According to one internet source for nutritional information, the 'Italian Wedge Salad' served at Johnny Carino's restaurants contains 794 calories (compared to a recommended daily intake of around 2000 for women and 2500 for men). Johnny Carino's?
Johnny Carino's, which is now branded Carino's Italian is the name of a US-based restaurant chain that boasts over 170 different branches across the country, with its headquarters based in Austin, Texas.The chain offers Italian-style dishes in a casual dining environment, and has made a name for itself as one of the most recognized names in Italian-American cuisine.
What goes in an Italian Wedge Salad?
Amongst the many mouthwatering dishes on offer is the 'Italian Wedge Salad' - which is a quarter of iceberg lettuce served in a wedge shape, and stacked with bacon crumbles, candied pecans, Gorgonzola cheese, diced Granny Smith apples, diced tomatoes, and a generous drizzle of ranch dressing (a combination of buttermilk, mayonnaise, salt, garlic, onion, and herbs).
As you can tell by the recipe, ingredients like bacon, cheese and particularly a creamy, dairy-based dressing are likely to boost the amount of calories in a salad, so if you're looking to avoid excess calories at all costs, you might want to make the tough choice of asking for the dish to be prepared without one of these items.
Other nutritional information
Perhaps of more concern than the amount of calories in the 'Italian Wedge Salad' is the considerable amount of sodium the dish contains. Based on a recommended daily amount of 2400mg, an Italian Wedge Salad will provide you with 1392mg of Sodium- or over half your daily need!
