Penne Rosa
I've been holding out on you guys. For a few weeks now, I've been stockpiling recipes so I could have some fun yumminess to share while I was chillaxing on the beach this week.
I felt particularly guilty about holding onto this one because it had all the elements of my favorite kind of recipe: supremely easy, speedy, delicious and healthy. But think of it is my gift in exchange for disappearing for a week. I go hang out on the beach for a week and you get a delicious recipe. Fair trade, right?
Okay, maybe not. But this is still a good one!
The inspiration for this weeknight pasta dish actually comes from my eternal laziness. My office is directly above a Noodles and Company restaurant and more often than not, laziness wins out when I need lunch and I just make the quick trip down there to grab lunch.
A lot of times I get their Med Salad (so yum!) but sometimes I'll go for their Penne Rosa. You can serve this dish up vegetarian, but I often will add some plumped sautéed shrimp or cooked chicken breast to help up the protein factor.
My husband said this was his favorite pasta dish I've ever made (and I've made quite a few). I take that as high praise! Oh, and the best part? Start to finish: ready in 15 minutes. Yeah. You need to make this.
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📖 Recipe
Penne Rosa
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 8 ounces button mushrooms sliced
- 2 medium tomatoes about ½ lb. chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 cups fresh spinach
- ½ cup marinara sauce
- 12 ounces whole wheat penne cooked
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt
Instructions
- In a large skillet with a lid, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-low heat. Add in 4 cloves garlic and 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes, cook for 2 minutes or until garlic begins to soften.
- Add in 8 ounces button mushrooms, 2 medium tomatoes, Salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, or until mushrooms begin to release their water.
- Add in 4 cups fresh spinach and cover skillet. Let spinach wilt for 2 minutes. Remove lid, and stir in ½ cup marinara sauce. Remove the skillet from the heat, and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Stir in ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt, and then add 12 ounces whole wheat penne. Stir until sauce is mixed well and all pasta and veggies are coated. Heat until just warmed through. Divide into pasta bowls and serve topped with ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese.
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I can't get down with mushrooms. Any substitution ideas?
I think it'd work to just leave them out. 🙂
I made this last night and it was awesome! I think that I might have added a little too much pepper, but it was amazing anyway and I will be making it again soon! 🙂
Greek Yogurt ROCKS!!! As does Skim evaporated milk:)
This was great - be careful not to heat too high after the yogurt is added or it will break down/curdle; I might also have skimmed some of the liquid before adding the sauce as it ended up a little thinner than I had hoped - but it was still fabulous!
I LOVE the penne rosa at Noodles & Co. I will totally be making this over the weekend.
If you still go to Noodles & Co. during your lunch, you can order it with shrimp. That's how I always do it to cut down on the calories a bit (I actually like it better with shrimp, the parmesan chicken to so salty).
We made this tonight. Turned out really good! I added a 1/4 cup white wine and let simmer a bit right before the shrimp. I also added fresh basil along with the spinach. I like things spicy so i put some chili sauce in it as well. We'll make it again...
I think I'll make this without any meat for my vegetarian daughter. I'll just add extra veggies.
I made this and it was so yummy! Thanks!
I bet this would be great with chicken too! I'm allergic to shrimp so I would be making it with chicken.
I just made this and it is just as yummy as it sounds! Thanks for posting!
This looks excellent! I think I'm going to make a big pot of this with quinoa pasta (gluten free) and have the leftovers for my lunches for the next week. Can't wait to try it!
I tried it with corn penne pasta to make it gluten free and it was delish!
I saw a great idea on another site--instead of wilting the spinach in the pan, just toss the fresh spinach in your strainer before you pour the boiling water and pasta into it. The hot water wilts the spinach, then you can toss it all in to the mix together and skip a step!
It saves a step, but it may reduce the amount of nutrients you get from the spinach too.
Making this tonight! It looks awesome.
I used to be a GM at a Noodles & Company. This looks like a good recipe. My only suggestion is something that is done at the restaurant. When you throw the veggies in to saute throw the noodles in as well. When you saute the noodles as well you release some of the sugars in the pasta. Before you add the sauce, deglaze the pan with an ounce of white wine. When the wine is cooked off toss in an ounce of veggie broth until the noodles soak it up then add the sauce. Just giving you an insider tip on what the restaurant does!
Good to know! This may be a dumb question but you cook the noodles first and then throw them in to saute?
I would say cook the noodles but not a the way- maybe half way
Kat, thanks for the tips, I can see where the recipe is fine the way that it is but you give us just that little extra.
This looks awesome ~ I can't wait to try it!
Oh yeah...I'll listen to you for sure, and promptly make this! It sounds delicious and looks so pretty. I think the recipe will end up in my "feed the inlaws" pile, which needs to be delicous and easy. 🙂
This is genius. Can't wait to try it! I love the simplicity of it all.
I love subbing in Greek yogurt for sour cream, mayo, or cream - it's got such a great tangy creaminess. Great recipe - my husband loves Noodles & Co., I think he'd really enjoy this!
This looks so yummy! The Greek yogurt sounds like a great substitute for cream. I'll definitely give that trick a try!
Thanks! This is perfect for me right now - I'm hugely pregnant so in a major cooking/dinner rut, but this looks easy enough even for me at the moment (-: And nice & springy too! Just perfect. I am so sick of soups, stews, and heavy foods right now!