This easy and light Pasta Fresca is loaded with flavor from a white wine-balsamic sauce. It gets added freshness and flavor from parsley, Roma tomatoes, garlic and olive oil. It's a delicious pasta dinner that comes together quickly and doesn't require much effort. Ready in under 20 minutes!
It's pasta night, and it is SO not boring over here! This light and easy recipe is my husband's all-time favorite pasta dish. It is inspired by the on-the-menu... then off-the-menu... then on-the-menu again Noodles & Company Pasta Fresca!
I recreated it at home so we can enjoy it whenever we want (whether it is on the menu or not!). It is easy to make gluten-free (using gluten-free pasta) and vegan by using vegan cheese. I tend to add more spinach, too.
The plump and juicy Roma tomatoes combined with pungent red onions are a match made in pasta heaven. It is a crowd-pleasing healthy recipe that everyone seems to just love. I love a crowd pleaser that's also this easy to make! It doesn't require a lot and yet it screams gourmet.
We enjoy this colorful dish year-round, but I especially love it any time I want a warm dinner that isn't too heavy. It is somehow comforting yet light all at once!
Ingredients
This ingredient list is divided into two parts: the sauce and the pasta/veggies.
The Sauce
I always love a good tomato-based pasta sauce (like this spaghetti arrabbiata!) but this olive oil-based sauce with white wine and balsamic vinegar is next level! I love that this sauce is light, fresh and savory with so much flavor.
It is a classic Italian sauce, which of course is made with fresh ingredients. I love to drench the noodles and veggies in it and it is amazing to serve with a little bread to sop up the rest when you're done! The sauce is made with:
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Balsamic vinegar
- Sweet white wine
- Fresh garlic cloves
- Fresh parsley
- Salt
The Pasta and Veggies
Noodles & Co. keeps it simple with just penne pasta, roasted garlic, red onion, tomato, spinach and your choice of parmesan or feta cheese. This easy pasta fresca recipe is consistent, with the option of using vegan feta or parmesan.
See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for quantities and full instructions.
- Your choice of pasta - I typically go with penne but sometimes switch it up with farfalle pasta. Any pasta shape will work.
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Sliced red onion
- Roasted garlic - You can roast garlic in the oven or save time with this air fryer roasted garlic.
- Fresh tomatoes - I use either Roma or cherry tomatoes.
- Fresh baby spinach
- Parmesan (optional) - See the recipe card below for instructions on how to make a quick 3-ingredient homemade vegan parmesan!
- Black pepper
You can throw in more produce if you want to amp up the nutrition profile. Just add any of the following fresh vegetables to the sauté pan at the same time you add the red onions. Try...
- Bell peppers
- Asparagus
- Broccoli florets
- Zucchini
- Cauliflower
How to Make Pasta Fresca
This simple pasta dish comes together quickly because most of the cooking is done while the pasta cooks. Dinner in under 20 minutes!
1. Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions.
2. Prepare the sauce. While the water is coming to a boil and the pasta is cooking, in a small bowl whisk together fresca sauce ingredients (olive oil, white wine, balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, parsley and salt) until well-blended.
3. Sauté the veggies. In a large sauté pan, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the red onion sauté for 5 minutes. Add the roasted garlic (make sure there is enough oil in the pan) and smash the roasted garlic cloves with the back of a fork to break them up and dissolve them into the oil sauce. You may need to turn the burner down to avoid burning the roasted garlic.
4. Sear the pasta. Add the cooked pasta and turn the heat up to sear the noodles briefly until golden brown (we are slightly pan-frying the pasta). Add more oil if needed.
5. Add the tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes until the tomatoes start to break down.
6. Bring it all together. Turn the burner down to low, add the fresca sauce and fresh spinach to the sauté pan and toss for 3 minutes until well combined. The spinach leaves should start to slightly wilt (do not overcook).
7. Serve. Remove from heat and serve immediately. Garnish with parmesan cheese, black pepper and/or red pepper flakes.
This simple pasta dish is also the BEST leftovers to have on hand. It makes me so excited for lunchtime! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
This pasta fresca recipe is vegan, soy-free, refined sugar-free and peanut-free with an easy gluten-free option depending on the pasta you choose.
If you give this recipe a try, please snap a pic and tag @eatingbyelaine. It makes my day to see your creations!
More Easy Pasta Recipes
- Easy Burst Cherry Tomato Pasta
- Pesto Pasta with Roasted Veggies
- 15-Minute Lemon Spinach Pasta
- 20-Minute Garlic and Olive Oil Pasta
15-Minute Pasta Fresca (Noodles & Co. Copycat)
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This easy and light Pasta Fresca is loaded with flavor from a white wine-balsamic sauce. It gets added freshness and flavor from parsley, Roma tomatoes, garlic and olive oil. It's a delicious pasta dinner that comes together quickly and doesn't require much effort. Ready in under 20 minutes!
Ingredients
- 10 ounces gluten-free pasta (such as farfalle or penne)
Fresca Sauce
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons sweet white wine
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
Veggies
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
- 1 head roasted garlic
- 4 roma tomatoes, diced
- 2 handfuls fresh baby spinach, chopped
- Optional: ¼ cup parmesan cheese*
- Optional: freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions.
- Prepare the sauce. While the water is coming to a boil and the pasta is cooking, in a small bowl whisk together fresca sauce ingredients (olive oil, white wine, balsamic, parsley and salt) until well-blended.
- Sauté the veggies. In a large sauté pan, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the red onion and sauté for 5 minutes.
- Sear the pasta. Add the cooked pasta and turn the heat up to sear the noodles briefly until golden brown (we are slightly pan-frying the pasta). Add more oil if needed.
- Add the tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes until the tomatoes start to break down.
- Bring it all together. Turn the burner down to low, add the roasted garlic cloves, the fresca sauce and fresh spinach to the sauté pan and toss for 3-5 minutes until well combined. The spinach leaves should start to slightly wilt (do not overcook). Smash the roasted garlic cloves with the back of a fork to break them up and dissolve them into the oil sauce. Taste and if the wine or vinegar taste too strong, continue to cook for a couple minutes longer to mellow out those flavors a bit.
- Serve. Remove from heat and serve immediately. Garnish with parmesan cheese, black pepper and/or red pepper flakes.
Notes
*Vegan swap - How to Quickly Make Vegan Parmesan Cheese
To make a batch of my favorite vegan parmesan, simply whisk these three ingredients together: ¾ cup almond flour (super fine from blanched whole almonds - not almond meal) + 5 teaspoons nutritional yeast + 1 teaspoon fine salt.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: Entree
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
This isn't the first time I have made a "copycat" version of a Noodles & Company dish. One of my other favorites is the Indonesian Peanut Sauté. Sadly, they did take this one off the menu, but I'm glad I have my homemade version so I can enjoy it whenever I'm craving it. Here is my vegan, gluten-free and nut-free version: Noodles & Company Copycat Indonesian No-Nut Sauté.
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