Top 7 Unhealthiest Italian Foods to Order Out

There is nothing better than sitting down to a saucy slice of cheese covered Italian pizza pie. This comfort food is one of the most popular Italian food choices in the world, but it can also be one of the least healthy. When choosing from the menu, there are 10 unhealthiest Italian foods to consider.

1. Pizza - Pizza crust is made with white flour because wheat flour does not have enough gluten to support quick rising. White flour has 110 calories per ¼ cup. Combine those calories with whole milk mozzarella at 336 calories per cup and a few slices of pizza can quickly pack in the calories. The average slice of commercial cheese pizza, like those ordered from Pizza Hut and Papa John's, contains about 300 calories. Add in extra cheese and a couple more slices and that Italian treat accounts for more than 900 calories.

2. Lasagna - Ordering lasagna from an Italian restaurant could be the same as choosing one of the unhealthiest Italian foods. One serving of Sbarro meat lasagna contains about 650 calories. Calorie counts will be higher when ordered from a mom and pop Italian eatery and may vary from one order to the next as many servings are handmade. Fat grams are in excess of 37 per serving.

3. Garlic Knots - A version of garlic knots are served at nearly every Italian eatery. The knots are dense rolls served in a tray of melted butter. You can expect to consume around 90 calories per garlic knot before melted butter is added to the dish. Melted butter contains about 100 calories and 12 grams of fat per tablespoon. One serving of garlic knots typically contains four knots which adds up to around 800 calories for the appetizer.

4. Bread Sticks - Adding breadsticks to your Italian meal may seem like a rite of passage, but what happens when that rite adds up to 200 calories per breadstick? Breadsticks are commonly served with garlic butter dipping sauce. Garlic dipping sauce from Dominos contains 440 calories per container. With just two breadsticks and one container of garlic dipping sauce the calorie total for a quick appetizer jumps to 840 calories or more.

5. Chicken Parmesan - Combine breaded, deep fried chicken with whole fat cheeses and a pasta sauce and drizzle the whole thing with olive oil. This recipe sounds delectable, but it could contain 1000 to 1500 calories per serving or more.

6. Caesar Salad - Many people think ordering a salad means making a healthy choice. Caesar Salad is one of the unhealthiest Italian foods to consume, despite being a salad packed with greens. Caesar dressing contains around 100 calories per tablespoon. One small cup of dressing can hold two to three tablespoons. When dressing is added in the kitchen, diners can expect more than three tablespoons have been added to the healthy lettuce. The dressing alone then counts for 300 to 400 calories. One cup of croutons contains 185 calories, on average. Now that salad contains 585 calories before the parmesan cheese is even sprinkled on top.

7. Spaghetti and Meatballs - Cooking spaghetti and meatballs at home may not put a hurting on the daily calorie totals, but eating the same dish in an Italian restaurant could be the same and eating up to six McDonald's Quarter Pounders. In 1994, researchers reported spaghetti and meatballs at Romano's Macaroni Grill contained nearly 2,500 calories per serving. Today, Macaroni Grill claims the same dish only has 880 calories. Olive Garden spaghetti and meatballs contains 1,110 calories and 50 grams of fat.