The Cozy Cookbook is here! 
This Cheesecake Factory Copycat recipe for Pasta Da Vinci is easy to make at home and is full of flavor! The savory pasta is surrounded by a creamy Marsala wine sauce with swirls of caramelized onions and flavorful mushrooms!
I have been going through some of my favorite recipes that I originally posted in 2014 when I first started my blog. Some of those recipes are getting the boot, while others, (like this one), are making a comeback to make sure the world doesn’t forget about them. This Pasta Da Vinci recipe is so creamy and delicious, I can’t let it go!
Why Pasta Da Vinci is one of my favorites:
- The seared chicken. Searing chicken in the pan first is an amazing way to add flavor to the meal, especially when all of those delicious brown bits get deglazed by the Marsala Wine.
- The Caramelized Onions. If you or your family doesn’t care for onions, fear not. These onions are so tiny when they are done caramelizing that you barely know they’re in there. They really just add a hint of sweet caramelized flavor to the dish.
- The Marsala Wine. I love wine sauces of all kinds, but the nutty flavor that the Marsala wine gives off in this dish makes you feel like you’re eating at a restaurant.
What Kind of Marsala Wine Should I Use?
Dry Marsala is best when making savory dishes such as this one. It’s also what I use for my Copycat Olive Garden Stuffed Chicken Marsala recipe.
This is the variety that I always use when I cook.
What Can I Substitute For Marsala Wine?
The flavors of this meal definitely circulate around the Marsala wine flavor, but if you would like to attempt a substitution, here are some options:
- For a non-alcoholic Substitute: 1/4 cup of white grape juice + 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract + 2 Tablespoons Sherry vinegar.*
- Madeira Wine
- Dry Sherry (not cooking sherry.) or, 1/2 Dry Sherry 1/2 Sweet Vermouth
- 1/4 cup dry white wine + 1 teaspoon Brandy *
Can I Use Button Mushrooms?
Yes! In fact you can really use any kind of mushrooms that you like, but for the most authentic version of this meal, go with Shiitake. You can use less than the amount notated in the recipe if preferred.
Try These Next!
- Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce
- Creamy Lemon Pasta (One Pot!)
- Chicken Bacon Spinach Pasta
- Creamy Tomato Spinach Pasta
- One Pot Tomato Spinach Tortellini with Sausage
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Copycake Cheesecake Factory Da Vinci Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
- Ground pepper
- Salt
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, optional
- 4 tablespoons Butter
- 1 red onion, diced
- 1 lb. Morel or Shiitake Mushrooms; sliced, more or less, your preference
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 cup Marsala wine, or Madeira
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1-2 tablespoons COLD butter
- 3/4 pound penne
Instructions
- Cut the chicken in bite-sized cubes and season with salt and pepper. Toss in flour for added texture if desired.
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the chicken. Cook for about 8 minutes, tossing occasionally, until nearly cooked through. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
- Add the butter to the same skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook slowly until caramelized. Stir often to prevent burning. They will get much softer and start to brown after about 15 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms and garlic to the pan and sautee until the mushrooms soften and also begin to brown.
- Add the wine to the pan and use a spatula to scrape up the remaining brown bits on the bottom of the pan. This will give the sauce tremendous flavor. Let the wine bubble gently for about 5 minutes.
- While the wine reduces, cook the penne according to package instructions, drain, and set aside when finished.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the sour cream and the heavy cream, stirring until melted. Swirl in the cold butter until melted. Add the chicken back to the pan.
- Toss the sauce with the penne and serve!
I can’t believe I did it!!! I am not an experienced chef. In fact, this is literally the first time I have cut chicken into bite size pieces and cook it in a skillet!!! But, there I was, caramelizing onions and “crushing” garlic!!!
This recipe was so easy to follow, thank you so much!!! I can’t wait to try a few more!!!
Hey Nikki!! I’m so happy that this was a success! I think you have a lot of delicious homemade recipes in your future and that’s so exciting! Thank you so much for the review!! -Stephanie 🙂
Hi can I make the sauce in advance and hold it til I need it and toss it in with the sauce? Will the sauce break upon reheating?
Hi Justin! This type of sauce is best if served fresh, it’s not a great make-ahead sauce due to the dairy.
Just made this tonight, it’s my daughter’s favorite entree At Cheesecake Factory, we all loved it, delicious! I doubled the recipe! My sauce was not as brown as in the picture but it tasted the same, I followed the recipe to a T but doubled it! Will definitely make again!
Nice work Dawn! I’m so happy it was such a success, thanks for the great comments!💖
Loved this recipe! Added 1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese and Spinach since I had some in the refrigerator. Will definitely make it again!
I’m so happy it was such a success Marcy, thanks so much for the great review!💖
I work at The Cheesecake Factory, and had a taste for this pasta for dinner (it’s my favorite dish), so I tried this recipe and it is a perfect copycat! It tasted almost exactly the same! (Except I forgot I didn’t have sour cream at home)
I’m so happy to hear you liked it so much, means a lot coming from a fellow employee! Thanks so much for the great review Moe!❤️
Hello, I am about to try this recipe and when gathering the shopping list it seems parsley is missing altogether from the recipe
The parsley was a garnish that I added for the photos but there isn’t a measurable quantity that’s needed to make this recipe.
Hi Stephanie! I am really excited to try this recipe. I do have a question about the heavy cream. I am only about to find heavy whipped cream at my local grocery stores. Do you know if that will effect the dish if I use it instead of heavy cream?
Hey Kristiara! You can just heavy whipping cream instead, that is just fine! 🙂
The recipe is good, on the sweet side, but 2 things to note.
1. A full pound of pasta is too much, it makes for a dry dish so I agree with Stephanie’s note to only use 3/4 pound or up the ingredients by 1/4.
2. The ingredient list includes 4 Tbsp of butter and then separately 1-2 Tbsp butter but the directions only call for butter once (step 3, caramelizing the onions). I’m not sure which amount of butter to use or whether there’s a step missing. Does anyone know?
Hi Lisa! I agree with you, I’ve updated the quantity of pasta to indicate 3/4 of a pound! And I am so sorry about omitting the second use of butter. You can swirl in cold butter at the end for a smooth, velvety finish. I just added that in there, thank you for catching that!! 🙂
Stephanie, thank you so much for the clarification! My kids loved the dish, I’ll be making it again.
This was very tasty. I chopped the mushrooms and onions really fine to pass the kid inspection. It passed the picky eater test and made plenty to feed the bottomless pit teenager with some leftover. I’ll make this again!
Hi Heather! That’s amazing! I am so happy that it passed the kid test, that is a big deal. I remember that I was very surprised when I made this for the first time, it was so good ! You’re the best for taking the time to comment !!!! Thank you so much and I hope that you had a great weekend !
Just found your post because I was searching Chicken Marsala on Foodgawker! I am definitely making this for my brother tonight. It looks dangerously delicious! Thanks for your hard work!
OHHHHH I’m so happy- this is by far one of my favorite recipes of all time and definitely my favorite pasta recipe !!! I can’t wait for you guys to try it! Thanks for your comment:)