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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.
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This looks so yummy! I can almost taste all the great flavors!
What a great week night meal to add to my rotation.
Nope, can’t say I’ve ever heard of Lego Robotics, but I have a girl who has absolutely no interest in anything Lego. She finds them obnoxious. 🙂 The pasta dish on the other hand, that’s awesome. On this cold, rainy day, it’s pure comfort food.
This is going to go over big in my family.
Macaroni grill is a favorite of mine. Love this copycat recipe from there.
This looks amazing. Hits all my happy places at once.
I’ve never ate at Macaroni Grill (hard to believe), but this would totally be the type of meal I would order if I saw this on their menu. Will definitely be putting this on my to-make list.
I saw this on Instagram and had to check it out! It looks so warm and satisfying!
Thanks Andi!
This pasta looks so incredibly delicious.. definitely perfect for a weeknight meal. Thanks for sharing the recipe, you can consider that I will be recreating it!
Sometimes I think takeout at home is even BETTER than actual takeout. This pasta sounds great!! Hopefully it keeps you fueled through all those lego sessions….