Olive Garden Penne Romana ( Copycat )

Sharon123's Note:

Inspired by Romana Neri, head chef at Olive Garden Riserva di Fizzano restaurant in Tuscany and the Culinary Institute of Tuscany, this is a simple and delicious pasta dish with fresh green beans, tomatoes and extra-virgin olive oil tossed with penne in a white wine herb sauce. Adapted from Lanier Publishing. There is a large Italian population in New England!

• Total Time: 25 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

Romana Sauce

• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ¾ cup yellow onion , chopped in 1/4-inch pieces
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon garlic , minced
• 1 cup white wine
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary , chopped
• 2 tablespoons parsley , chopped
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 ½ cups chicken broth (or veg. broth)

Pasta

• 2 cups green beans , blanched
• 1 cup tomato , diced
• 4 cups penne pasta , cooked
• 3 tablespoons romano cheese
• 3 tablespoons parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Romana Sauce:.
2. Heat the oil in a small saucepan at medium high heat. Add onions and crushed red pepper. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add minced garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Whisk in wine, rosemary, parsley and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk cornstarch and chicken or vegetable broth. Add mixture to sauce and stir well. Bring to a boil and set aside.
4. Pasta:.
5. Heat saute pan over medium heat. Add green beans and tomato and cook for 1 minute. Add Romana sauce and hot, cooked and drained penne pasta. Add Romano and Parmesan cheeses. Stir well with a spoon, making sure the pasta is well coated.
6. Serve hot. Enjoy!

Reviews

[Chef1MOM~Connie]

Very good and light meal. A different type of pasta sish for hubby and I and perfect for such a cold fall evening. I did add in some leftover chicken shreds from dinner (Tues.) at the last minute to warm through. What a delight this was. Served with homemade rye bread and shredded mozzerella cheese for garnish. Made for Think Pink 2010 in Honor of Sharon 123's husband.

[Auntie Jan]

This was very good. I too cut the liquid by half so as not to make it soupy. I used just a tad more cornstarch and it thickened up after I let it sit a bit. I would definately make this again. Thanks for the nice change of "pasta" pace.

[Cooks4_6]

This recipe was wonderful. I made it for my family a few nights ago and it got rave reviews. My husband took the leftovers for lunch yesterday and his coworkers were lured into the cafeteria by the aroma coming from the microwave. I took a previous reviewers suggestion and reduced the chicken broth to 1 cup. That resulted in a perfect consistency in the sauce. I also cooked the green beans in the microwave instead of blanching them. In addition, I doubled the amount of diced tomatos because I like them. The result was fabulous and I will definitely make it again.