Johnny Carino Bowtie Festival is an irresistible dish. You can find Johnny Carino restaurants in many large cities. This dish features bacon, fresh vegetables, and chicken, all tossed in a creamy alfredo sauce.
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Johnny Carino’s Italian Restaurant
Do you love great Italian food? If you are lucky you may live near a Carinos Italian restaurant. They serve up flavorful fresh-made Italian food every day. Headquartered in Austin, Texas there are about 70 restaurants in the United States. If you don’t live near one, you should try going to one as soon as you can.
What is Bowtie Festival?
One of Johnny Carino’s most popular dishes is the Bowtie Festival. You might wonder why it is called that. It’s filled with pasta, grilled chicken, bacon, and a creamy tomato sauce – a festival for the mouth!
What’s not to love about crisp bacon and grilled chicken? Best of all you can recreate this dish at home in no time at all.
Even if you aren’t an experienced cook you can make this recipe. You can make it even more flavorful if you use a homemade Alfredo sauce. There are several good jars of Alfredo sauce available if you don’t want to make it from scratch.
Ingredients
This pasta dish is made with common ingredients you may already have in your pantry. You don’t need to go to the store to find exotic ingredients. Here’s what you need:
- Butter
- Garlic
- Red onion
- Cooked bacon
- Roma tomatoes
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Heavy whipping cream
- Alfredo sauce
- Asiago cheese
- Garlic salt
- Salt and pepper
- Bowtie pasta
How to Make Johnny Carino’s Bowtie Festival
- Prepare the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain and set it aside.
- Cook the chicken if needed. You can boil, bake, or grill it. Cut it into bite-sized pieces.
- In a heated saute pan, combine butter, garlic, onions, bacon, tomatoes, chicken, and spice mixture.
- When onions begin to turn translucent, add heavy cream and Asiago cheese.
- Once cheese and cream have been reduced by half, add Alfredo sauce and cooked pasta.
- Stir until well combined and remove from heat.
- Allow pasta to cool for a few minutes so the cheese and sauce can thicken.
What to Serve with this Bowtie Pasta Dish
To balance out the richness of the Bowtie Festival, serve sides with lighter or contrasting flavors. By offering a fresh salad, crunchy bread, or a tangy vegetable side, you can create a well-rounded meal that satisfies all tastes. Here are some ideas:
- Breadsticks, ciabatta, focaccia, or garlic bread.
- Minestrone or tomato basil soup.
- Mixed green salad with Italian dressing or Caesar salad.
- Vegetables such as roasted asparagus, steamed green beans, or crispy brussels sprouts.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Storing: Allow the pasta to cool to room temperature. Transfer it to an airtight container. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Freezing is not recommended.
Reheating: You can reheat the pasta in the microwave, covering it loosely and stirring occasionally to ensure even heating. Alternatively, reheat on the stovetop by transferring the pasta and sauce to a saucepan and warming over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Make this Johnny Carino Chicken Bowtie Festival Pasta recipe tonight!
Love pasta? Try these recipes!
- One Pot Cheesy Italian Pasta
- Easy Chicken Alfredo Recipe
- Gnocchi Casserole
- Cajun Style Pasta
- Italian Sausage Pasta
- Spaghettios and Meatballs
- DIY Hamburger Helper Lasagna
- Baked Spaghetti Casserole
- Pasta Rustica Recipe
- Pasta Romana
More Johnny Carino Copycat Recipes
Be sure to check out more of the best pasta recipes and my famous casual dining restaurant copycat recipes.
Johnny Carinos Bowtie Festival
Ingredients
- 1 ounce melted butter
- 1 teaspoon garlic chopped
- 1/8 cup diced red onion
- 1/4 cup diced cooked bacon
- 1/4 cup diced Roma tomatoes
- 1 cup sliced, cooked chicken
- 1 ounce heavy (whipping) cream
- 1 jar Ragu Alfredo sauce (I got the Cheesy kind)
- 1/8 cup Asiago cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 10 ounces pre-cooked Bowtie pasta
Instructions
- In a heated sauté pan, combine butter, garlic, onions, bacon, tomatoes, chicken, and spice mixture.
- When onions begin to turn translucent, add heavy cream and Asiago cheese.
- Once cheese and cream have reduced by half, add Alfredo sauce and bowtie pasta. Toss until well combined and remove from the heat.
- Allow the pasta to cool for a few minutes so the cheese and sauce can thicken.
Danielle
Trying this recipe tonight. Thank you for Sharing. Reading all of the comments I can’t wait!(:
Michelle
My daughter has made this and it’s one of our favorites, SOOOO good! She just made it for my birthday dinner. Having leftovers as we speak lol
Una
I have made this several times. I prefer Bertoli sauce over Ragu though. Sometimes I will add fresh spinach or broccoli. My grown son asks for it all the time. It’s his favorite. He’s a picky eater and ALWAYS gets seconds on this…plus a plate to take home 🙂
Shawn
This is an excellent recipe, that I’ve used at least 10 times. Everyone absolutely loves it!
Stephanie Manley
Thank you Shawn. I am glad you really enjoy the recipe.
TFrance
Really, really good….tastes just like Johnny Carinos. My family really loved it. Two thumbs up!!!!!
Angela
We make this all of the time for a nice,quick delicious meal for our family or when we have company….Super easy and so delicious!
Sheryl
I have tried 3 different bowtie festival copycat recipes and this is my least favorite of the three. I only tried this one because I was in a time crunch and this is definitely the least time consuming. Using the ragu sauce ruined it for me though. The other three people I made it for thought it was great, but I have particular taste buds when it comes to sauces and it just didn’t taste like the Johnny Carinos version to me. I won’t be making it again this way.
Napoleon B
I think the that the Alfredo sauce compliments the pasta is amazing. I really do love apples. And spaghetti is superior
Cell
I made this on Valentine’s Day, and my boyfriend and I agreed it tasted exactly like the Carino’s bowtie festival. It was absolutely delicious!
Groovymama91
I don’t know how to cook very well, but this recipe gave me a thumbs up from the whole family. Grilled the chicken, tastes just like going out to the restaurant. Now, just need to try tiramisu.
Auntjeanna
does the recipe really call for just one ounce of heavy cream?
Stephanie
Yes it does.
Auntjeanna
does the recipe really call for just one ounce of heavy cream?
Cell
Yes, and that ounce makes a big difference! I’ve made this recipe myself, and it’s great.
Kristaljoysmith
YUMMM Thanks so much for sharing this!! It was great! I was worried that the canned alfredo sauce wasn’t going to be as good as homeade but it was wonderful…I added extra cream and cheese …haha and even topped it off with artichokes and black olives…SO GOOD!
Whisper5_81
Just tried this tonight and it was delicious! As close to the restaurant as you can get (which is fantastic since the closest johnny carinos is over an hour away from where I live!) Thanks so much for sharing!!
Jdunn06
I just love love love this dish!
David
Made it for my wife on Mother’s Day. We loved it!
Stephanie
David, I am so glad that you two enjoyed the recipe!
Lisa
Very good!! I added some frozen peas to the sauce & topped it all off with some scallions—yummy!!
SKS
Johnny Carino’s Bowtie Festival is my usual when I go to JC… I love this dish… The recipe tasted JUST like it and was very easy to make! I’ll definitely make it again. Delicious!
BABY
IM TRYING THIS 2M
Claudis
I had this at Johnny Carinos just yesterday and loved it will make it
kb
Definately not a creamy tomato sauce. But a very delicious recipe! I breaded the chicken with crushed bran flakes and corn flakes, mixed with pepper, garlic and a little bit of flour before cooking. It was so good!
Anonymous
its an asiago sauce not a creamy tomoato sauce!
None
Did you read those recipe that said “Alfredo” not Tomato!
None
She did read the recipie. The descirption clearly states tomato. ”
This dish features bacon, fresh vegetables, and chicken, all tossed in a creamy tomato sauce.”
RobesPierre
Dude. I love when you’re cooking pasta and the oil comes out and burns your cat. lol xDDDDDD 9.5/302
Stephanie Manley
Not sure I understand that at all. No cats were harmed in making this dish at my house.