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Penne rosa

Published: Jul 27, 2023 · Modified: Aug 1, 2023 by Vandana Chauhan. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Close up shot of penne rosa with mushrooms.
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Penne rosa is a delicious and satisfying pasta recipe that can be prepared in just 20 minutes. This is a vegetarian recipe for pasta rosa with a simple but flavorful creamy tomato-based sauce. It's a great recipe for busy weeknight meals.

Rosa pasta with mushrooms in a bowl with a fork.

Making a tasty meal that everyone in the family could enjoy has become really challenging at a time when we all have extremely busy schedules.

This vegetarian penne rosa is a perfect dish to make on such days when you don't have the energy to cook but want to eat something delicious.

You can prepare this simple, hassle-free pasta recipe in just 20 minutes with some easily available ingredients.

Jump to:
  • What is penne rosa?
  • Ingredient notes and substitute suggestions
  • Ingredient notes and substitute suggestions
  • How to make (step-by-step instructions)?
  • How to serve pasta rosa?
  • Storing leftovers and reheating
  • Recipe tips, tricks, and variation suggestions
  • Frequently asked questions
  • More easy pasta recipes
  • More easy meals in 30 minutes or less
  • Recipe

What is penne rosa?

Penne rosa is one of the signature dishes of an American restaurant chain-Noodles & company.

The rosa sauce is a delicious tomato cream sauce because of which the dish got the word rosa in its name. Rosa means rose in Italian.

Ingredient notes and substitute suggestions

For this penne rosa recipe, you will need the simple ingredients shown below:

Ingredients for pasta rosa recipe, labeled.

Ingredient notes and substitute suggestions

  • Pasta: Generally penne pasta is used to make this dish but you can use any pasta of your choice. Use whole wheat pasta to make a healthier penne rosa pasta dish.
  • Mushrooms: Mushrooms go really well in this dish but if you don't like mushrooms skip them or add some vegetables of your choice instead of mushrooms. I have used white button mushrooms, you can use cremini mushrooms too.
  • Tomatoes: Plum tomatoes (Roma tomatoes) are used in pasta rosa but if you don't have that cherry tomatoes or large chunks of any other tomato can also be used.
  • Heavy cream: Heavy cream helps in making a rich creamy penne rosa sauce but for a lighter version you can use half and half or just some milk too.
  • Baby spinach: Use roughly chopped regular fresh spinach if you don't have baby spinach.
  • Seasonings: I have used dried oregano, red chili flakes, salt, and ground black pepper to flavor this dish. You can use any other Italian seasoning of choice too.
  • Olive oil: Use good quality extra virgin olive oil. You can also use butter if you prefer a more creamy and buttery sauce.

Other ingredient details and nutritional information is given in the recipe card.

How to make (step-by-step instructions)?

To make this easy pasta dish, follow the simple step-by-step instructions given below:

Collage of images of steps 1 to 4 of penne rosa recipe.

Step 1: Cook penne al dente following the package instructions.

Step 2: While the pasta is getting cooked, heat olive oil in a large skillet or pan. Add sliced mushrooms and saute until they are no longer raw. It will take 2-3 minutes on medium heat.

Step 3: Add finely chopped garlic and saute for around 30 seconds.

Step 4: Add red chili flakes and dried oregano. Saute for a few seconds.

Collage of images of steps 5 to 8 of penne rosa recipe.

Step 5: Add marinara sauce.

Step 6: Mix and cook for a minute.

Step 7: Add quartered plum tomatoes.

Step 8: Add salt, ground black pepper. Mix and cook until the plum tomatoes start turning soft. It will take around 4 minutes.

Collage of images of steps 9 to 12 of penne rosa recipe.

Step 9: Add cooked and strained pasta and baby spinach.

Step 10: Mix everything and cook until the spinach leaves start wilting.

Step 11: Add cream.

Step 12: Gently stir until everything gets mixed. Turn off the heat.

Your quick, easy, and comforting penne rosa is ready to be enjoyed.

Vegetarian pasta rosa with mushrooms served in a black bowl.

How to serve pasta rosa?

Serve pasta rosa warm.

It's served with some parmesan cheese on it but as I am a vegetarian, I don't use parmesan cheese. You can use it if you want. The dish can be garnished with fresh basil too.

Penne rosa can be paired with some garlic bread, crispy garlic cheese toast, a salad, or soup on the dish.

Storing leftovers and reheating

Store the leftover pasta in an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-4 days. This dish tastes even better the next day.

To reheat add a splash of water or some cream/ milk then either microwave for a few minutes or reheat covered in a pan on the stovetop until heated well. Keep stirring in between to make sure that the pasta doesn't stick to the pan.

Recipe tips, tricks, and variation suggestions

  • Cook penne al dente in a large pot following the package directions.
  • Though heavy cream is the best option to make a rich creamy tomato sauce, you can also add half and half or a little full cream milk to make the lighter version of the creamy sauce.
  • Marinara sauce also has salt in it so add more salt carefully and only if needed. However, because of the sweetness of the cream, you may feel the need to add some additional salt to the sauce.
  • Instead of using quartered plum tomatoes, you can also use roughly chopped tomatoes in the recipe. Just make sure that the tomatoes you are using are juicy and ripe.
  • If your sauce is too thick, use some pasta water to adjust its consistency.

Vegan note: To make a vegan version of pasta rosa, add some almond or cashew milk instead of cream. You can also garnish it with nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavor.

Frequently asked questions

Can you freeze penne rosa?

No, as the sauce of this dish has cream in it, it doesn't freeze well. If you freeze it, the cream may turn grainy on reheating, which will spoil the dish.

How to make gluten-free penne rosa?

To make the gluten-free version of penne rosa, use gluten-free pasta. All the other ingredients in this recipe are gluten-free.

Is this dish spicy?

It depends on how much red pepper flakes you are using in the recipe and also your heat tolerance level.

Usually, this dish has a slightly spicy tomato cream sauce as the heat of red pepper flakes gets balanced with the sweetness of cream and tomatoes.

More easy pasta recipes

I really enjoy pasta dinners and love collecting or creating different pasta recipes. They are easy to make, tasty, and enjoyed by almost everyone. If you also love pasta dishes, don't miss checking out some of my family favorite pasta dinner recipes below:

  • Pasta Napolitana in a black bowl garnished with chopped parsely.
    Pasta napolitana
  • Mushroom ricotta pasta served in a black bowl.
    Easy pasta with ricotta and mushrooms
  • Cream cheese pasta served on a red plate
    Cream cheese pasta
  • Aubergine pasta served on a black plate
    Aubergine pasta (eggplant pasta)
  • Greek tomato orzo kritharaki garnished with chopped parsley.
    Greek tomato orzo(kritharaki)
  • Vegetarian Greek spaghetti in a white bowl with herbs and lemon in the background
    Vegetarian Greek spaghetti
  • Cherry tomato pasta served in a white plate with a bowl of tomatoes and olive oil in the background
    Cherry tomato pasta with spinach & mushrooms
  • Vegetable baked pasta getting scooped out with a black spatula
    Vegetarian Baked Pasta

More easy meals in 30 minutes or less

If you also struggle to decide what to cook on extremely busy days then you must save my following vegetarian dinner recipes, they all get ready in less than 30 minutes, are filling, and delicious.

  • Kidney bean stew with vegetables and cilantro in a bowl.
    Kidney bean stew
  • A bowl of Thai curry noodle soup.
    Thai red curry noodle soup
  • Vegetable chow mein in a black wok.
    Vegetable chow mein
  • Fried rice with edamame, red cabbage, and carrots in a bowl.
    Edamame rice
  • Close up shot of ho fun noodles with mushrooms and bean sprouts.
    Ho fun noodles with mushrooms
  • Peanut butter rice with vegetables in a black bowl.
    Peanut butter rice with vegetables
  • Close up shot of cabbage ramen stir fry.
    Cabbage ramen
  • Tofu noodle soup served in a large bowl and another bowl of soup in the background
    Vegan tofu noodle soup
Rosa pasta with mushrooms in a bowl with a fork.

If you try any of my recipes, please rate ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ it on the recipe card and also leave your feedback in the comments section below. You can also follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and subscribe to my youtube channel.

Recipe

Penne rosa with mushrooms and spinach.

Penne rosa

Penne rosa is a delicious and satisfying pasta recipe that can be prepared in just 20 minutes. This is a vegetarian recipe for pasta rosa with a simple but flavorful creamy tomato-based sauce. It's a great recipe for busy weeknight meals.
5 from 7 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Diet: Vegetarian
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes minutes
Servings: 5
Calories: 498kcal
Author: Vandana Chauhan

Equipment

  • 1 Large cooking pot
  • 1 large pan or skillet
  • Knife and chopping board
  • Spatula

Ingredients

  • 450 grams penne
  • 250 grams white or brown mushrooms sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • 10-12 plum tomatoes (roma tomatoes) quartered
  • 3 cups fresh baby spinach
  • 1.5 cups marinara sauce
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon red chili flakes adjust to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • Salt to taste
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • Water to cook pasta

Instructions

  • Cook pasta al dente according to its package instructions.
  • While the pasta is getting cooked, heat olive oil in a large pan. Add sliced mushrooms and saute until they turn soft and are no longer raw. It will take around 2-3 minutes on medium heat.
  • Add finely chopped garlic and saute for around 30 seconds.
  • Add red chili flakes and dried oregano. Saute for a few seconds.
  • Add marinara sauce, mix, and cook for a minute.
  • Add quartered plum tomatoes, salt, and ground black pepper. Mix everything and cook for around 4 minutes or until the plum tomatoes start turning soft.
  • Add cooked pasta and spinach. Mix everything and cook until the spinach leaves start wilting.
  • Finally, add cream and gently stir. Turn off the heat.

Video

Notes

  • Cook penne al dente in a large pot following the package directions.
  • Though heavy cream is the best option to make a rich creamy tomato sauce, you can also add half and half or a little full cream milk to make a lighter version of the creamy sauce.
  • Marinara sauce also has salt in it so add more salt carefully and only if needed. However, because of the sweetness of the cream, you may feel the need to add some additional salt to the sauce.
  • Instead of using quartered plum tomatoes, you can also use roughly chopped tomatoes in the recipe. Just make sure that the tomatoes you are using are juicy and ripe.
  • If your sauce is too thick, use some pasta water to adjust its consistency.
  • More recipe tips and tricks are shared in the post above, please follow them to make this recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 498kcal | Carbohydrates: 80g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 387mg | Potassium: 1008mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 3452IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Tag me on instagram #greenbowl2soul

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Hi! Thanks for stopping by my blog. My name is Vandana Chauhan and I am on a mission to explore vegan/ vegetarian recipes from around the world. I am delighted to welcome you to join me on this exciting journey.

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