Olive Garden Eggplant Parmigiana is an incredibly delicious Italian meal. Eggplant slices are breaded, fried until crispy, and then baked with marinara sauce, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese. It's an incredible vegetarian dish to make for dinner.

As you can see from their list, what they claim as the vegetarian options include alfredo sauce, breadsticks with butter, five cheese marinara sauce, white wine sauce, cheese ravioli with marinara, eggplant parmigiana, fettuccine alfredo, mushroom ravioli, etc. However...

Olive Garden Lunch Entrees Eggplant Parmigiana (1 serving) contains 76g total carbs, 69g net carbs, 32g fat, 22g protein, and 670 calories.

17.49. Hand-breaded eggplant, lightly fried and topped with marinara and melted mozzarella. Served with a side of spaghetti.

The dish consists of sliced eggplant, pan-fried in oil, layered with tomato sauce and cheese and baked in an oven. In some versions, the sliced filling is first dipped in beaten eggs and dredged in flour or breadcrumbs before frying.

Think of Eggplant Parmigiana as a pasta-less vegetarian Lasagna, made with thin slices of eggplant instead of pasta, layered with tomato sauce, fresh basil and plenty of molten cheese. Called Parmigiana di Melanzane in Italian and known as Eggplant Parmesan in the US, it's a low-carb dream come true!

Olive Garden breadsticks contain no eggs, no dairy, and no sources of cheese rennet, making these deliciously fluffy appetizers 100% fair game for vegan guests. Ask for a side of marinara to dip your breadsticks into for a bit more substance and zing.

Which cheeses are not vegetarian? Parmesan cheese is never vegetarian. Cheeses from a specific location need to follow a consistent recipe to be recognised as having specific names. In the case of Parmigiano-Reggiano, or Parmesan cheese, this means always using animal rennet.

The beautiful eggplant tends to soak up oil like a sponge while it's frying, which can lead to a very high fat and calorie content in the finished dish.

Per Serving: 337 calories; calories from fat 15%; fat 5.5g; saturated fat 2.5g; mono fat 1.5g; poly fat 0.4g; protein 15g; carbohydrates 56g; fiber 3.2g; cholesterol 11mg; iron 2.3mg; sodium 822mg; calcium 187mg.

The eggplant reached Southern Italy by the 9th century CE. Arabs brought the fruits along with them as they expanded their territory into the region. Melanzane was consumed by fearless foodies in the Calabrian and Sicilian regions of Italy, although some people were initially wary of the funny egg-shaped produce.

Eggplant has long been a classic ingredient in Italian cuisine. Originally introduced by Arabs traveling to Sicily, Italian farmers embraced eggplants making them a symbolic vegetable of the culture.

Still others believe the name eggplant Parmesan refers to the Parma region of Northern Italy. However, most experts agree that the dish has its origins in Southern Italy. Another theory holds that the dish's name is derived from the Sicilian word parmiciana , which means Persian.

In Sicilian dialect “Parmiciana” indicates the slats of wood in the window shutters, which remind us of the overlapping eggplant and sauce layers. Some also believe Parmigiana came from Parma in the north of Italy but it is not part of Parma food so this is unlikely.

Parmigiana, known as Parmigiana di Melanzane or Melanzane alla Parmigiana, is a classic Italian dish made with thinly sliced, floured and fried eggplant layered with tomato sauce and cheese and baked in the oven. Parmigiana made with a filling of eggplant is the earliest and still unique Italian version.

While origin stories about the original breadstick differ, the Olive Garden breadstick can trace its lineage through two Italian foods: grissini and taralli.