We tried Olive Garden’s new Meatball Pizza Bowl so you can know whether or not to go grab one for your next meal. Here were our thoughts.
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Following is a transcript of the video:
Taryn Varricchio: We’re at Olive Garden in Times Square and we heard about this Meatball Pizza Bowl and we’re here to try it. Right, Graham?
Graham: Absolutely! I can’t wait.
The Meatball Pizza Bowl is a part of Olive Garden’s “Lunch Duos” menu.
They season dough with olive oil and Parmesan. Then it’s baked over a cup of cheese. The bowl is filled with meat sauce and mini meatballs.
But how does it taste?
Taryn: What have you heard about the bowl?
Graham: I heard it’s getting really popular. It’s something new for Olive Garden, which is usually known for its old school specialties like the chicken cacciatore and the Five Cheese Ziti and they’re kind of like branching out a little bit here.
Taryn and Graham: Chin-chin!
Graham: This is gonna be very agreeable for a lot of Olive Garden sort of connoisseurs across the country because there’s not much of an overbearing kick at all.
Taryn: If you like sauce, you like meatballs, and you like cheese, there’s really no reason you shouldn’t like it.
Here are our takeaways.
1. Cheese:
Taryn: I enjoyed the cheese. I felt like it could’ve been a little more melted. Still good with the sauce and meatball ratio. The entire bottom of the bowl is cheese, which I’m a fan of because I love cheese.
Graham: It’s weird as you get a little deeper and you start to combine the cheese with the meatballs you get a little bit more zest, a little bit more flavor. As I plunged the depths of the bowl, that’s where I found the real ‘sapori audaci.’
2. Sauce:
Graham: For me, I feel like it’s missing just a little bit of a kick. Maybe you could just jazz it up with a few red pepper flakes or something like that, just to kick it up on a notch.
Taryn: Oh! Good suggestion.
Graham: But the parsley in here is giving it a nice little seasoning, so there’s definitely some strong flavor here.
3. Bread:
Graham: Normally, I try to stay away from the bread in excess. I try and keep it a no bread zone.
NBZ. Hashtag NBZ. But this just makes me break all of my rules. This is dangerous. It’s so good and addictive.
Overall conclusions?
Taryn: I think this is something that will attract a lot of people, is attracting a lot of people, because it’s literally what Olive Garden is known for. It’s basically a breadstick in a bowl form, which obviously everyone knows the breadsticks are amazing. And then a ton of cheese, mini meatballs, and a good seasoning on top. It’s like if you’re looking for a hearty, filling, but finishable lunch then I think this is what the bread bowl is.
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That looks like the whitest Italian food they’ve made yet!
Cin-cin….americani….
Upside down turtle bowl
Soon they will have a drive-thru
A weak knock-off of the famous pizza pot pie from Chicago.
Olive garden is awful… everyone I talk to says they go there for the salad and bread sticks.
I’d rather try mc donalds new chicken tenders..
we all just willingly watched an ad
Olive Garden was good 20 years ago. It’s disgusting now. They don’t cook anything just reheat everything. My cousin. Works there she told me this.
Its missing alot, they put little of sauce and cheese
Took wifey out to Olive Garden a couple weeks ago.. Kinda mad I didn’t know about this then because we definitely would’ve tried it
Ew
How did you get mario’s balls the rarest item
Utter shit..
I was to Olive Garden twice..first and last time..it is garbage and this is not enticing me to go back.
I get grossed out by this because this would destroy your health.
All I love at OG is those bread sticks and Alfredo sauce to dip. Oh yea and the stuffed mushrooms oh and the lemon cake lol but other than that OG has gotten cheap tasting
If I ate all that cheese I wouldn’t be able to take a dump for a month.
Worked at Olive Garden for awhile. Can’t blame for trying or can you? Guarantee that meal is bland.
That looks gross and these people can tell me otherwise
No one ever went broke underestimating the grubby appetite of the American public. This is shit but of course, it’s a big hit.
One thing’s for sure:
There’s nothing Italian about that
THE MEATBALL PIZZA BOWL WAS A LIEEEEEEEE IT WAS SO TINY AND NOT THAT GREAT 1/10 I WAS UPSET
False advertising!! I would rather make an upgraded version of this, that actually taste great with more seasonings and spices…wouldn’t waste my money on that.
Looks gross
Meat is murder
this doesn’t look appetizing at all
theres no crust on or coloring on those meatballs. did they just microwave or boil the meatball?