You Can Enjoy Fresh-Baked Olive Garden Breadsticks At Home By Ordering Them Like This

Recently, an Olive Garden menu from the '90s gave us mad nostalgia and reminded us of all the delicious meals we have enjoyed over the years with the Garden's soup and breadsticks on the side. Of all the secrets you didn't know about Olive Garden restaurants, one key to enjoying hot, fresh breadsticks at home might be the most valuable hidden gem. When you're ordering takeout from the OG and adding extra breadsticks to your cart, you will see that you have the option to order them in increments of six or 12 at a time. What's more, you can buy them "baked" or "unbaked." Purchasing unbaked breadsticks means that you will be sent home with breadsticks that need to be put in the oven before enjoying, giving you the quintessential in-restaurant experience of fresh breadsticks, even if you have to travel a ways between the Olive Garden location and your home.

Once you have your breadsticks at home, you simply place them in a preheated 450-degree oven for between six and eight minutes. It's suggested that you rotate your baking sheet after a few minutes for all-over browning. When the sticks emerge from the oven, brush them with melted butter and sprinkle them all over with garlic salt. Olive Garden suggests a tablespoon of salt per dozen breadsticks, but since they're your personal batch, you can certainly season to taste! It's recommended that you bake up and consume your breadsticks within two days to ensure they don't go stale.

Although fresh breadsticks make a natural, intuitive accompaniment to your favorite Olive Garden pastas, that isn't nearly the end of what you can do with your unbaked breadsticks. With a little creativity, you can channel the ghost of Olive Garden's discontinued breadstick sandwich and slice them vertically, then stuff them with cheese and meat. If you have leftover marinara or Alfredo sauce from your own Italian-inspired cooking, you can save some money on dipping sauces for your breadsticks, perhaps even creating a dunking smorgasbord with the addition of cheese sauce and honey mustard. Experiment to find out which sauces work best!

Although Olive Garden is upfront about the fact that these delicious, carby batons should be eaten within a couple of days, they don't advertise that the unbaked breadsticks freeze really well ... something that the internet discovered and has had a field day with. Trial and error has sniffed out some helpful hints, such as wrapping individual sticks in parchment or foil to prevent sticking and storing them in airtight containers or freezer bags to preserve quality. An initial round of freezing in a single layer might also be useful to make sure the breadsticks don't get doughy and cling to one another. When you are ready to enjoy your breadsticks, just thaw and bake! If you buy unbaked breadsticks in bulk and freeze them, you will always have some on hand for your own pasta nights and can bring a bit of that Olive Garden restaurant experience to your own kitchen!