Pasta Milano - Macaroni Grill

Like pretty much everyone who eats out at restaurants, I have favorites.  At Romano's Macaroni Grill, I absolutely love the Pasta Milano dish.  There are three main Italian restaurants in Winston-Salem (Olive Garden, Macaroni Grill and Carrabba's).  Each one is very different and I have different favorites at all of them. 

In addition to my favorite entree, I also love the different breads.  Olive Garden has delicious bread sticks that stand on their own without any type of dipping sauce. Carrabba's has a pretty simple bread, but their dipping sauce is where it's at. Macaroni Grill, however, has the most flavorful bread.

Pasta Milano

(Macaroni Grill)

4 chicken breasts

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

36 oz. bow tie pasta

4 Tbs. butter

1 ½ cups sun-dried tomatoes

1 lb. mushroom, sliced (opt.)

1 quart heavy cream

1 head garlic, roasted

½ tsp. pepper

2 tsp. salt

1 cup Parmesan cheese (extra for garnish)

fresh parsley (opt.)

Wash and dry chicken breasts. Mix garlic powder, salt, and pepper and sprinkle on chicken. Grill chicken on the stove top in a skillet or outside on the barbecue grill, until it is done all the way through. Set chicken aside.

Place pasta in salted boiling water and cook for 8-10 minutes or until al dente. Drain. Meanwhile sauté the mushrooms and tomatoes in butter until soft. Place heavy cream, roasted garlic, pepper, salt, and Parmesan cheese in food processor and puree.

Place cream mixture in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Mix in mushrooms and tomatoes and add to the cooked pasta. Slice the grilled chicken and place on top of the pasta. Garnish with fresh parsley and grated Parmesan cheese.

I, of course, did not add the mushrooms.  I just sauteed the tomatoes in butter until soft. I don't have a food processor, so I did not do that step either.  If you are making this recipe for just a few people (as I did), you don't need to use four chicken breasts.  Also, 36 ounces of farfalle (bow tie pasta) is a bit extreme.  I used a 12 ounce box. If you choose to include the mushrooms, I doubt you would actually need a full pound of them.  Use your common sense and make judgements for yourself.  If you have a hard time finding sun-dried tomatoes, Costco (of course) has a great option.  I use them a lot so this $7-$8 bag is well worth it.

I would have to say, however, that it is very nice to have an Italian Parsley plant now.  I can step out the back door and gather whatever I need.  My mom started a few of these herb plants for me and it has made things so much easier.  I hope you give this dish a try and I'm sure you'll enjoy!!