Name: Noodles and Company Pesto Cavatappi Copycat Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 15 basil leaves; ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese; ½ teaspoon salt; 2 teaspoons garlic (minced); 1 ½ Tablespoons olive oil; 8 ounces pasta (Cavatappi); 1 cup fresh mushrooms (sliced); ½ Tablespoon olive oil; 1 cup cherry tomatoes (halved); ½ teaspoon garlic salt; ¼ cup milk; ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese (for topping)

Noodles & Company Pesto Cavatappi Copycat

My favorite restaurant is Noodles & Company.

If I could afford to go there every single day I would! I order the same thing every time I go, and it is their Pesto Cavatappi.

The mushrooms, tomatoes, and delicious sauce can make just about any bad day turn into the best day!

I have been searching for a recipe that tastes remotely close to the real thing, and I think I finally figured it out!

Here is the Six Sisters’ version of Noodles & Co. Pesto Cavatappi.

Serves: 4

Noodles and Company Pesto Cavatappi Copycat Recipe

One of our favorite restaurants is Noodles & Company and we love their Pesto Cavatappi. The mushrooms, tomatoes, and delicious sauce make this one of our favorite dishes.

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 15 mins

Total Time 25 mins

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Ingredients

Pesto Sauce

15 basil leaves
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons garlic minced
1 ½ Tablespoons olive oil

Pasta

8 ounces pasta Cavatappi
1 cup fresh mushrooms sliced
½ Tablespoon olive oil
1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
½ teaspoon garlic salt
¼ cup milk
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese for topping

Instructions

Pesto Sauce

Rinse basil leaves in cold water.
In a food processor or high-power blender, combine basil leaves, Parmesan cheese, salt, garlic, and olive oil. It will create a paste looking sauce (if it is too thick, you can add a little milk to the sauce).

Pasta

Cook noodles according to the directions on the box.
While the noodles are cooking, saute mushrooms with 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil over medium heat.
After about 3 minutes, add your sliced cherry tomatoes along with your garlic salt and let them cook together for about 8 minutes stirring occasionally.
After your noodles are done, drain them completely.
Reduce heat on tomato and mushrooms to low, and add your noodles to the saute pan.
Stir in noodles, then add pesto sauce to the mixture. Once everything is mixed together, add 1/4 cup of milk to the mixture. You can add more or less depending on how thick you would like your sauce.
Top with Parmesan cheese.

Video

Notes

It is also very tasty with grilled chicken (just like at Noodles & Company!).

Nutrition

Calories: 197 kcal · Carbohydrates: 7 g · Protein: 11 g · Fat: 14 g · Saturated Fat: 5 g · Cholesterol: 19 mg · Sodium: 1291 mg · Potassium: 399 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 5 g · Vitamin A: 727 IU · Vitamin C: 14 mg · Calcium: 331 mg · Iron: 1 mg

Equipment

Food processor/blender
sauce pan
Frying pan

Recipe Details

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Author: Lauren

Recipe Adapted from: ourwaytoeat.com

Questions & Reviews

kalamityray says:

Copy cat or not, this looks fantastic! I'll have to pass this along to the spouse, who's a pasta nut. Thanks for sharing!

Lisa says:

Yay! Thank you! This is the only thing I ever order there, too!

Eli Powell says:

I love pesto, I'll have to give this a try!

Melissa Morrison says:

I've been trying to duplicate my favorite dish from Noodles, Pasta Fresca. I have the basic idea down but can't get it to taste just like theirs. I swear I'm gonna get a job there just so I can learn the secrets ;) I think you should try this one next!

Melanie says:

Where do you find your noodles? I have been looking for them forever.

Cyd says:

We found them at Wal Mart.

Melanie says:

Which wal-mart? I looked at the Lindon, UT wal-mart and had no luck.

Tamara says:

I found some at the AF Wal-Mart but it's called Cellentani it was on the far right of all the Barilla pastas almost hidden. Good luck!

meghanssj says:

Hi there, Thanks for linking my recipe. I wanted to give you a tip on thinning the pesto, (which should be thick....) I use a bit of the salty pasta water and it helps the cheese melt a little, adds more flavor and is a way to thin the sauce other than using milk. I think your version sounds great, but if you really want the Noodles and Co. flavor, you've got to use fresh mushrooms. That's just my 2 cents. Have a great day.

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kalamityray says:

Copy cat or not, this looks fantastic! I'll have to pass this along to the spouse, who's a pasta nut. Thanks for sharing!
Lisa says:

Yay! Thank you! This is the only thing I ever order there, too!
Eli Powell says:

I love pesto, I'll have to give this a try!
Melissa Morrison says:

I've been trying to duplicate my favorite dish from Noodles, Pasta Fresca. I have the basic idea down but can't get it to taste just like theirs. I swear I'm gonna get a job there just so I can learn the secrets ;) I think you should try this one next!
Melanie says:

Where do you find your noodles? I have been looking for them forever.
Cyd says:

We found them at Wal Mart.
Melanie says:

Which wal-mart? I looked at the Lindon, UT wal-mart and had no luck.
Tamara says:

I found some at the AF Wal-Mart but it's called Cellentani it was on the far right of all the Barilla pastas almost hidden. Good luck!
meghanssj says:

Hi there, Thanks for linking my recipe. I wanted to give you a tip on thinning the pesto, (which should be thick....) I use a bit of the salty pasta water and it helps the cheese melt a little, adds more flavor and is a way to thin the sauce other than using milk. I think your version sounds great, but if you really want the Noodles and Co. flavor, you've got to use fresh mushrooms. That's just my 2 cents. Have a great day.

Noodles & Company Pesto Cavatappi Copycat