Spicy Chicken & Peppers Rigatoni is running through July 19 as part of Olive Garden’s Calabrian Summer promotion. | Photos courtesy of Olive Garden
Diners seeking spicy food don’t usually head to Olive Garden. Or do they?
“Last summer we introduced Calabrian Steak & Shrimp Bucatini originally as a limited time offer. This dish received such a positive response from our guests that we decided to make the entrée part of Olive Garden’s core menu,” said Terrence Tookes, corporate executive chef of the Orlando, Florida-based chain. “That momentum, combined with a growing appetite for spicy flavors, led our team to explore how we could thoughtfully bring more heat across the menu.”
Now the Italian-focused casual-dining brand famous for unlimited breadsticks and Fettuccine Alfredo has brought Calabrian chilies to two more entrées and an appetizer.
Consumer data supports the demand for hot flavors, with 65% of Americans saying they either love or like spicy food, according to market research firm Datassential. Younger consumers, in particular, are driving spicy food innovation. And operators are listening: “spicy” now appears as a descriptor on nearly 80% of menus in Technomic’s Ignite menu database.
To capture more of those heat-seeking diners, Olive Garden went back to the kitchen. The goal: Make it hot, but not too hot.
Expanding on Calabrian chilies
Olive Garden’s menu is inspired by the traditions and flavors of Italy, so it made sense to harness the heat of an Italian pepper. The team tapped Calabrian chilies, native to the Calabria region in southwest Italy—the “toe” of the boot-shaped country. The small red peppers have a fruity, smoky, and medium-spicy flavor profile.
“The bold character and unmistakable warmth of Calabrian chili peppers embody the spirit of Italian cooking,” said Tookes. “With the introduction of these new dishes, we set out to celebrate that distinctive flavor in a way that feels both authentic and approachable — delivering a very balanced taste with a satisfying medium level of heat.”
Spicy Calabrian Steak & Shrimp Bucatini is spiced with Calabrian chilies.
The two new pasta dishes — Spicy Sausage & Peppers Rigatoni and Spicy Chicken & Peppers Rigatoni — were developed with a Calabrian cream sauce similar to that used in the returning Calabrian Steak & Shrimp Bucatini. It’s a component that imparts the flavor of the chilies without zapping diners with overpowering heat.
To create the cream sauce, Tookes starts with an imported Italian paste made from Calabrian chilies, olive oil, and salt. When that is blended with Olive Garden’s cream sauce, “it softens the bold heat of the chilies, creating a balanced flavor experience that is both vibrant and approachable while lingering just enough to invite you in for another bite,” said Tookes. “It’s not just about making things spicy, it’s about creating a flavor that keeps you coming back for another bite.”
Aside from the Calabrian chili paste, the sauce includes marinara sauce, chopped garlic, white wine, and assorted spices and herbs. It went through a lengthy development process with several iterations, Tookes added. “Heat is experienced differently by every palate, and for a brand that brings Italian food to tables across American, our goal was clear: Create a flavor that feels vibrant and distinctive, yet broadly appealing enough for everyone to enjoy,” he said. “The result arrived just in time for summer, with a warmth and character that feels perfectly suited to the season.”
The perfect pasta pairing
He chose bucatini and rigatoni for the two new entrées because of the pastas’ shapes. “Bucatini is an ideal match for Calabrian Cream Sauce, thanks to its thick, hollow shape, which captures the sauce both around and inside each strand,” said Tookes. “Unlike thinner pastas that can become overwhelmed or break apart, bucatini holds its structure beautifully.”
Rigatoni performs in a similar way. Its ridges, hollow center, and sturdy walls catch the sauce and stand up to the heartier ingredients. These include sausage or grilled chicken with mixed bell peppers and a blend of Italian cheeses.
“Together, these shapes were chosen with intention, each designed to showcase the full flavor and texture of the sauce,” he added.
Once the pasta and sauce were finalized, Tookes and the team rounded out each entrée with proteins and vegetables. The Spicy Sausage & Peppers Rigatoni draws inspiration from Sausage and Peppers Rustica, an Italian comfort classic, he said. The Spicy Chicken & Peppers Rigatoni is a natural evolution of that dish, swapping in widely popular grilled chicken for Italian sausage.
Calabrian Steak & Shrimp Bucatini was born directly from guest feedback, according to Tookes. “Olive Garden guests shared a desire to see a surf-and-turf offering on the menu, and that request became the starting point for a dish designed to deliver exactly that — a flavorful meeting of land and sea, reimagined through the brand’s Italian-inspired lens,” he said. This first entrée in the Calabrian lineup is rounded out with grilled sirloin steak tips, shrimp, spinach, and tomatoes along with the cream sauce and bucatini.
The entrées start at $12.99 with never-ending soup or salad and breadsticks.
Olive Garden’s summer of spice
A starter launched along with the two new entrées: Calabrian Hot Honey Chicken Bites. This dish also gets its kick from Calabrian chili paste, mellowed with honey.
Calabrian Hot Honey Chicken Bites deliver sweet heat.
“The honey softens the heat just enough, so it doesn’t overwhelm you, while still letting that chili flavor shine through,” said Tookes. “When both spicy and sweet come together, something great happens. The heat wakes up your taste buds while the sweetness smooths things out, and the combination makes every bite feel exciting without being too much.”
The sweet-hot “swicy” flavor profile is a fan favorite that has been trending for several years now, and the Calabrian Hot Honey Chicken Bites hit the mark. The crispy chicken pieces are tossed in the Italian-inspired Calabrian hot honey sauce and served with all-American ranch. The shareable starter is priced at $10.99.
The four menu items run through July 19 under the banner of Olive Garden’s Calabrian Summer promotion. The marketing hook pairs the heat of summer with the bold flavors of Italian Calabrian peppers. So far, there’s been an “amazing response” from guests, said Tookes.
He won’t share what may be coming next to the menu, but in a broad sense, the brand “focuses on bold flavors, comforting classics, or something new that sparks a little curiosity,” Tookes said.
Pat plans and executes menu, food and drink stories for Restaurant Business and hosts the weekly Menu Talk podcast. She provides in-depth coverage of chefs, trends and menu innovation.
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