Olive Garden Pasta Recipe

This Olive Garden pasta recipe is an easy slow cooker dinner made with tender chicken, Italian dressing, cream cheese and Parmesan tossed with pasta.

It’s creamy, cheesy and packed with Italian-inspired flavor, with just a few minutes of prep before the crockpot does the work.

If you’re craving Olive Garden but want something simple enough for a weeknight, this copycat-style recipe is an easy way to make it at home.

Serve it with garlic bread and a salad for a complete dinner the whole family can dig into.

Be sure to check out my other pasta recipes when you need more easy dinner ideas.

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Why You’ll Love This Olive Garden Chicken Pasta

• Easy prep: Everything for the chicken goes straight into the slow cooker.
• Simple ingredients: You only need chicken, Italian dressing, cream cheese, Parmesan, seasoning and pasta.
• Creamy and comforting: The cream cheese and Parmesan make a rich sauce that coats the pasta.
• Great for busy nights: Get the chicken cooking earlier in the day, then boil the pasta right before dinner.

What You Need to Make Olive Garden Pasta

This Olive Garden copycat recipe comes together with just a handful of ingredients:

• Chicken breasts: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts cook until tender enough to shred right in the slow cooker.
• Italian dressing: This is where much of the tangy, herby flavor comes from. Use your favorite bottled Italian dressing.
• Cream cheese: Makes the sauce creamy and helps it coat the chicken and pasta.
• Parmesan cheese: Adds salty, cheesy flavor to the sauce. Sprinkle extra over each serving if you’d like.
• Italian seasoning: An easy way to add more herb flavor without measuring several individual spices.
• Pasta: Penne, rigatoni, rotini or another short pasta shape works well because the sauce can cling to it.

How to Make Olive Garden Chicken Pasta

• Season chicken breasts with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper, then place them in the crockpot with Italian dressing, cream cheese, and Parmesan.
• Cook on high for 4 hours.
• While the chicken cooks, prepare pasta according to package directions, then shred the chicken.
• Combine the cooked pasta with the chicken mixture in the slow cooker.

Tips for the Best Olive Garden Pasta

• Don’t overcook the pasta. Cook it just until al dente since it will soften slightly once it’s mixed into the hot sauce.
• Use softened cream cheese if possible. It will melt into the sauce more easily and give you a smoother consistency.
• Shred the chicken before adding the pasta. This makes it much easier to evenly distribute the chicken throughout the dish.
• Save a little pasta water. If your sauce seems thicker than you’d like, stir in a splash of reserved pasta water until it reaches the consistency you prefer.
• Add the pasta at the end. For this particular recipe, separately cooking it gives you much better control over texture.

What to Serve With Olive Garden Chicken Pasta

Since Olive Garden chicken pasta is rich and creamy, simple side dishes work especially well. Try it with garlic bread, breadsticks, Caesar salad or a simple green salad.

Oven roasted vegetables are also easy ways to add vegetables to the meal.

Skip the takeout and recreate your favorite restaurant flavors at home with this easy, family-friendly copycat recipe pack—simple ingredients, clear instructions, and comfort-food wins you’ll make on repeat.