This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy
Pasta Milano Macaroni Grill Copycat – A homemade version of Macaroni Grill’s Pasta Milano. A creamy garlic and sundried tomato sauce, with chicken and mushrooms, over bowtie pasta
Making restaurant favorites at home is one of my favorite things. It can be anything from Mexican Pizza from Taco Bell to Fiesta Lime Chicken from Applebee’s. If you are a fan as well, check out all the Copycat Recipes on the site already.
Right out of college we lived in a town with a Macaroni Grill. It was one of my favorite restaurants at the time. After we moved we have never lived near one again, I am honestly not sure if they still exist. I loved their Pasta Milano. And now I can make it at home, whenever I want! With some Cheesy Garlic Bread on the side for good measure.
My version of Pasta Milano is a little lightened up from the original. Feel free to use more butter and heavy cream if you want it rich and super creamy. I want to be able to enjoy it more often, so I go just a little lighter. It comes together in about 25 minutes too, so it is great for a quick weeknight dinner.
What You’ll Need
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card.
- Chicken Breasts
- Olive Oil
- Mushrooms
- Onion
- Garlic
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes
- Half-n-Half -or heavy cream if you want to to be richer like the restaurant version
- Butter
- Parmesan Cheese
- Fresh Basil
- Pasta – you really can use any cut of pasta you like. They use bowtie pasta, so that I what I used.
- Salt & Pepper
How To Make Pasta Milano
Pasta Milano is a great one skillet meal that the whole family will devour. Plus, the leftovers are great for lunch the next day.
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card.
- Cook Pasta. The first thing you want to do is bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Brown Chicken. Meanwhile, in a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 5-6 minutes, until chicken is browned and cooked through. Remove it from the pan, and keep warm.
- Cook Veggies. Return the pan to the heat. Add mushrooms, onions, garlic, and sun dried tomatoes. Cook until onions are tender and the mushrooms are golden brown. Season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken back to the pan.
- Make Sauce. In a 2 cup measuring cup combine half-and-half, butter, Parmesan cheese, black pepper, and basil. Pour over chicken and mushroom mixture. Bring to a simmer, stirring to combine. Cook for 3-4 minutes until everything is heated through.
- Combine. Add cooked pasta to the pan, and toss to coat.
- Serve. This is best served immediately. Top with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.
What To Serve With Pasta Milano
You really can serve this with just about anything you would a traditional pasta. It does have meat and veggies in the dish, so it could be considered a full meal as is. But if you want to bulk it up and add more here are a few favorites to round out your restaurant quality meal.
I love the idea of making restaurant favorite at home, it means I get to enjoy them more often. This Pasta Milano recipe has been one of my favorites for almost 15 years. I was my go to order every time we went to Macaroni Grill, and now I can make it at home in about 25 minutes. Easy pasta recipes are such a great way to get dinner on the table during busy weeks. They are always ready quickly and the whole family loves them.
More Pasta Recipe to Try
- Chicken Pot Pie Noodles
- One Pot Fettuccine Alfredo
- Chicken Lo Mein
- Creamy Mushroom Pasta
- One Pan Cheesy Sausage Pasta
- Pizza Pasta Skillet
Pasta Milano (Copycat Macaroni Grill)
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound Farfalle, (bowtie pasta)
- 2 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 pound chicken, cut into bit sized pieces
- 12 oz mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1 cup finely chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
- 1 1/2 cup half-and-half, or heavy cream
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1 Tablespoon fresh basil, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions.1 pound Farfalle
- In a large skillet heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add chicken, cook for 5-6 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Remove from pan, and keep warm.2 teaspoon olive oil, 1 pound chicken
- Return pan to heat. Add mushrooms, onions, garlic, and sun dried tomatoes. Cook until onions are tender and the mushrooms are golden brown. Season with salt and pepper. Add chicken back to the pan.12 oz mushrooms, 1 cup finely chopped onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon salt
- In a 2 cup measuring cup combine half-and-half, butter, Parmesan cheese, black pepper, and basil. Pour over chicken and mushroom mixture. Bring to a simmer, stirring to combine. Cook for 3-4 minutes until everything is heated through.1 1/2 cup half-and-half, 1 Tablespoon butter, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 Tablespoon fresh basil
- Add cooked pasta to the pan, and toss to coat.
- Serve immediately. Top with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I created a fun group on Facebook,and I would love for you to join us! It’s a place where you can share YOUR favorite recipes, ask questions, and see what’s new at Dinners, Dishes and Desserts (so that you never miss a new recipe)!
Be sure to follow me on Instagram and tag #dinnersdishes so I can see all the wonderful DINNERS, DISHES, AND DESSERTS recipes YOU make!
Be sure to follow me on my social media, so you never miss a post!
Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram
.
Absolutely loved this. I just wrote a review on my weekly recipe roundup (and divolged my plans to throw a throwback Macaroni Grill themed dinner party where this dish will definitely be present!):
Excellent recipe! Tastes just like at the restaurant! I hate when people comment on a recipe and state what they changed, but per the advice of other commenters I did use heavy cream. I also used Romano cheese just because we prefer the flavor. And we use angel hair pasta, again, only because it’s a texture preference of my family. Will be making this regularly!
Hi! I just tried this recipe, and my family was quite pleased. Pasta Milano and the Chicken Florentine salad were my 2 favorite dishes at Mac Grill, and I was so sad when they 1) dropped the Florentine and 2) closed down at our weekly haunt in Costa Mesa where my brother in law worked for years and years.
I don’t know why I didn’t even look for a copycat recipe before this, but here I am!
Anyway, I first want to thank you for the recipe. I do want to add my 2 cents in terms of what I feel might be added/adjusted. What I changed:
– Just an FYI I mainly stuck close to the recipe, and used heavy cream instead of half and half.
– Before cooking the chicken, I added the olive oil and a seasoning we use on almost everything (Garlic Dude Dust) to the chicken (cut pieces of thigh) as an initial marinating step.
– I cooked the chicken longer (cut pieces of thigh) and browned it in the cast-iron.
– I am not a regular chef or anything…I don’t know what kind of sun-dried tomatoes you use, but I used one that was already in a base of oil. Maybe you used straight tomatoes and reconstitute while cooking?
What I feel could be adjusted:
– Double-up the basil (IMO)
– Maybe I need to change the sun-dried tomatoes I use, but we definitely felt we could have used more than the recipe called for. I would double it, and cut them up into smaller chunks.
– I try not to add too much salt, but it did taste slightly bland. I would add more salt next time.
In any case, thank you very much for posting this, and I’m going to be making this often from now on!!!
I love this recipe and use it all the time. I cook for a family of 5 and they all like this which is heard to find, lol. The recipe is great as is but added some fresh thyme, rosemary and Kalamata olives, which seemed to work well. I used the olives instead of salt and they seemed to have worked well. Keep up the great work and thanks!
Just like I remembered! I loved this dish and now there aren’t any Macaroni Grill next.to me. This receipe nails it!