Lowest Calorie Options in Carrabba’s: Make Your Meals Under 600 Cals

Heading to Carrabba’s Italian Grill tonight and wondering what the best options are on the menu if you’re counting your calories. Well we’ve done the hard work for you and found the lowest calorie options in Carrabba’s – including how to mix and match your meals to cut your calories further. Here’s what you need to know…

Is Carrabba’s Italian Grill Healthy?

Carrabba’s Italian Grill, to give it its formal name, was opened in 1986, by founders and family members, John Charles Carrabba III and Damian Mandola. The first store opened in Houston, Texas where it became famous for its Chicken Bryan dish, which combines Grilled Chicken topped with goat’s cheese. It was named after the town of Bryan where the Carrabba family lived. 

Many of the Carrabba’s dishes use recipes created by Damian’s mother and sister. Now, still a family-owned franchise, it has just under 200 restaurants across the U.S. and Canada.

Carrabbas’ combination of Sicilian-inspired dishes and Texan flavours is definitely tasty. On top of this, the fact that most meals come served with a salad or hearty soup alongside does help bump up their health factor by adding extra nutrients.

However, it’s no secret that pasta isn’t always a low-calorie dish. It’s full of carbohydrates, and while that gives you energy, it also makes it easy to over eat the calories – especially when meals are topped with cheese.

That being said, you can eat pretty well in Carrabbas if you know what to order – or the easy tweaks to make to the meals.

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What’s the Lowest Calorie Meal at Carrabba’s?

The lowest calorie meal at Carrabba’s Italian Grill is from the entrees menu – and it’s the Tuscan Grilled Chicken.

This part of the menu is based on classic meat, fish or poultry dishes and asks you to choose a meat dish, and either a side salad or soup, plus an additional side.

The lowest calorie full meal would therefore be the Tuscan Grilled Chicken for 320 calories, paired with a cup of Minestrone Soup for 110 calories and a side of Asparagus for 45 calories.

This brings the total calorie count for the meal to a very healthy 475 calories.

Not bad at all when you discover that a healthy suggestion for an evening meal is 500-700 calories – and for a super satisfying meal to boot..

But, if you don’t feel like chicken, what are your options?

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Check Out the Appetizers

The lowest calorie Appetizer at Carrabba’s is the Four-Cheese & Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms at 290 calories which isn’t bad.

And the portion sizes are actually pretty large so, one of the best ways to keep your calories low at Carrabba’s is to order an Appetizer with a side dish instead of a main.

Other good choices would include the Cozze in Bianco – mussels in white wine sauce – 390 calories.

You could also choose the Meatballs and Ricotta (480 calories) and the Tomato Caprese with Fresh Burrata at 490 calories.

Our ‘at a glance guide’ below gives you all your meal options under 600 calories if you do decide to add a side to an Appetizer.

Everything else on the Appetizer menu is way over 600 calories with, or without, a side dish.  

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What About Pasta?

I’m guessing that’s why you’re here – and, unfortunately, it’s not great news.

The pasta dishes at Carrabba’s are all quite high in calories. In fact, most of them come to over 1000 calories.

The Fettuccine Weesie even comes to 2050 calories! That’s your entire day’s worth in one meal.

And then they come with a cup of soup or a side salad on top!

The reason is not the pasta per se, but the size of the portions – therefore, if you want to eat pasta at under 600 calories in Carrabbas, the best advice is to grab a to-go box and put half of your meal into it before you start.

Then choose a Minestrone Soup or Mama’s Sicilian Chicken soup, or a salad with little or no dressing for your side dish. These will add a maximum of 110 calories – probably less for the undressed salad.

Or, if you’re willing to skip the soup and the salad and just eat half the pasta with say, a side of asparagus, then, there’s a lot more options on the table (figuratively and literally!)

Again, we’re given you all the options to do this and bring your meal in under 600 calories in the ‘At a Glance Guide’ Below

If your willpower isn’t quite strong enough for dividing a portion in half, then the lowest calorie pasta meal is the Lobster Ravioli for 710 calories. The Mezzaluna and Spaghetti with Pomodoro Sauce closely follow this at 730 calories.

But maybe skip the side dishes with it or just go for the salad with no dressing.

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What’s the Lowest Calorie Entree at Carrabba’s?

As we said, the entrees at Carrabba’s Italian Grill come with a meat or fish dish and a choice between a cup of soup or a side salad, plus another additional side.

This means you need to think carefully about your food pairings when you’re trying to cut your calories as the number on the menu is not what you’re going to end up with.

The lowest calorie meat dishes are either the Tuscan Grilled Chicken for 320 calories or the 7oz Tuscan Grilled Sirloin for 350 calories. For seafood lovers, a Spiedino Di Mare is 480 calories.

With this, to create the lowest calorie option, you’ll want to pair it with a cup of Minestrone Soup for 110 calories or a salad with no dressing, which is likely to be less, and a side of Grilled Asparagus for 45 calories.

The first of these combinations come in at well under 600 calories though so that’s great.

This is probably the best part of the Carrabbas menu to order from if you’re watching your calories – and don’t have the willpower to split your pasta.

Again, we’ve given you a huge list of combinations under 600 calories below so you don’t have to do the maths while sitting at the dinner table!

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What are the Lowest Calorie Sides at Carrabba’s Italian Grill?

So, we keep telling you to order things and add a side – but which side?

Well, the lowest calorie side dish at Carrabba’s Italian Grill is the Grilled Asparagus for just 45 calories. 

Second to this would be Sauteed Broccoli for 140 calories and then the Sauteed Spinach for 170 calories.

All the other sides are over 350 calories and so pretty impossible to make work at under 600 calories (unless you split them with someone else).

If your meal comes with a salad included, then your lowest calorie option is the House Salad which contains 290 calories – but, my guess is most of that is dressing, so only consume a bit of the dressing or leave it off completely and your calorie intake is likely to be a bit lower than we’ve suggested below. It does come served on the side so that’s possible.

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What Are the Lowest Calorie Soups?

Many of the dishes on the Carrabbas menu also come with the option for soup on the side, so, it’s important to know how many calories they contain.

The lowest calorie soup is the Minestrone Soup in a cup for 110 calories. A bowl of soup would come to 210 calories. The Minestrone Soup is also vegetarian.

The famous Tomato Soup is 190 calories per cup and 370 calories per bowl.

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What’s the Lowest Calorie Salad at Carrabba’s?

You might think that salads would be the lowest calorie meal at Carrabba’s but unfortunately not. 

The lowest calorie entree-size salad is the Johnny Rocco salad at 590 calories.

It comes with Wood-Grilled Shrimp and Scallops with Romaine Lettuce, Roasted Red Peppers, Kalamata Olives, Ricotta Salata and Italian Vinaigrette.

The side salads range from 290-340 calories and my guess is that with dressing as the ingredients don’t warrant those numbers.

Leave off the dressing and my guess would be your salad would be somewhere between 50-100 calories depending on whether it has olives or Parmesan on it!

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If you’re a salad fan, you might want to check out our guides to the calories in some of the salad-based chains. We’ve looked at the calories in Just Salad and found 33 options you can order under 500 calories – which is pretty impressive.

We also found out what the best options are if you’re eating at Tender Greens. And you might be surprised by them both.

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What’s the Best Lunch Option

If you’re at Carrabbas at lunchtime there’s a whole different section of the menu for you to choose from with smaller versions of some meals that come served with soup and salad, and some sandwich options.

The lowest calorie choice is the Soup (picking Mama’s Sicilian Chicken Soup) with a House Salad which comes in at 390 calories – but, any combination of soup and salad on the lunch menu adds up to less than 600 calories.

The lowest calorie sandwich is the Caprese Sandwich which comes with grilled chicken, fresh-sliced tomatoes, creamy pesto and a ciabatta roll.

All for 510 calories. This also comes with a side or soup – and the best choice is again, Mama’s Sicilian Chicken.

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Are there any Low-Calorie Vegetarian or Vegan Meals?

There are quite a few meat-free options, but the lowest calorie vegetarian and vegan meal is the Spaghetti with Pomodoro Sauce at 730 calories.

If you wanted to get the Whole Grain Spaghetti with Pomodoro Sauce it’s only an additional 10 calories. 

Ideally you’re going to want to split that and maybe add a side dish like the spinach.

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What About Low Calorie Gluten-Free Options?

Carrabbas let you swap the pasta in their meals for gluten-free pasta. That adds between 60 and180 calories to a main dish.

The lowest calorie option with gluten-free pasta is Gluten-Free Spaghetti with Pomodoro Sauce at 860 calories for a main course.

Again, you’re going to want to cut the portion in half to keep things under 600 calories.

Important Note

However, do note that I can’t find a listing on the Carrabbas website for allergen information.

The link that is supposed to take you to their gluten free choices is dead on the day that I write this – so, while I can see that the dish above contains gluten-free pasta, I can’t say it’s completely gluten-free so, if you’re avoiding gluten for medical reasons PLEASE check with your server before ordering.

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Carrabba’s Calories At a Glance…

If you’re still not sure what low-calorie meal to order at Carrabba’s Italian Grill, then take a look at the following options for under 600 calories.

They show you over 70 ways to combine the main dishes, appetizers, soups, salads and sides to create lower calorie options…where we say House Salad, it includes the dressing, if you want to shave off more calories, leave this on the side.

If it just says soup and salad (no dressing), that’s salad without dressing or just a tiny dash.

If it says no sides that means without the included soup and salad – although if you have the salad with no dressing I’m doubtful it adds that many more calories.

Under 400 calories

Four-Cheese & Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms (Appetizer) with Asparagus – 335 calories

Mama Mandola’s Sicilian Chicken Soup (Bowl) with Asparagus – 365 calories

Half a portion of Spaghetti with Pomodoro Sauce (no sides) – 365 calories

Tuscan-Grilled Chicken with Asparagus (no sides) – 365 calories

Half a portion of Whole Grain Spaghetti with Pomodoro Sauce (no sides) – 370 calories

Tuscan-Grilled Sirloin (7oz) with Asparagus (no soup) – 395 calories

Minestrone Soup (Cup) with House Salad – 400 calories

Under 500 calories

Tomato and Basil Soup (Bowl) with Asparagus – 415 calories

Four-Cheese & Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms (Appetizer) with Broccoli – 430 calories

Sausage and Lentil Soup (Bowl) – 430 calories

Cozze in Bianco (Appetizer) with Asparagus – 435 calories

Half a portion of Spaghetti with Meat Sauce (no sides) – 435 calories

Tomato Caprese with Fresh Burrata (Appetizer)- 450 calories

Chicken Marsala with Asparagus (no sides) – 455 calories

Veal Piccata with Asparagus (no sides) – 455 calories

Four-Cheese & Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms (Appetizer) with Spinach – 460 calories

Half a portion of Linguine Positano (no sides) – 465 calories

Half a Portion of Lobster Ravioli with soup, or salad with no dressing – 470 calories

Tuscan-Grilled Chicken with Minestrone Soup and Asparagus – 475 calories

Half a portion of Spaghetti with Pomodoro Sauce with soup or salad (no dressing) – 475 calories

Half a portion of Mezzaluna with a soup, or salad (no dressing) – 475 calories

Half a portion of Linguine Pescatore with Whole Grain Pasta (no sides) – 475 calories

Meatball and Ricotta (Appetizer) – 480 calories

Half a portion of Spaghetti with Pomodoro Sauce with soup or salad (no dressing) – 480 calories

Half a portion of Linguine Positano with Grilled Shrimp and Whole Grain Pasta (no sides) – 490 calories

Tomato Caprese with Fresh Burrata (Appetizer) with Grilled Asparagus- 495 calories

Half a portion Gluten-free Spaghetti with Meat Sauce (no sides) – 495 calories

Chicken Byran (no soup) with Grilled Asparagus – 535 calories

Mahi Mulfe with Grilled Asparagus (no soup) – 535 calories

Under 600 calories

Tuscan-Grilled Sirloin (7oz) with Minestrone Soup and Asparagus – 500 calories

Minestrone Soup (Bowl) with House Salad – 500 calories

Half a portion of Linguine Pescatore (no sides) – 500 calories

Half a portion of Linguine Positano (no sides) with Grilled Asparagus – 510 calories

Caprese Sandwich (no chicken) – 510 calories

Sausage and Lentil Soup (Cup) with House Salad – 510 calories

Mama Mandola’s Sicilian Chicken Soup (Cup) with House Salad – 520 calories

Half a portion of Linguine Pescatore with Whole Grain Pasta (no sides) with Grilled Asparagus – 520 calories

Tuscan Grilled Sirloin with Grilled Asparagus, no soup – 525 calories

Half a portion of Lasagne (no sides) – 525 calories

Meatball and Ricotta (Appetizer) with Grilled Asparagus – 525 calories

Spiedino Di Mare with Grilled Asparagus, no soup – 525 calories

Cozze in Bianco (Appetizer) with Broccoli – 530 calories

Half a portion of Linguine Pescatore with gluten-free pasta (no sides) – 530 calories

Chicken Byran with Grilled Asparagus (no soup) – 535 calories

Half a portion of Linguine Positano with grilled shrimp and Whole Grain Pasta (no sides) with Grilled Asparagus – 535 calories

Mahi Mulfe with Grilled Asparagus (no soup) – 535 calories

Chicken Marsala with Broccoli (no soup) – 540 calories

Veal Piccata with Broccoli (no soup) – 540 calories

Half a portion of Linguine Positano with Grilled Shrimp and gluten-free pasta (no sides) – 545 calories

Half a portion of Spaghetti with Meat Sauce and soup or salad (no dressing) – 545 calories

Half a portion of Linguine Pescatore (no sides) with Grilled Asparagus – 545 calories

Polo Rosa Maria with Grilled Asparagus (no soup) – 555 calories

Veal Masala with Grilled Asparagus (no soup) – 555 calories

Tuscan-Grilled Pork Chop (One Chop) with Minestrone Soup and Asparagus – 555 calories

Cozze in Bianco (Appetizer) with Spinach – 560 calories

Chicken Marsala with Minestrone Soup and Asparagus – 565 calories

Veal Piccata with Minestrone Soup and Asparagus – 565 calories

Half a portion of Linguine Positano with grilled shrimp (no sides) – 565 calories

Tuscan-Grilled Chicken with Minestrone Soup and Broccoli – 570 calories

Chicken Parmesan Sandwich – 570 calories

Half a portion of Linguine Pescatore with gluten-free pasta (no sides) with Grilled Asparagus – 575 calories

Chicken Marsala with Spinach (no soup) – 580 calories

Veal Piccata with Spinach (no soup) – 580 calories

Four-Cheese & Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms (Appetizer) with House Salad – 580 calories

Half a Portion of Linguine Pescatore with soup or salad with no dressing – 580 calories

Half a portion of Linguine Positano with grilled chicken (no sides) – 580 calories

Johnny Rocco Salad – 590 calories

Tomato Caprese with Fresh Burrata (Appetizer) with Spinach- 590 calories

Half a portion of Linguine Positano with Grilled Shrimp and gluten-free pasta (no sides) with Grilled Asparagus – 590 calories

Simply Grilled Salmon with Grilled Asparagus (no soup) – 595 calories

Tuscan-Grilled Sirloin (7oz) with Minestrone Soup and Broccoli – 595 calories

Tuscan-Grilled Chicken with Minestrone Soup and Spinach – 600 calories

Half a portion of Linguine Positano with Grilled Shrimp and Whole Grain Pasta and Minestrone Soup – 600 calories

Pasta La Vista, Baby…

So there you have it, the lowest calorie options at Carrabba’s Italian Grill. If you were thinking of ordering a pasta or salad, then you might want to think again…unless you plan to share.

When ordering, you need to think not only about what is a low calorie meal at Carrabba’s but what is a balanced meal. Remember a lot of these dishes will need a side order or two to bulk it out, but at least the delicious Grilled Asparagus is only 45 calories!

Did this guide help you order your next meal at Carrabba’s Italian Grill? Let me know in the comments!

What to Read Next?

You might want to check out some of our other calorie reports.

We’ve looked at the lowest calorie options in California Pizza Kitchen.

We’ve checked out the menu at Benihana and found out what’s best to order while you watch the fun on the grill. See what the best options are here.

And, if you’re looking for a hearty breakfast, we’ve also looked at the calories in IHOP and found a brilliant way to eat there and save a LOT of calories.