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.

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:

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.
   
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.
   
3. After that, add the pesto and give the sauce a stir. Cook for another couple minutes.
   
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.

More Italian recipes:

• Basil Walnut Pesto
• Pesto-Roasted Chicken
• Chicken Piccata
• Eggplant Parmesan

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

ReviewPrint

Prep Time 3 mins

Cook Time 12 mins

Total Time 15 mins

Servings 8 servings

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Calories 423

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

• ▢ 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

Did you make this recipe?Tag @culinaryhill on Instagram so we can admire your masterpiece! #culinaryhill

Meggan Hill

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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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