Penne Rosa (Copycat Noodles and Company)
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 55 minutes | Serves: 6
I think I can call this a “copycat” recipe, however, I feel like I changed it so much that it is a different recipe altogether! Maybe it should just be inspired by and an adapted version of Noodles and Company “Penne Rosa.”
This whole adventure began with my daughter texting me about this super-yummy dish she had at the Noodles and Company in middle Tennessee, and she asked me if I could replicate it. Between looking it up on their website and taking her cues, that’s all I had to go on. But, if you know me at all, you know I have to attempt to improve upon, or at least add a little flair. So, with a couple of cooking attempts, I think I have an amazing dish to present to you!
Since it’s called “Rosa,” let’s be sure to get plenty of reds added in besides the marinara…roasted red pepper slices, sun-dried tomato slices (great texture and a little pop of flavor), and roasted tomatoes. Oh, goodness! Super delicious!
Little tip – Keep the oil that you drain from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes and use it as a cooking oil for another dish for another time!
Another little tip – if you use a store-bought jar of roasted red peppers and there is quite a bit of black charring on the peppers, use a clean, dry paper towel to rub that off, or a table knife to gently scrape the surface of the peppers. Most will come off, if not all.
A good timing tip – at the very start, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Then, get a large pot of salted water boiling for your pasta. The tomatoes and penne will take some inactive prep time, so you might-as-well get those things started. Then get into cooking your chicken breasts, slicing peppers, etc. It’s good time management.
I have found that a whole pound of penne pasta is just too much for this recipe. But, hey, if you love pasta, you can add the whole pound. I would suggest you add more marinara or about a half a cup of water to thin out your sauce a little so the final dish is not too dry of pasta. If you choose not to use the whole pound, either just don’t cook it or cook and save it for another use.
Noodles and Company adds mushrooms to their Penne Rosa dish; I do not in this recipe. It’s your choice whether or not you’d like to add them. If you do add them, wash and slice the mushrooms, add them to the oil after the chicken breasts have been cooked through and removed. Saute the mushrooms just until softened and their moisture is absorbed, then continue with step 5.
I really liked using a microplane for garlic in this recipe. It brought an aroma and flavor that just adding minced garlic doesn’t do. It’s my personal preference, but you are welcome to add the garlic sliced, minced, or finely grated.
Like the Spaghetti Server Set? See below the recipe card for how you can get one for yourself or a friend!
Enjoy!!
Penne Rosa (Copycat Noodles and Co.)
Ingredients
- 12 ounces penne pasta, cooked to al dente in salted water
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper, or to taste
- 2 chicken breasts, halved into 4 cutlets
- 1/2 cup shallots, finely chopped
- 1 cup roasted red peppers, thinly sliced
- 7-ounce jar sun-dried tomatoes, julienne cut, drained well
- 6 ounces fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- 24 ounces good-quality marinara, or my Marinara recipe
- 2 large garlic cloves, grated on a microplane, or finely chopped
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated or shredded, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil for easy clean up.
- Place the tomatoes, ½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon pepper on the baking sheet and toss with your hands or a spatula to coat the tomatoes.
- Roast the tomatoes for 10 minutes, or until they are softened. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- While the tomatoes are roasting, place a deep skillet over medium heat with the remaining 1 ½ tablespoon of oil. You could alternatively cook this in an electric skillet.
- Season both sides of the 4 pieces of chicken with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, saute both sides of the chicken breast until nicely browned and just cooked through. A thermometer should register 165 degrees. Remove the chicken from the skillet and cover loosely.
- Maintaining the heat, add the shallots and lightly sauté and soften, but not brown, only about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the marinara, peppers, and sun-dried tomatoes. Stir well and bring up to a gentle boil.
- Add the spinach leaves, garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes if using. Stir to wilt the spinach and combine.
- Add the drained pasta to the marinara mixture and stir gently, but thoroughly.
- Add the heavy cream, roasted tomatoes, and basil if using and stir gently again.
- Taste for seasoning and adjust as desired.
- To serve, slice the chicken breasts and place on top of warm pasta. Top with grated Parmesan cheese if desired.
I was generously gift this 2-piece Pasta Server and Spaghetti Tong Set by INOX Artisans. The copper-accented handles are called “Sundance” and you can check out Inox’s entire line of this style of servers and flatware!
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