Sunday, July 26, 2009

Taste Alike: Corner Bakery's Pesto Cavatappi - In 15 Minutes

Corner Bakery's Chicken Pesto Cavatappi - Quick Easy recipe

Chicken Pesto Cavatappi in 15 Minutes.
Seriously.

Every once in a while I like to just grab a book and head to Corner Bakery Cafe. I love their Pesto Cavatappi. And, if I do this only occasionally, I don't mind the price. But, I make a fast "cheat" at home that I think would rival their version any day. It's quick, pretty cheap, and mighty flavorful.

Corner Bakery describes their Pesto Cavatappi as: Oven-roasted chicken and steaming cavatappi pasta tossed in a rich pesto cream sauce and sprinkled with toasted bread crumbs.

Disclaimer: Now, I've complained before about Sandra Lee's "Semi-Homemade Cooking." But, quite frankly, if Sandra Lee made something like this - instead of "cooking" with cool whip all the time - I wouldn't tease so much.

Okay, so here's how I make it in 15 minutes.

1. Cook up 1/2 a box of Barilla Cellentani pasta according to directions on box. Drain, but don't rinse.

2. While the pasta cooks, remove the meat from a store-roasted rotisserie chicken. (Use about half and use the rest for another meal.)

3. Sprinkle the chicken with some salt, fresh ground pepper, oregano, parsley, and a bit of thyme.

4. Add the chicken to the pasta and give a quick stir.

5. In a separate bowl, add 10 oz. of Buitoni Alfredo Sauce (Not the low fat version) and a few of tablespoons of Buitoni Pesto with Basil Sauce (Again, not low fat) and stir. Add more pesto to taste.

6. Add the sauce to the chicken and pasta and combine.

7. Sprinkle with seasoned bread crumbs. (Or, if you're like me and don't have those on hand, I used some crushed veggie crackers.)

So, the ingredients are:
1/2 box of pasta
1/2 a rotisserie chicken
1 10oz. container of alfredo sauce
3 T. pesto sauce
oregano, parsley, thyme.
salt and pepper

Now, could I make my alfredo? Of course. And, the pesto? In a snap. Crackers instead of homemade bread crumbs. I know, stale bread is cheap. And, buying a rotisserie chicken is quite expensive compared to roasting one yourself. But, this is my "fast food" meal. It's bubbly hot Pesto Cavatappi with moist flavorful chicken in the time it takes to boil pasta.

Here's their pic below. And, another of mine.
Whattya think? Does it do it justice?

Try the recipe and let me know what you think.
So, what restaurant "Taste Alikes" do you make?


Hungry for more?
Browse everything in our How Quick (Meal) category!

Corner Bakery's Pesto Cavatappi quick easy recipe
Corner Bakery Chicken Pesto Cavatappi- 15 Minutes
Appearing on:
The Shabby NestTickled Pink at 504 MainMy Repurposed LifeBeyond The Picket FenceHookingupwithHoHJam HandsLark's Country HeartThirty Hand Made DaysPhotobucketThe Girl CreativeMad In CraftshomeworkMe and My BoysSomewhat SimpleNightOwlCrafting
It's a Blog Party




Pin It

18 comments:

ria said...

thanks for the recipe.

The Cutting Edge of Ordinary said...

Bravo! I love using those chickens up that someone else makes, lol. Great recipe!

Rachel said...

Nice. And you can use the other half the chicken for Bisquick chicken pot pit (don't knock it -- my whole family loves the stuff, and it's healthy and reasonable in calories.)

Anonymous said...

Er, I mean pie.

Anonymous said...

I just had these today at the corner bakery and loved it so much that I want to learn how to make it myself. Thank you for sharing your recipe. Can't wait to try it myself this weekend.

Dana @ Cooking At Cafe D said...

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. Anonymous, if you try it let me know how you think it compares :)

And, it you have any Taste Alike s you do for your family, let us know that, too!

Rachel - You know, I used to be a Bisquick snob. Then last Labor Day when we tent camped, my BF made a Bisquick coffee cake in a dutch oven over a campfire. It was really good.

Anonymous said...

Hi, i'm back - Just want to let you know that I tried your Pesto Cavatappi recipe the past weekend and my family and I LOVE IT! It taste like the ones at Corner Bakery...actually even better =)

Thank you!!!

Rachel said...

Thanks for the recipe, this looks delicious! I enjoy your blog, and I am definatley going to add you to my blog list!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for recipe! I made it today and my husband loved it....said its better than corner bakery!! :)

Dana @ Cooking At Cafe D said...

Thanks SO much for the feedback. I love hearing that folks enjoyed it :)

Unknown said...

Thanks for the recipe my kids love this dish as Corner Bakery and I tried your simple recipe and it was great.

Joy @ Joy Of Desserts said...

Thank you for sharing your archived recipe with all of us for Vintage Recipe Thursday at Joy of Desserts. This is a classic dish which is always good to have. Have a great day.

Unknown said...

Looks nice and creamy!
Thank you so much for linking up to Made it on Monday! I hope you will link up often!

www.larkscountryheart.com

Jackie said...

Looks like a yummy recipe. Thanks for linking up!

Edith said...

Girl I stopped by for the 31 day series, but this looked so delicious that i had to get the recipe. Yummy!

Jaclyn said...

Sounds like a great recipe! a favorite taste alike of mine (and my sister's) is of the Tuna Tarragon that is served at Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes. Tuna Tarragon has been one of my very favorite dishes ever since I was a little girl.
Thanks for sharing!
~Jaclyn~
www.jaclynsmusings.com

Cathleen said...

Yum. I love quick and easy meals. This looks delicious!

Ashleigh said...

We absolutely LOVE this recipe! We recently moved to San Fran from the bay area and there are no Cornerstone Bakery's up here - disastrous!! I was craving my favorite CB dish one night and wanted to see if anyone with more skills in the kitchen than me had re-created it! I stumbled upon Cafe D and O-M-G - this recipe is PERFECT! It tastes JUST like the real thing, and I cannot believe how easy it is!! It's in our regular dinner rotation! Thank you Dana for testing this recipe out and posting it for all of us to enjoy!

Post a Comment

I love to hear your thoughts!
--Dana

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...