Garden?

One serving of Olive Garden Minestrone Soup has 110 calories, making it the lowest-calorie soup on the menu — though the 810 mg of sodium is worth.

Scanning the menu for something light, minestrone often looks like the obvious pick. It’s a vegetable soup — how much damage can it do? The answer surprises a lot of people, mostly because “healthy” at a chain restaurant doesn’t always look the way you expect.

The calorie count is genuinely modest. At 110 calories per serving with just 1 gram of fat, it’s one of the leanest options on the Olive Garden menu. The catch is that restaurant soup sodium adds up fast, and minestrone is no exception. A single bowl contains roughly a third of your daily recommended sodium limit. Understanding the full nutrition picture — not just the calories — helps you decide if it fits your meal plan.

What’s Actually in That Bowl

Olive Garden’s official nutrition PDF lists 110 calories per serving for the minestrone soup. That serving also contains 1 gram of fat, 17 grams of carbohydrates, and 5 grams of protein. The fiber count — 4 grams — is a solid bonus for a restaurant side.

The macronutrient split works out to roughly 70% carbohydrates, 21% protein, and just 9% fat. Zero saturated fat and zero cholesterol make this one of the heart-friendliest picks on the menu, at least on paper.

Why Sodium Deserves Your Attention Here

Most people who order minestrone are trying to eat lighter. The 110-calorie count supports that goal, but the 810 mg of sodium — about 35% of the daily recommended value — is worth noticing. That single bowl takes up over a third of the AHA’s ideal sodium limit for an entire day.

• Compared to other fast-casual soups: A cup of Panera’s Broccoli Cheddar soup has 980 mg of sodium. The minestrone’s 810 mg is lower, but still a significant portion of your daily budget.
• Compared to other Olive Garden soups: The Chicken & Gnocchi soup packs 1,290 mg of sodium, while the Pasta e Fagioli has 710 mg. Minestrone sits in the middle of the pack.
• How it fits into a full meal: If you pair the soup with breadsticks and a salad, the meal’s total sodium can easily exceed 2,000 mg before the entrée arrives.
• What the health guidelines say: The FDA’s Daily Value for sodium is 2,300 mg. One serving of minestrone uses up a third of that allowance.

For most people, 810 mg of sodium isn’t dangerous on its own. But if you’re watching your salt intake for blood pressure or kidney health, it’s a number worth tracking.

How Minestrone Stacks Up on the Olive Garden Menu

Minestrone is the lowest-calorie soup on the Olive Garden menu, but it’s not the only option worth comparing. A side-by-side look at the soup lineup makes the tradeoffs clearer.

The table shows Minestrone wins on calories and fat, but Pasta e Fagioli has less sodium. Harvard Health’s sodium comparison to Panera puts the minestrone’s 810 mg in context, showing it’s lower than several other popular restaurant soups but still requires awareness if you’re limiting salt.

Breaking Down the Nutrition Numbers

Beyond the headline calorie count, the full nutrition label tells a more complete story.

1. Total Carbohydrates (17g): With 4 grams of fiber and 4 grams of sugar, the net carbs come out to roughly 13 grams. That’s modest for a pasta-heavy restaurant menu.
2. Dietary Fiber (4g): Getting 4 grams of fiber from a soup is decent — it supports digestion and helps with fullness between meals.
3. Protein (5g): The protein comes from the beans and pasta in the soup. It’s not a high-protein meal on its own, but it provides a solid base.
4. Fat Profile (1g total, 0g saturated): The soup has virtually no fat, which keeps the calorie count low. Zero saturated fat and zero trans fat align with heart-healthy guidelines.
5. Vitamins and Minerals: The soup provides 10% of the daily value for Vitamin C, but 0% for Vitamin A. It’s not a vitamin powerhouse, but the vegetables do add some micronutrients.

The takeaway here is that minestrone is a low-calorie, low-fat option with decent fiber. The tradeoff is the sodium level — which brings us back to the importance of context.

Making the Soup Work for Your Dietary Goals

If 110 calories and 4 grams of fiber fit your day, minestrone is a practical choice. The key is building the rest of your meal around that sodium load.

Order the soup with a side salad (dressing on the side) and skip the breadsticks to keep the total meal around 400-500 calories with a more reasonable sodium count. For those specifically tracking sodium, Everyday Health’s lower sodium soup option recommendation — the Pasta e Fagioli — saves about 100 mg of salt while adding 50 calories.

The choice between the two comes down to priorities. Minestrone is lighter in calories and fat. Pasta e Fagioli offers more protein and less sodium. Either can work depending on what the rest of your day looks like.

The Bottom Line

Olive Garden’s Minestrone Soup is a genuinely light option at 110 calories with 4 grams of fiber and minimal fat. The 810 mg of sodium is the main catch — about a third of your daily limit. If you plan the rest of your meal around it, the soup can fit into a balanced restaurant visit without much trouble.

A registered dietitian can help you fit Olive Garden’s minestrone into your personal sodium and calorie targets, especially if you’re managing blood pressure or following a heart-healthy eating plan.