I kind of love Noodles & Company. Like, did you know that they have two different kinds of gluten-free pasta that they will substitute into a number of dishes at no extra charge? Yeah, they do. It’s awesome. They’re also one of the few big chains that use whole, fresh ingredients without unnecessary additives, and they offer a lot of healthier options.
I’ve sampled all of their dishes that can be made gluten-free, and while they’re all delicious, I’m still hooked on the very first dish I ever tried there: the Tuscan fresca.
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. As much as I’d love to get one for lunch most days of the week, that’s not exactly practical. So I became determined to make my own.
And I have to say, I think I came pretty damn close. Making my “copycat” version at home will not only save you some cash, but it also makes it super easy to customize the dish to your own preferences. More veggies, maybe? Less oil? A little bit of extra heat? Whatever you like! Anything goes when you make it at home. Feel free to add whatever vegetables are in season and have fun with it!
The sauce is so simple, but it’s absolutely delicious – it’s definitely the star of the show in this recipe. It keeps for quite a while in the fridge, so I like to make larger batches of it that I can pour over freshly cooked pasta or use as a salad dressing later in the week.
I can’t get enough of this pasta. It’s honestly one of my most favorite meals. Try it out – I promise you’ll love it!
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 bulb garlic, minced (about ¼ cup)
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup sweet white wine (I used a moscato)
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- pinch of fresh ground black pepper
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ of a red onion, sliced (about 1 cup)
- 3-4 cups cooked pasta (I used a gluten-free brown rice penne)
- 1½ cups chopped tomato
- 2 cups baby spinach
- salt & pepper to taste
- feta or parmesan to top (optional)*
- Pour ¼ cup of olive oil into a small saucepan with the minced garlic. Gently heat over medium-low heat for several minutes until garlic sizzles and just begins to color, then immediately remove from heat. (You don't want it brown, just a nice golden color.)
- Combine the garlic-infused olive oil with the balsamic, white wine, extra virgin olive oil, and sea salt. Whisk well to combine and set aside.
- Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil on a large skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat, then add the sliced red onion. Saute for about one minute or until onion starts to soften slightly.
- Add pasta and diced tomatoes and toss gently to combine, cooking for another minute or two, just until pasta is heated throughout.
- Remove from heat, then add spinach and pour ¼ cup of the sauce over the pasta. Toss gently to combine until spinach is wilted and sauce is well distributed. Season to taste and top with feta or parmesan, if desired.
- Enjoy!
Magda lives, cooks, and blogs from beautiful Portland, Oregon. She's on a mission to actively live her manifesto with Project Delici8, an eight-year quest to fully immerse herself in the things that matter most in life.
Can’t wait to try this recipe for the Tuscan noodles! It is my all time favorite from noodle and Co.
Is a bulb like a whole thing of garlic that you’d buy at the store?
Yes, I absolutely love garlic, so I use the whole thing! You can definitely get away with using less though if you like. 🙂
Also, could I substitute something for the wine? I never have any on hand. Or would it alter the flavor too much? I’m so excited to try this!
I know how you feel, I only ever buy wine when I want to make this pasta… You could try substituting white grape juice for the moscato – it will make it a bit sweeter, but it should still be delicious!
Just made and had. It was as good as at restruant. Only question is was so much sauce. Made a cup but used only 1/4 cup?
Any suggestions
I’m so glad you liked it!
Yeah, I made this recipe with a larger, full batch of sauce because 1)it keeps really well in the fridge, and I love having extra on hand to quickly throw together another batch of pasta or to use in other meals, and 2)it’s actually kind of difficult to make a single serving amount as you’d need a really tiny saucepan to really cook one tablespoon of garlic in one tablespoon of olive oil.
But it’s really easy to “quarter” the recipe if you’d rather just make a single serving – just use one tablespoon of each of the ingredients and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. You can even use minced roasted garlic instead of raw and skip having to heat the sauce altogether if you like!
Made this tonight for dinner and it was delicious! Will definitely add this one to the list to make again. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
I just found out Noodles & Company discontinued selling the Pasta Fresca so I am soooo excited to have this recipe!
I know, I was so bummed to see it wasn’t on the menu anymore! 🙁
Thankfully, it’s a pretty quick and easy recipe to make at home… Thanks for reading!
They stayed making it again! At least at the ones I go to. I was so happy to see it back
I see olive oil on the sauce ingredient list twice, but you don’t use a half cup of EVOO do you??! I’m guessing it just got on there twice but only use 1/4 cup total
This makes a pretty big batch of dressing, and yes, you do actually use a 1/2 cup of olive oil total. You heat the first 1/4 cup to lightly brown the garlic and later add the second 1/4 cup (cold) in with the wine, balsamic, and other ingredients. I hope that makes a little more sense!
I use to work at noodles and co for over 4 years and haven’t been back since I stopped working there but im excited to try this!!