Pesto Cavatappi (Noodles & Company Copycat)

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There’s so much to love about springy pasta, creamy pesto sauce, and bright diced tomatoes, so it’s no wonder Pesto Cavatappi is Noodles and Company’s most popular dish. Here’s the perfected copycat recipe that’s faster, less expensive, and maybe even just a little more delicious.

Pesto cavatappi on a white platter.

This is one of my absolute favorite quick dinners to make, whether or not I’m pressed for time. It used to be my standing order at Noodles and Company, but now that I don’t live anywhere near one, I set about figuring out how to crack the cavatappi code and make it myself.

And that’s just what I did! Because when you can’t get to a Noodles, you have to bring the Noodles to you. 

Recipe ingredients:

Labeled pesto cavatappi ingredients in bowls.

Ingredient notes:

  • Cavatappi: You can substitute rotini, rigatoni, bow-tie, or any small or medium-sized pasta.
  • Mushrooms: Noodles & Company puts them in, but you can leave them out.
  • Dry white wine: Substitute more chicken broth for the wine if you want to.
  • Pesto. Homemade pesto or store-bought.

Step-by-step instructions:

  1. First, cook the pasta in salted boiling water. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and sauté the mushrooms and tomatoes until the mushrooms release their liquid and the tomatoes are heated through.
    Tomatoes and mushrooms cooking in a silver pan with a wooden spoon.
  2. Next, stir in the broth, wine, and cream and bring everything to a boil. Turn down the heat and reduce the mixture until the sauce has thickened slightly. This should take about two minutes.
    Cream being poured onto cooked mushrooms and tomatoes in a silver pan.
  3. After that, add the pesto and give the sauce a stir. Cook for another couple minutes.
    Pesto being stirred into mushrooms and tomato mixture in a silver pan.
  4. Once the pasta is cooked, add it to the sauce and gently toss until the sauce finds all the nooks and crannies in the pasta. Then all you have to do is serve it up in big bowls and garnish with grated Parmesan.

Recipe tips and variations:

  • Vegetarian: Substitute pasta cooking water for the chicken broth. The starches in the pasta water make the recipe even creamier.
  • Chicken: Cook chunks of chicken in olive oil before you add the tomatoes and mushrooms. Throw in the mushrooms and tomatoes to cook when the chicken is just barely pink, then proceed with the recipe as directed.
  • Shrimp: Add them to the skillet with the mushrooms and tomatoes to cook (they cook quickly).
  • Zucchini noodles: Super healthy dinner ahead! Get the sauce made and stir in raw zucchini ribbons. Serve when the zucchini is just warm. Don’t overcook it, because zucchini tastes best as pasta when it still has a little crunch.
  • Other mix-ins: Black olives, fresh spinach, or chopped sun-dried tomatoes.

Pesto cavatappi on a white platter.

More Italian recipes:

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Pesto cavatappi on a white platter.

Pesto Cavatappi (Noodles & Company Copycat)

There’s so much to love about springy pasta, creamy pesto sauce, and bright diced tomatoes, so it’s no wonder Pesto Cavatappi is Noodles and Company’s most popular dish. Here’s the perfected copycat recipe that’s faster, less expensive, and maybe even just a little more delicious.
Author: Meggan Hill
5 from 113 votes
Prep Time 3 mins
Cook Time 12 mins
Total Time 15 mins
Servings 8 servings
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Italian
Calories 423

Ingredients 

  • 1 tablespoon Salt
  • 1 pound cavatappi pasta or other small pasta (see note 1)
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 large tomato cored and diced
  • 4 ounces mushrooms sliced (optional, see note 2)
  • 1/4 cup chicken broth or vegetable broth
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine (see note 3)
  • ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 cup homemade pesto or store-bought (see note 4)
  • 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Instructions 

  • In a large saucepan or stock pot, bring 4 quarts of water and salt to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain well.
  • Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add tomatoes and mushrooms (if using) and cook for about 5 minutes, until some of the liquid has been released and the tomatoes are heated through.
  • Stir in the broth, wine, and cream and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium and cook until the sauce has thickened slightly, about 2 minutes.
  • Add pesto and stir until heated through, about 2 minutes. Add pasta and toss until uniformly coated in the sauce. Transfer to a serving dish or individual plates and garnish with Parmesan cheese.

Recipe Video

Notes

  1. Cavatappi: You can substitute rotini, rigatoni, bow-tie, or any small or medium-sized pasta.
  2. Mushrooms: Noodles & Company puts them in, but you can leave them out.
  3. Dry white wine: Substitute more chicken broth for the wine if you want to.
  4. Pesto. Homemade pesto or store-bought.
  5. Vegetarian: Substitute pasta cooking water for the chicken broth. The starches in the pasta water make the recipe even creamier.
  6. Chicken: Cook chunks of chicken in olive oil before you add the tomatoes and mushrooms. Throw in the mushrooms and tomatoes to cook when the chicken is just barely pink, then proceed with the recipe as directed.
  7. Shrimp: Add them to the skillet with the mushrooms and tomatoes to cook (they cook quickly).
  8. Zucchini noodles: Super healthy dinner ahead! Get the sauce made and stir in raw zucchini ribbons. Serve when the zucchini is just warm. Don’t overcook it, because zucchini tastes best as pasta when it still has a little crunch.
  9. Other mix-ins: Black olives, fresh spinach, or chopped sun-dried tomatoes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 423kcalCarbohydrates: 47gProtein: 14gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 1397mgPotassium: 254mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 1021IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 217mgIron: 1mg
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Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.

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Comments

  1. Great recipe! We really enjoyed it, but noticed a bit of a bitterness. Is there a way to avoid that? Could this be due to the wine? What is the best white wine to use?5 stars

    1. Hi Janina! Possibly the wine or the brand of pesto sounds like what it could have been. I usually opt for a dry white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc, Unoaked Chardonnay, or Pinot Grigio. It really depends on what I have on hand. Hope this helps! – Meggan

    1. Hi Cathy, you can definitely make ahead but I’ve never tried it cold so I’m not sure how that would taste. Sorry about that! – Meggan

  2. The recipe was excellent and I think it tasted better than Noodle Company. The best part was that you could have more helpings!5 stars

  3. I made mine a little different but about the same. I used veggie broth for both the broth and the white wine. I used fire roasted diced tomatoes from a can – drained. I think those were the differences. I think next time I will add just a bit more pesto cause I don’t think I used enough if I’m following the recipe. But sometimes I forget to compare measurements from container to recipe. I really liked it though. I’ll make it again next week.5 stars

    1. Thanks for the comment AJ! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, those changes sound great. – Meggan

    1. Hi there Kyle, you can substitute more chicken broth for the wine if you want to. – Meggan

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