(The New) Evelyn’s Favorite Pasta
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Cheesecake Factory’s Evelyn’s Favorite Pasta is a menu classic! But – it’s recently been updated! I guess Evelyn likes something new! This Favorite is penne pasta LOADED with veggies and dressed in a light cheese sauce.
What You Will ❤️ About Evelyn’s Favorite Pasta
- NEW Version! Evelyn is the grandmother of the founder of Cheesecake Factory and apparently she changed her mind. The old EP was more of a Mediterranean dish with eggplant. This new version is loaded with veggies and has a light cheese sauce – very tasty!
- Cheesy! This delicious pasta dish has a super light cheese sauce and I love it – just a little cheddar and parmesan cheese set it off!
- VeggieFull! You won’t believe all the veggies in this dish: broccoli, tomatoes, asparagus, zucchini, red pepper and onions! So yum!
Ingredients for Evelyn’s Favorite Pasta
The old dish was tasty – I mean garlic, artichokes, pine nuts, kalamata olives, sundried tomatoes, eggplant in a pesto sauce. But this dish is my new favorite! I love all the spring & summer veggies in this one. It’s very light for a cheesy pasta!
- Penne pasta
- Veggies: Broccoli, Roma tomatoes, Asparagus, Zucchini, Red Bell Pepper & Onion – I used roma tomatoes but you could swap out cherry tomatoes. Or add mushrooms (I wanted to!) Make any changes you like – just load up on the veggies!
- Half and half
- Cheddar cheese & Parmesan cheese
- Italian herbs – I have a blend of fresh herbs I like with basil, oregano and parsley
- Lemon
Recipe Variations
This is delicious and has so many veggies – it’s hard to think of what you would change – but here are a few ideas.
- Pasta Swap – use what you have! If you’ve got spaghetti – it’ll work!
- Protein – this dish is all about the veggies – but top it with grilled chicken breast, salmon or shrimp if you like!
- Zippier – if you want more heat, you could add some pepper jack cheese or sprinkle with red pepper flakes
How to make Evelyn’s Favorite Pasta
We all know the menu of Cheesecake Factory is 100 pages – so just put this on your short list if you go – or make it at home. Here’s how to make it for yourself:
- Preheat oven to 400º. Prepare all veggies while oven preheats.
- Place broccoli, tomatoes, asparagus, zucchini, pepper and onion on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Sprinkle veggies with olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Place vegetables in preheated oven and roast for 15 minutes.
- While veggies are roasting, bring a large pot of water to boil and cook penne according to package instructions.
- When there’s about 5 min left on veggies/pasta – In a large deep saute pan, heat the cream over low heat to a simmer.
- Whisk in the cheddar & Parmesan cheese until melted and smooth. Taste the sauce and add the salt as needed.
- Drain pasta and add to deep skillet. Toss so all pasta is coated.
- Remove vegetables from the oven and add to pasta. Toss lightly. Garnish pasta with extra parmesan cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice and parsley and serve.
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Tips, Tricks & FAQs
Store leftovers in an airtight container (I like these glass ones) in the fridge for up to a week. You can freeze up to three months. Reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.
Yes – 10 minutes in the air fryer at 380º should be enough to make them tender.
Get Heather’s NEW cookbook – Air Fryer Cooking for One today!
More Cheesecake Factory Recipes
More Cheesy Pasta Dishes
Evelyn’s Favorite Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lb penne pasta
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 2 roma tomatoes diced
- 1 bunch asparagus trimmed
- 1 zucchini peeled, trimmed, sliced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1/2 cup yellow onion diced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 cups half and half
- 1 cup Cheddar cheese freshly grated
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese grated, plus extra for topping
- 2 tbsp Italian herbs chopped (parsley/basil)
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400º. Prepare all veggies while oven preheats.
- Place broccoli, tomatoes, asparagus, zucchini, pepper and onion on a rimmed baking sheet.2 cups broccoli florets, 2 roma tomatoes, 1 bunch asparagus, 1 zucchini, 1 red bell pepper, 1/2 cup yellow onion
- Sprinkle veggies with olive oil, salt and pepper.2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper
- Place vegetables in preheated oven and roast for 15 minutes.
- While veggies are roasting, bring a large pot of water to boil and cook penne according to package instructions.1 lb penne pasta
- When there’s about 5 min left on veggies/pasta – In a large deep saute pan, heat the cream over low heat to a simmer.2 cups half and half
- Whisk in the cheddar & Parmesan cheese until melted and smooth. Taste the sauce and add the salt as needed.1 cup Cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- Drain pasta and add to deep skillet. Toss so all pasta is coated.
- Remove vegetables from the oven and add to pasta. Toss lightly. Garnish pasta with extra parmesan cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice and parsley and serve.2 tbsp Italian herbs, 1 tbsp lemon zest, 1 tbsp lemon juice
OMG thank you so much for this! I ended up paying $176 last weekend for a family dinner all because I NEEDED to have this pasta. Afterwards, I felt so guilty about the splurge that I swore I would learn to make this, and here is the best recipe I have seen so far waiting for me! Now I can have this whenever I want. Thanks again!!
Hahaha – glad I can help save you money from now on!