26 Chain Restaurant Pasta Dishes, Ranked Worst To Best

Pasta is one of the easiest foods to prepare at home, even for inexperienced cooks (especially if you have delicious pasta recipes to work from). But sometimes, the thought of turning on the stove, making a sauce from scratch (or even popping open a jar of the pre-made stuff), and reserving your pasta water for later use can seem like a difficult task. That's when it's time to get your pasta fix somewhere else. 

Many of the most popular chain restaurants in the U.S. offer a slew of different pasta dishes to choose from, whether you're trying to keep it light with a lot of veggies or you prefer something meatier with red sauce.

But how do you know which of these restaurants serve the kind of pasta dish you're craving? Below, a deep dive into the world of chain restaurant pasta dishes, ranking the best — and worst — pasta options.

The Chicken and Broccoli Pasta at Ruby Tuesday seems like what a diehard gym bro would order on his night out on the town. It's easy to love crispy fried broccoli with pasta, but this broccoli is not that — it's steamed and nearly tasteless, which complements the tastelessness of both the chicken and the Parmesan cream sauce. 

Unless you have the world's most sensitive taste buds, you're going to have to add a mountain of cracked black pepper just to feel something while you're eating this pasta.

There are few things in this world more uninspired than chain steakhouse mac and cheese, which is why Longhorn Steakhouse's Steakhouse Mac and Cheese doesn't rank very high. You've likely had worse mac and cheeses before — at least this version has some toasted breadcrumbs for a bit of added texture — but ultimately, this is still a deeply boring dish. 

Just like most of the other sides on the Longhorn Steakhouse menu, it feels like an afterthought, the side you pick off the menu when nothing else sounds better.

Who knows what the obsession with chicken breast at chain restaurants is all about; Hard Rock Café is deeply afflicted, and Exhibit A is their Twisted Mac, Chicken, and Cheese. 

It's nice that they use cavatappi pasta, which is a fun shape, but the cheese sauce is disappointing. Then, there's diced red peppers on top? Who knows why they thought this would be an interesting addition to the dish. They add a strange sweetness that just doesn't need to be there.

So many chain restaurant pasta dishes contain an incredibly strange combination of ingredients, and Dave and Buster's Voodoo Pasta is no exception. 

You'll find myriad assorted ingredients, like cremini mushrooms, red onions, sweet pepper, chicken, and arugula. All these ingredients are fine and good on their own, but together, they seem like a random mishmash of everything left over in the kitchen. At least the sriracha-spiked sauce adds some flavor to the dish.

When you're craving pasta, California Pizza Kitchen probably isn't the first restaurant that comes to mind, but they do have several different dishes on their menu. The Chicken Piccata is the best of the bunch. 

It's not the best chicken piccata in the world, but with the inclusion of lemon and capers, this dish packs a decent amount of flavor. The cream sauce could be more flavorful and the chicken could be less dry, but in a pinch, it's not that bad.

If you're looking for a solid vodka sauce, you'll get it at Yard House with their Fontina Vodka Penne. Chicken is a strange choice for this dish — sausage probably would've tasted better — but the sauce is what makes the dish, which is surprisingly flavorful by chain restaurant standards. 

The fried basil on top is a nice touch too, as it adds both a lovely floral quality and a slight crunch. Maybe, one day, they'll replace the chicken with something more flavorful.

If you're a seafood lover who wants to get their money's worth at Red Lobster but you're craving a plate of pasta, you need to order the Bar Harbor Lobster Bake. 

It's great that you get so many different types of seafood with this dish. In addition to Maine lobster tails and shrimp, you'll also find scallops and mussels over your linguine. The white wine sauce is subtle but packs plenty of garlic. They also include tomatoes in the mix, which seems somewhat random, but it's not a terrible combo with the seafood.

For some reason, you don't see a lot of rigatoni on chain restaurant menus, which is why it's so exciting to see it on the menu for Maggiano's Little Italy. While their Rigatoni Arrabiata isn't the most exciting dish, it's certainly one of the better options out there. 

One complaint is that, like many other spots, they elected to use chicken. Still, the spicy tomato cream sauce is seriously delicious, and the addition of spinach helps deliver some greens without necessitating a salad.

Just because you're craving pasta doesn't mean you don't want to get your veggies in, which is why you'll be a big fan of Jason's Deli's Zucchini Garden Pasta. With its combination of zucchini, roasted tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and spinach, you know you're going to get your fill of the healthy stuff. 

It also comes with Asiago cheese, which is an interesting touch that deviates from the standard parmesan. Don't forget to save room for the herb focaccia served on the side.

This fast food staple may not have a ton of noodles on its menu, but the Chow Mein is actually really, really good. Unlike many of the restaurants on this list, Panda Express knows how to embrace simplicity, and their noodles are proof. 

The stir-fried wheat noodles are dressed in an understated but complex, salty sauce that won't leave a puddle on your plate. You'll find onions, celery, and cabbage in the mix, but they don't load their noodles down with a ton of other unnecessary ingredients. This may be one of the best on-the-go noodle dishes out there.

The Cheesecake Factory may be known for its exceedingly high calorie counts, but it should be known for its pasta too. If you've been to The Cheesecake Factory before, you probably know that there are a lot of different pasta dishes to choose from, but the Pasta Da Vinci is one of the best, mostly because of the rich, umami Madeira wine sauce that coats the penne. 

The chicken, mushrooms, and onions work well together with the sauce, and a sprinkling of herbs on top makes every bite a little brighter.

Filled pastas are one of life's greatest pleasures, especially when that filling is made from butternut squash blended with four different cheeses and Asiago cream, and then served with prosciutto and parmesan. 

Luckily, you can find this fall favorite at Romano's Macaroni Grill. It's the Butternut Tortellacci, and it's an all-time favorite chain restaurant pasta dish. After all, when was the last time you saw butternut squash on a menu at a chain restaurant?

Finally, we've arrived at the best chain restaurant pasta dish. Is it any surprise that it comes from a place that specializes in pasta? 

It's Carrabba's Italian Grill's Linguine Pescatore, and it's the perfect way to get both your pasta and seafood fixes at the same time. You'll get shrimp, scallops, and mussels all together in one dish, resting on a bed of imported Italian linguine. You may expect this dish to be dressed in a white wine sauce, but it's actually covered with a spicy marinara sauce instead. Bon appétit!