I have been a pasta lover all of my life and when a Noodles and Company restaurant opened in our town well over 10 years ago, we had to check it out. Over the years, I have tried almost every dish on the menu, but in the end I always end up going back to the same one, Pasta Fresca. It is such a simple dish with bright, fresh flavors and in my opinion, it’s the best thing on the menu. It’s so good that I finally decided to learn to make it myself a few years ago and after perfecting my recipe, I have been making it on a regular basis ever since.
One of the biggest difficulties I encountered after finding out that I was gluten intolerant was finding decent pasta that wasn’t mushy or sticky and that was comparable to regular pasta. It took a few years, but I finally stumbled upon the Ancient Harvest Super-Grain Pastas and I’ve never looked back. They are AMAZING and so much better than any rice or corn based pastas I have tried. I use them all the time now, no matter who I am cooking pasta for (gluten intolerant or not). Conor thinks they taste just like regular pasta too; it’s so much simpler to make big pasta dinners when everyone is happy with the product being served.
When making Pasta Fresca, there are three main components; the perfect pasta (I use the Ancient Harvest Penne in this dish), the simple and fresh vegetables, and the light and tangy sauce. As far as the vegetables go, I get the best tomatoes, onions, and spinach I can find; there are very few components in the dish, so you want to make sure the ones you are using are of excellent quality. For the sauce, I use a balsamic vinegar that isn’t too cheap so the flavors are richer and more complex and a white wine that has a hint of sweetness to it. I don’t like mine too sweet so I usually opt for a Chardonnay. As always, use a wine that you would drink; don’t cook with something you wouldn’t want to drink on the side.
To finish the dish, I love to top it with some fresh cheese. I use parmesan or feta most times, but I have used goat cheese in the past and that tasted pretty good as well. Then I add a few fresh basil leaves and a protein to make the meal a little more substantial. I did some grilled chicken here, but shrimp is another great option that I love to do. With or without, the dish is simply amazing.
- 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups pre cooked pasta (any kind)
- 1/2 cup roma tomatoes, cubed
- 1/4 red onion, sliced
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach
- salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup feta or parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2-3 tablespoons sweet white wine
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 clove fresh garlic, minced
- Dash of cayenne
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- In a pan, sauté the red onion slices with about a tablespoon of olive oil, salt, and pepper over medium heat until soft and translucent. About 5-10 minutes.
- Make the fresca sauce by whisking together all ingredients in a bowl.
- In a very hot sauté pan, add about 1-2 tablespoons olive oil, pre-cooked pasta, roma tomatoes, red onions, salt, and pepper. Sear noodles, stirring occasionally, until very hot. Add the spinach and fresca sauce. Toss to combine and wilt the spinach.
- Serve with feta or parmesan sprinkled on top.
Love this pasta recipe . Would not have thought of using wine. Also like the fact that measurements are for serving size of two. and not the usual 4-6…..will be trying it!!