Copycat Noodles and Company Pasta Fresca Recipe

This copycat Pasta Fresca recipe from Noodles and Company is such an easy meal that's ready in less than 30 minutes! Add your favorite protein like chicken, shrimp or beef or keep it as a meatless vegetarian meal! Save money and make this restaurant favorite at home!


Copycat Noodles and Company Pasta Fresca



This copycat Pasta Fresca recipe from Noodles and Company is such an easy meal that's ready in less than 30 minutes! Add your favorite protein like chicken, shrimp or beef or keep it as a meatless vegetarian meal! Save money and make this restaurant favorite at home!


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This copycat Pasta Fresca recipe from Noodles and Company is such an easy meal that's ready in less than 30 minutes! Add your favorite protein like chicken, shrimp or beef or keep it as a meatless vegetarian meal! Save money and make this restaurant favorite at home!


My daughter and I love Noodles and Company. 

Pasta Fresca is my daughter's absolute favorite thing to get there, so we decided to save some money and try to re-create it at home.

This dish turned out amazing! The flavor was almost spot on and it got better with every bite. 

I'm not even sure we will ever have to go to Noodles and Company again. 

I did not add meat, but grilled chicken or shrimp would be a great addition! You can also make and add the Copycat Parmesan Crusted Chicken!

This meal is great for those busy weeknights, and would be even better with tomatoes, spinach and onions from the garden or farmer's market! So perfect for any time of the year and super easy to make!

It's also easy to customize and you can switch up many ingredients depending on what you have on hand. Check out some of my suggestions below!


This copycat Pasta Fresca recipe from Noodles and Company is such an easy meal that's ready in less than 30 minutes! Add your favorite protein like chicken, shrimp or beef or keep it as a meatless vegetarian meal! Save money and make this restaurant favorite at home!


What is in Pasta Fresca?


  • Balsamic vinegar: A very dark, concentrated, and intensely flavored vinegar originating in Italy. It's made from grape must which is freshly crushed grape juice with all the skins, seeds and stems. It has antioxidants, and is usually aged for at least 12 years, up to 25 years in wood barrels. 
  • Extra virgin olive oil: This is a liquid fat obtained from pressing whole mediterranean olives. It's used for cooking, bread dips and making salad dressings. It has a lower smoke point than other oils, so you'll want to use it when cooking at a lower temperature. 
  • Fresh parsley: This herb is not just a garnish! It has a robust, fresh flavor and is great in salads, sauces, marinades, soups and more! It has vitamin k which is needed for blood and bone health.
  • Fresh tomatoes: They are technically a fruit since they have seeds, but are prepared or served as a vegetable in savory dishes. They contain lycopene, which has great health benefits, vitamin c, potassium and folate. They are served fresh or cooked and can be roasted, canned, dehydrated or frozen for use later.

This copycat Pasta Fresca recipe from Noodles and Company is such an easy meal that's ready in less than 30 minutes! Add your favorite protein like chicken, shrimp or beef or keep it as a meatless vegetarian meal! Save money and make this restaurant favorite at home!



Other penne pasta recipes you may like:



This recipe is ready in these steps:


  • In a small bowl, mix together the sauce mixture ingredients
  • In a large skillet, saute garlic in olive oil then add the red onion and continue to saute
  • Add the cooked pasta, and saute
  • Add the spinach, tomatoes and sauce mixture, sauté
  • Remove from heat, and sprinkle with shredded parmesan

Full recipe below




This copycat Pasta Fresca recipe from Noodles and Company is such an easy meal that's ready in less than 30 minutes! Add your favorite protein like chicken, shrimp or beef or keep it as a meatless vegetarian meal! Save money and make this restaurant favorite at home!



You can add or substitute with the following ingredients:


This copycat Pasta Fresca recipe from Noodles and Company is such an easy meal that's ready in less than 30 minutes! Add your favorite protein like chicken, shrimp or beef or keep it as a meatless vegetarian meal! Save money and make this restaurant favorite at home!


Looking for more fresh tomato recipes?




What readers are saying about this recipe:

  • Patti: Outstanding!! made this tonight, was a BIG hit!!
  • Trari: I used red wine vinegar instead of white wine and it still tastes awesome! The flavor isnt exact because of this but it's still really great!
  • Layne: Literally amaaaaaaazing. This will be a weekly meal for now on! So light but filling. I wish I could make it again tonight. Loved this so much!
  • Christina: Pretty damn close to the real thing. Next time I think I will add the tomatoes at the same time as the onions. I also added some pecorino cheese at the end. Will be making again.
  • Kyra: Super easy and delicious! Just like the original! 

This copycat Pasta Fresca recipe from Noodles and Company is such an easy meal that's ready in less than 30 minutes! Add your favorite protein like chicken, shrimp or beef or keep it as a meatless vegetarian meal! Save money and make this restaurant favorite at home!


What to serve with this recipe:



I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did!


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Copycat Noodles and Company Pasta Fresca
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Copycat Noodles and Company Pasta Fresca

Yield: 6 servings
Author: Hot Eats and Cool Reads

Ingredients

  • Sauce mixture:
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons white wine
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • Saute ingredients:
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3/4 cup red onion, thickly sliced
  • 12 ounces penne pasta, cooked al dente, rinsed and drained
  • 2 ounces spinach, torn into smaller pieces
  • 6 vine on tomatoes, each cut into 6 wedges (could also use campari or roma)
  • shredded parmesan

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, mix together the sauce mixture ingredients and set aside.
  2. In a large skillet, saute garlic in olive oil for a couple minutes and then add the red onion and continue to saute for a few more minutes. 
  3. Add the cooked pasta, and saute for about another 5 minutes until the pasta starts to lightly brown.
  4. Add the spinach, tomatoes and sauce mixture, sautéing for 5-7 minutes or until spinach starts to wilt.
  5. Remove from heat, and sprinkle with shredded parmesan.
Created using The Recipes Generator

This copycat Pasta Fresca recipe from Noodles and Company is such an easy meal that's ready in less than 30 minutes! Add your favorite protein like chicken, shrimp or beef or keep it as a meatless vegetarian meal! Save money and make this restaurant favorite at home!


Thanks so much for stopping by!

Comments

  1. This turned out fantastic!!!!!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mmmmm, I love pasta! Yours looks divine! I've seen those tomatoes the last couple weeks too, and have wanted to try them! I love the color. Thanks for sharing at Church Supper. Have a blessed week & come back soon ~EMM

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pasta is a favorite here too! The color of these tomatoes are fabulous! Thanks so much for hosting!!

      Delete
  3. Recipes like this one make me think of summer! I can't wait to try it. We'd love for you to link this to our party! http://housewivesofriverton.blogspot.com/2012/03/recipe-round-up-8.html

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    Replies
    1. Me too! I love fresh pasta recipes like this one! Looks like I missed the linky, but I will try to link up next week! Thanks!!

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  4. Yum! This is a perfect sort of dish for these warmer temperatures. Thanks for sharing!

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  5. wow!!Pasta is my favourite & now you are making me mouthwater!!!
    This look so delicious....Thanks a lot for linking with Midweek Fiesta..

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  6. Thank you so much for sharing your great recipe with Full Plate Thursday. Hope you are having a great Spring week end and come back to see me real soon!
    Miz Helen

    ReplyDelete
  7. What white wine did you use? I don't drink, and so I am a little LOST when it comes to what to buy. Should I buy cooking white wine? Or regular

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I used some leftover Riesling I had in the fridge, but white cooking wine would work well too!

      Delete
  8. I am craving pasta now! Must. make. this!!! I really love your blog too!!
    xxx,
    Kat
    www.agirlandherfood.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wow! I have never even heard of a kumato before! This looks wonderful. Glad I found it through Foodie Friends Friday!

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  10. I tried this today as I really loved the Noodles & Company pasta like you, and it came out really well !! Thanks for posting the recipe :-)

    ReplyDelete
  11. This is a topic which is close to my heart... Thank
    you! Where are your contact details though?

    My web-site ... germany

    ReplyDelete
  12. what kind of meat would I add ???

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  13. oh! This looks delicious!! Here from Eat. Create. Party.

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  14. Looks very delicious! Can I make this dish a day earlier and reheat and serve the next day? Thank you...

    ReplyDelete
  15. I have never cooked with wine. Can you make a suggestion on a particular wine that you used in this recipe?

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  16. I made this tonight and it was very good! I just made a few minor adjustments. I replaced half the oil with water, apple juice instead of wine, added mushrooms, and used italian blend cheese instead of parmesan. It was great!Thanks for the recipe!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I worked at a noodles & Co. For a few years and this is pretty close to how I make it at home. The only difference in the restaurant version is that the sauce is added when the liquid in the noodles is au sec, right at the end and without the heat turned on. The residual heat from the pan should warm the sauce. Other than that though I think this is how it was made. Great recipe! It's a nice shakeup from typical pasta sauces.

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  18. How many servings is this for?
    Thanks

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  19. Love!!! It was really good. As close as I can get to the real deal.

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  20. I make this at least once a month, everyone loves it! Thank you! I always add more veggies to mine!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad your family enjoys it so much! Thanks so much for letting me know!

      Delete
  21. What kind of white wine do you use?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You can use white cooking wine, or any white wine that isn't sweet.

      Delete

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