Macaroni Grill Pasta Milano

With a combination of Alfredo and pesto in the pasta sauce that’s loaded with mushrooms, spinach and Roma tomatoes this copycat Macaroni Grill Pasta Milano recipe makes an easy and delicious dinner!

Serve with Hawaiian Roll Garlic Bread for a delicious meal!

Pasta Milano Macaroni Grill Recipe

A rich and delicious pasta meal with several flavors that blend beautifully together is the type of meal we enjoy when going out to eat. This Pasta Milano Macaroni Grill inspired recipe is an enjoyable treat!

Anytime pasta and mushrooms are involved we are drawn to trying that dish. The spinach and tomatoes are bonus veggies that help fill out the dish.

This one-skillet meal is made in under 30 minutes and will satisfy your craving for a restaurant-quality meal at home. Add baked cheesy bread or another fresh bread and butter for a complete meal with pasta!

Sometimes life changes and it just makes more sense to make more copycat pasta meals at home.  We started with our Instant Pot Chicken Carbonara and Coypcat Olive Garden Pasta E Fagioli Soup and moved on to Crock Pot Spaghetti and Instant Pot Lasagna.  

With a couple young kids in 2020 it’s so much easier to cook at home than try to contain a circus in a restaurant.  So we enjoy making a variety of meals like Stromboli, Pulled Pork Quesadillas, and Instant Pot Sausage, Potatoes & Green Beans that taste like restaurant quality but are easy enough to make in 30 minutes or less.   

There is a good bit of sauce with this recipe. Serve it in a shallow bowl or on a plate.

Tips for Making Pasta Milano

• Farfalle pasta is also known as bowtie pasta
• Shells can be substituted for farfalle pasta
• I prefer to use the fresher refrigerated alfredo and pesto instead of the jars
• Wash and dry spinach well and if there’s excess liquid in the tomatoes drain some before adding to the skillet to avoid a soupy texture
• It is important to use fresh mushrooms, spinach, garlic and tomatoes for the best flavor profile possible in this meal
• Chicken or Homemade Italian Sausage can be added to this meal if desired, as big meat eaters we still really enjoyed this as a vegetarian meal that is very filling

Ingredients Needed

• Farfalle or bowtie pasta
• Butter
• Red onion
• Fresh mushrooms
• Fresh spinach or baby spinach
• Roma tomatoes
• Fresh garlic
• Garlic roasted alfredo sauce
• Pesto
• Shredded parmesan cheese

How to Make Macaroni Grill Pasta Milano

Prepare all of the ingredients and allow the spinach to dry and the tomatoes to drain just a bit before beginning to cook. I’ve tried to wash and chop ingredients as needed in this recipe and I just can’t keep up.

Fill pot with water and boil as you cook the veggies, but wait to cook pasta.

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat and add diced onions, sliced mushrooms and minced garlic. Cover the skillet and cook until tender.

I find using a garlic mincer is the easiest way to prepare the garlic.

Once these ingredients are all tender add tomatoes and cook for a couple minutes until they are warm.

Stir everything together and then add the spinach.

Since the spinach wilts using large leaves of regular spinach is fine. Spending a bit more to get baby spinach would not be super noticeable in this recipe.

If there is excess liquid in the skillet at this time feel free to drain. This step may not be necessary.

Meanwhile add pasta to the pot and cook to al dente according to the directions on the package.

Finishing The Sauce

Turn heat to medium low and add Alfredo sauce to the skillet and mix everything together well. Add pesto and mix well again.

Sprinkle or shave fresh parmesan cheese over the top. Return lid to skillet to speed up the warming process if desired. Heat through thouroughly.

Cooked and drained pasta may be stirred into this skillet for serving is space allows in your skillet. Or pasta may be plated and the sauce spooned over top for serving.

We like to spoon the sauce over the pasta as the adults crave more sauce and the kids tend to prefer more pasta with a little sauce.

Serve warm and enjoy! Refrigerate any leftovers in an air tight container for 2 – 4 days. Leftovers freeze well in an airtight container for up to 3 months. I like to freeze individual portions to defrost for a quick lunch as needed.

Restaurant Quality Meals to Make at Home

• Farmhouse Ham Loaf – Ground pork and ground ham with graham crackers and a sweet pineapple glaze is absolutely amazing!
• TikTok Alfredo Spaghetti – is full of flavor with spaghetti in alfredo sauce and a topping of red spaghetti sauce and cheese.
• Cheesy Shells Stuffed with Sausage, Spinach and Pasta – an easy family meal that freezes well and tastes great.
• Farmhouse Loaded Baked Potatoes – I crave these around the holidays and all throughout the year. This special recipe makes loaded baked potatoes taste unbelievably good!
• Cheeseburger Stuffed Shells taste fancy, but are easy to make with simple ingredients you probably already have on hand.