Pasta Da Vinci

This Pasta Da Vinci recipe is a spot-on replica of the famous Cheesecake Factory dish! The rich and creamy pasta sauce is filled with juicy chicken and hearty mushrooms, tossed with penne pasta. It’s comforting, hearty and extremely delicious.

Why You’ll Love Cheesecake Factory Pasta Da Vinci

Pasta Da Vinci is one of the most popular items on the menu at The Cheesecake Factory, and it’s not hard to understand why. The sauce is incredibly creamy, the chicken is moist and tender, and the mushrooms add an earthy flavor to the dish.

• More Affordable Than Going Out: With everything so expensive these days, we often try and have a nice meal at home without spending a lot of money. Usually making any meal at home is less expensive than going out and sometimes even better tasting.
• Comforting Flavors: A rich Madeira wine cream sauce coats the ingredients in this pasta dish. It’s velvety and rich and you won’t want to leave any behind.
• Make It A Date Night: Whether you’re making this pasta recipe for your family or friends or having a date night at home, it’s sure to be a hit.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Here are the ingredients that you need for pasta da vinci. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the page for the exact amounts of each ingredient.

• Penne pasta – You can use other types of pasta if you prefer, but penne is the most authentic, and the best for this sauce.
• Chicken breast – Make sure to use skinless, boneless breasts.
• Madeira Wine: A Portuguese fortified wine that can be sipped as an after dinner drink or used in recipes like this pasta dish.
• Butter – Use unsalted butter for this dish.
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper – Be sure to use freshly-ground black pepper.
• Shiitake mushrooms – Shiitakes are the ideal mushroom for this dish, but if you don’t have any you can use button, crimini, or portobello mushrooms. 
• Red onion – You can use white onions, yellow onions, or shallots if you don’t have any red onions.
• Garlic
• Tomato paste
• Sour cream
• Heavy cream
• Parmesan cheese – For the best tasting pasta da vinci, use freshly-grated parmesan cheese.
• Fresh parsley – Parsley is used as a garnish.

How to Make Pasta Da Vinci

Here’s how to make this rich and creamy pasta dish.

• Make the pasta. Cook the pasta in salted, boiling water according to the instructions on the package.
• Cook the chicken. While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the cubes of chicken, and season with salt and pepper. Cook the chicken until it’s brown on all sides, which should take about 5 minutes. When the chicken is done, transfer it to a plate and cover with aluminum foil.

• Cook the mushrooms and onions. Add the rest of the butter to the skillet, then add the mushrooms. Stir occasionally while cooking, until the mushrooms are just starting to get some color. Add the onions and stir to combine. Cook until the mushrooms are brown and the onions are soft, which should take 5-7 minutes. 

• Add the garlic and tomato paste. Add the garlic to the onions and mushrooms, and cook for 1 minute. Then stir in the tomato paste.
• Deglaze. Add the wine to the pan, and stir to remove the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring the wine to a simmer and let it cook for 5 minutes as it reduces. Then add the chicken broth and stir to combine.
• Finish the sauce. Add the heavy cream, sour cream, and cheese to the sauce, and stir to combine. Simmer for 5 minutes as the sauce thickens.
• Finish the pasta da vinci. Add the pasta and chicken to the sauce, and stir to combine. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then serve with parmesan cheese and parsley on top.  

Tips and Tricks

Here are a few of my favorite tips for making the best possible pasta da vinci.

• Cook the penne pasta al dente. When cooking the pasta, only cook it to al dente, so it’s still a little firm. When you add the pasta to the sauce, it will continue cooking, and become the perfect temperature. 
• Get some color on the mushrooms and chicken. When food browns, it takes on more flavor. Make sure you’re cooking the mushrooms and chicken at a high enough temperature that they start to brown. This will make your pasta da vinci much more flavorful. 
• Taste the seasoning. I recommend going a little light on the salt in this dish, because different chicken broths have different sodium levels. Once the sauce is finished cooking, taste it and add salt and pepper as needed. 

Serving Suggestions

We love this pasta with a crunchy slice of bread or even homemade garlic bread on the side. You can also serve it with a light salad or bowl of soup.

How to Store and Reheat

You can keep any pasta da vinci leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stove over medium heat for 5 minutes, or in 30-second intervals in the microwave on 80% power. 

Can You Freeze Pasta Da Vinci? 

Absolutely! I like to keep pasta da vinci in the freezer so that I have an easy comfort meal. Just store it in an airtight container, and it will last for up to 3 months. Thaw or defrost before reheating. 

More Pasta Recipes to Try 

Here are a few more delicious pasta recipes for you to make.

• Creamy Tuscan spaghetti with jumbo scallops
• Pappardelle in Champagne Cream Sauce
• Meatball parmesan pasta bake
• Lemony shrimp and broccoli pasta
• Pasta with sausage and broccolini 

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