Light Pasta Da Vinci | Lite Cravings Recipes (2024)

Light Pasta Da Vinci is my take on the Cheesecake Factory favorite. So rich and decadent that you’ll never believe it’s lightened up!

When the Lite Cravings community asks for a recipe makeover, I try to deliver! My most requested recipes from this amazing community are always restaurant copycats, especially from Cheesecake Factory.

I get it. CF dishes are insanely high in calories and fat, but they are delicious. I especially love their pasta dishes. My lightened up take on their One-Pot Louisiana Chicken Pasta is one of the top recipes on my blog. Many of you have told me it tastes JUST as good as Cheesecake Factory’s Louisiana Chicken Pasta – even though it has 1/4 of the calories and fat. #WINNING.

You have been so patient waiting for my Light Pasta Da Vinci. I’m not lying when I say that I’ve seen requests for Cheesecake Factory’s Pasta Da Vinci for years.

The main reason I waited so long to give this dish a healthy makeover was because an important ingredient has been rather difficult to find (for me, anyway). You know me. I like to tailor my recipes so they include ingredients that are easily accessible for anyone (my Healthy Pad Thai is a prime example).

With that being said, the main ingredient that makes this dish is worth getting. If you can’t find it, keep reading for some substitutions.

It’s all about the technique

The first step absolutely sets this dish apart from a typical chicken and pasta dish. After you’ve cubed your chicken, season it with salt and pepper and toss so the seasonings are evenly distributed. We don’t want any bland bites!

After you’ve seasoned your chicken, you’re going to sprinkle cornstarch over the chicken and toss it so that each piece is thinly coated and then let it sit until it’s had a chance to absorb. This extra step is crucial for a couple of reasons. First, the starches in the cornstarch help to brown the chicken and seal in all the juiciness and flavor. Second, the starches help the sauce really coat the chicken so it doesn’t just slide off.

You may be tempted to throw all of the chicken into the pan at once. DON’T DO IT. It may take a few extra minutes, but dividing it and cooking in two batches ensures that the chicken isn’t crowded in the pan. Overcrowding the pan prevents the chicken from getting perfectly golden and crisp.

Trust me when I say it’s worth the extra step.

Next, you’ll sauté the onions and mushrooms in the same pan you browned your chicken. Don’t wipe out the browned bits from the chicken. That’s where the FLAVOR is and you’ll want to use it as a base to build your sauce.

The main ingredient for light pasta da vinci

If you’re already a fan of this dish, you know that there is a sweet-savory sauce that really makes the pasta come together.

It’s difficult to describe, too. It’s smooth and slightly creamy, almost like a glaze. You’ll just have to try it and tell me how you’d describe it in the comments, LOL. With that being said, this is a wine-based sauce, so if you’re not interested in cooking with wine, this isn’t the recipe for you.

Madeira wine is what they use in Cheesecake Factory’s Pasta Da Vinci. If you want a taste that is as close to the original as possible, it is worth the extra legwork to find a bottle of Madeira wine. I found it difficult to locate in my regular grocery stores, so I had to go to a local wine shop to find it.

If you have a favorite liquor store nearby, definitely check them out!

what if i can’t find madeIra wine?

If you search high and low (or don’t want to bother going on the hunt), here are some substitutions that are close to the same flavor profile of Madeira wine. It’s a dry wine with a complex sweetness:

• Marsala wine: this has the closest taste profile to Madeira
• Dry Sherry

If you don’t feel comfortable with alcohol in your food, just know that all of the alcohol evaporates when you simmer it.

For other recipes that include wine, I usually provide non-alcoholic substitutions, but this recipe is solely based on that wine sauce. You will sacrifice all of the flavor if you try to do that.

If you’d rather not cook with wine, I have some other amazing pasta recipes you’ll enjoy:

• Chicken Scampi Pasta
• Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta
• Creamy Cajun Pasta
• Creamy Mushroom Parmesan Chicken (served over pasta)

I’d love to hear from you if you make this recipe! It makes my day when you share your pics on Instagram and tag me (@litecravings). Don’t forget to use #litecravingsrecipes to make sure I see it. If I don’t get a chance to scroll through my tags quickly enough, I won’t see your post. I always make a point to look through the hashtags, though, so I’ll see it there.