Copycat Noodles and Company Pasta Fresca Recipe (2024)

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



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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!

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.


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






You can add or substitute with the following ingredients:



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!


What to serve with this recipe:

  • Parmesan Crusted Chicken
  • Buttery Garlic Bread
  • Loaded Kale Caesar Salad

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


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Copycat Noodles and Company Pasta Fresca Recipe (8)

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.

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Copycat Noodles and Company Pasta Fresca Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Did Noodles and Company get rid of pasta fresca? ›

After a four-year hiatus and thousands of requests from customers, Pasta Fresca returns to its original recipe roots, featuring flavorful balsamic, olive oil and roasted garlic over penne pasta, tossed with fresh tomato and spinach and finished with Parmesan cheese.

What is Fresca sauce made of? ›

FRESCA SAUCE: (for 15 servings) 1/4 cup fresh garlic, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup sweet white wine, 1 cup extra virgin olive oil.

What is pasta fresca made of? ›

Pasta Fresca is gluten free penne pasta tossed with a medley of fresh vegetables including red onion, baby spinach, and tomatoes, tons of fresh garlic, a shortcut balsamic sauce, and the cheese topper of your choice.

Is the pasta fresca from noodles good? ›

That pasta fresca is really, really good. It's a penne pasta (or if gluten free, a corn fusili or rice noodle) with red onion, tomato, and spinach, a sauce made of balsamic, olive oil, white wine and roasted garlic, and topped with parmesan or feta.

What is in pasta fresca Noodles and company? ›

Penne noodles, balsamic vinaigrette, olive oil, roasted garlic, red onion, tomato, spinach and parmesan. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice, but calorie needs vary.

What's the difference between pasta and pasta fresca? ›

Pastas are divided into two broad categories: dried (pasta secca) and fresh (pasta fresca). Most dried pasta is produced commercially via an extrusion process, although it can be produced at home. Fresh pasta is traditionally produced by hand, sometimes with the aid of simple machines.

Why does Fresca taste so sweet? ›

Fresca was originally sweetened with cyclamates which were banned by the FDA in 1969. They were replaced with saccharin and in turn, they were replaced by NutraSweet-brand aspartame.

Did Fresca change its recipe? ›

Since then, the recipe and packaging has been tweaked, but the essence and flavor remains largely the same: "Think fresh, think Fresca," which was once a marketing jingle used for the drink. The Original Citrus flavor is almost similar to a Sprite, but with grapefruit flavor and less of a saccharine bite.

What is Fresca called now? ›

At some point between 2018 and today, Fresca quietly changed the look of its packaging, recategorizing the drink from “sparkling flavored soda” to “sparkling soda water.”

How long do you leave pasta Fresca boiling? ›

Once you have made your pasta, you can cook it right away or dry and keep for a few days. You can also freeze it for later. Remember that fresh egg pasta cooks much quicker than the dried pasta you buy in stores. It usually takes only 4-5 minutes.

What is pasta secca pasta Fresca? ›

There are two main types of pasta – pasta fresca (fresh) and pasta secca (dried). From here there are hundreds of unique shapes, from long flat ribbons and tubes, to twists, shells, sheets and stuffed varieties.

What is the meaning of pasta Fresca? ›

Pasta Fresca means fresh pasta. It can be referred to fresh, handmade pasta, or to pasta tossed with a variety of fresh vegetables.

Why does pasta always taste better in a restaurant? ›

Restaurants know the power of cooking water

"I don't think that home cooks know that." He further explained that the water used to cook pasta seasons not just the pasta but the sauce itself, imparting essential salt and starch for the optimal texture and flavor in the finished dish.

Why does pasta taste so good in Italy? ›

The reason is simple: it's all in the flour. Dry pasta is made with only two ingredients, flour and water. In Italy, that flour comes from a kind of wheat called grano duro (“hard wheat”), a completely different species from the wheat used here to make all-purpose flour and bread products.

Why does Italian pasta taste better? ›

Therefore, Italian pasta is higher in protein. Semolina flour also stands up to the rigors of the cooking process much better than other types of flour. What Italian pasta has been dried slowly, it retains some of the flavor and texture of the semolina flour, contributing to its unique flavor.

Why did Noodles and Company change their menu? ›

Noodles hopes to balance these competing definitions — one focused on the texture and flavor of foods and the other on the aesthetic and emotional connotations of the dishes — by adding new meals, changing the menu's layout and altering the recipes for existing offerings.

Is the pasta fresca vegan at Noodles and Company? ›

The Penne Rosa, Spaghetti, and Pasta Fresca are all vegan-friendly choices. Penne Rosa: To veganize this pasta classic, remove the parmesan cheese and substitute the marinara sauce for the penne rosa cream sauce.

What happened to Pasta Bravo? ›

After the deal with Yum!, the Pasta Bravo chain was closed within eight years. When the last restaurant closed, in December 2011, Aspel remarked, "The future wasn't in what I was doing anymore.

What pasta company went out of business? ›

RIP Ronzoni's Pastina, the Star-Shaped Pasta of So Many Italian American Childhoods. Ronzoni is discontinuing the star-shaped pasta and fans (like me) are devastated.

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