Texas Roadhouse pasta is not a standard menu category. There is no spaghetti, alfredo, or pasta entree at Texas Roadhouse. The only pasta on the menu is macaroni and cheese, offered as a side and as a kids’ meal.
Does Texas Roadhouse have pasta? What’s actually on the menu
No, Texas Roadhouse does not serve a pasta entree. Scanning the printed menu top to bottom, the only wheat-noodle item is macaroni and cheese, which appears in the side-dish list and on the kids’ menu. Nothing else qualifies.
That trips people up because the chain reads as a full-service American restaurant, and most full-service American restaurants keep at least one chicken-alfredo-style plate for the diner who does not want steak. Texas Roadhouse does not. The entree board is hand-cut steaks, ribs, chicken, pork chops, a couple of seafood plates, burgers and sandwiches, and the chopped-steak style signature dishes. Starch on the plate comes from the two-side system, not from a bowl of noodles.
Item spec table
| What it is | Macaroni and cheese: elbow macaroni in a cheese sauce. The only pasta item on the menu. |
|---|---|
| Where it appears | Side-dish list (adult menu) and the kids’ menu as a kids’ entree |
| Size / portion | Standard side ramekin/bowl, roughly a cup. Kids’ portion is served as the main with a drink |
| Price | Side pricing, typically around $3 a la carte; free as one of the two sides with an entree. Kids’ meal priced at kids’ menu rates. Confirm locally |
| Calories | Printed beside the item on the in-store menu and on the chain’s nutrition PDF; varies by portion standard |
| What’s included | Nothing extra. Rolls with cinnamon butter come to the table free for dine-in regardless |
| Category | Sides / kids’ menu. Not an entree, not a pasta section |
| Pasta entree available? | No |
Price of the pasta options
Mac and cheese is priced as a standard side, which at most locations lands in the low-$3 range a la carte, and it costs nothing extra when you pick it as one of the two sides included with an entree. Kids’ mac and cheese is priced at kids’ menu rates.
Two things move that number. First, region: menu prices swing roughly 10-15% between a rural Midwest store and a coastal metro one, so a side that reads $2.99 in Ohio can read $3.79 in California. Second, whether you’re ordering it standalone or as part of an entree. The included-sides system is the whole value argument at this chain, and mac and cheese does not carry an upcharge the way a loaded potato does.
| How you order it | What you pay |
|---|---|
| As one of the two sides with any entree | Included, no upcharge |
| A la carte side, added on | Standard side price, roughly $3, region-dependent |
| Kids’ mac and cheese | Kids’ menu price, includes a drink at most stores |
| Any pasta entree | Not available |
To confirm the exact figure before you go, pull up your specific store on the chain’s site or app. Prices are set per location, and third-party delivery menus run higher than the in-store board, sometimes by 15-25%.
Calories and nutrition
Calorie counts for mac and cheese are printed directly on the in-store menu next to the item, as required for chains of this size, and the full nutrition breakdown lives in the chain’s downloadable nutrition guide. We’re not quoting a number here because we don’t have a current verified figure for this item.
What you can predict without a number: a cheese-sauce side is one of the heavier picks in the side list. If you’re managing calories, the comparison set matters more than the absolute figure. Green beans, fresh vegetables, and applesauce sit at the light end of the side menu. Mac and cheese, loaded baked potato, and steak fries sit at the heavy end. Picking one heavy and one light side is the practical move.
Allergen note worth flagging: mac and cheese contains wheat and dairy. Anyone eating gluten-free should treat it as off-limits and ask the manager for the allergen guide, which stores keep on hand.
How to order it well
Order mac and cheese as one of your two included sides rather than adding it a la carte, and pair it with a light second side so the plate isn’t all starch and cheese. Rolls and cinnamon butter arrive free at the table for dine-in.
A few specifics that actually change the experience:
- Ask for it fresh if you’re early. Sides are batched. If you’re in at 4pm on a slow Tuesday, it costs nothing to ask whether the pan is fresh.
- Pair it with something saucy, not something dry. It goes better next to ribs or a chopped steak than next to a plain sirloin, where the two rich elements compete.
- Don’t double up. Mac and cheese plus loaded potato is the single most common regret order on this menu.
- For kids, it’s the safest pick on the board. If a child at your table won’t touch steak, the kids’ mac and cheese is the reliable order and it comes with a drink at most locations.
Best substitutes if you came for a noodle plate
If you wanted pasta and there is none, the closest thing on the menu is a rice-based entree. Steak Kabob is marinated sirloin with vegetables served over seasoned rice. Grilled Shrimp is served over seasoned rice with garlic lemon butter. Both scratch the same fork-and-starch itch.
Ranked by how close they land to what a pasta-seeker usually wants:
- Grilled Shrimp over seasoned rice (around $16.99 at most stores). Buttery, garlicky, protein-over-starch. The closest analogue to a shrimp scampi plate.
- Steak Kabob over seasoned rice (around $19.99). Vegetables, protein, and a seasoned starch in one bowl.
- Any entree with mac and cheese as a side. The only literal pasta route.
- Chicken Critters with mac and cheese. The plate most people end up with when someone in the party wanted comfort food, not steak.
Is it worth it? Mac and cheese vs. the other sides
As a free included side, mac and cheese is worth ordering if you actually want it, since it costs the same as green beans. As a paid a la carte add-on at roughly $3, it’s average value against the rest of the side list rather than a standout.
Against its two closest siblings: seasoned rice is lighter, more useful under a saucy entree, and it soaks up gravy in a way mac and cheese cannot. Loaded mashed potatoes are richer and carry an upcharge at most stores. Mac and cheese sits between them, and its real advantage is that it’s the one side almost nobody at the table refuses.
Where it loses: if you’re already ordering ribs or a smothered entree, the plate is heavy enough. Substitute the light side and you’ll finish the meal instead of boxing half of it.
Why a steakhouse this size skips pasta
The kitchen is built around a grill line and a fryer, not a pasta station. Adding a pasta entree means a boiling station, a held sauce, and a new hold-time problem, all for a dish that competes with nothing the chain is known for.
There’s also a menu-strategy angle. Chains that keep pasta on a steak menu usually do it as a hedge for the non-steak eater. Texas Roadhouse already hedges with chicken, ribs, pork chops, shrimp, salmon, burgers, and a full sandwich list. The gap pasta would fill is already covered, which is likely why it has never appeared as a permanent item. Regional or limited-time tests are always possible, but we’ve seen no evidence of one at the time of writing.
Where this page can be wrong
This is an independent guide, not the official Texas Roadhouse site, and we are not affiliated with the company. Two categories of things here can drift.
Prices. Each location sets its own. Every dollar figure on this page is a typical range, not a quote, and delivery apps price separately and higher. Check your store’s own menu before you plan a spend.
Availability. Kids’ menu contents, side lists, and limited-time items vary by store and change without notice. If a specific location has run a pasta special, we would not necessarily know about it. Calling the store is a 60-second check that beats any guide, including this one.
We do not publish invented figures. Where we don’t have a verified number, such as the mac and cheese calorie count, we say so instead of filling the gap.
FAQ
Does Texas Roadhouse have pasta?
Not as an entree. There is no spaghetti, alfredo, or pasta dish on the Texas Roadhouse menu. The only pasta item is macaroni and cheese, which is available as a side dish and as a kids’ meal.
Do Texas Roadhouse have pasta dishes on the entree menu?
No. The entree menu is built around hand-cut steaks, ribs, chicken, pork chops, seafood, burgers, and sandwiches. No pasta entree appears in any section of the standard menu.
Is there pasta at Texas Roadhouse in any form?
Yes, in one form: macaroni and cheese. It sits in the side-dish list, so you can take it as one of the two free sides with an entree, add it a la carte, or order it from the kids’ menu.
How much is mac and cheese at Texas Roadhouse?
It’s priced as a standard side, typically around $3 a la carte, and it costs nothing extra when chosen as one of the two sides included with an entree. Prices are set per location, so confirm with your store.
What’s the closest thing to a pasta dish at Texas Roadhouse?
The rice-based entrees. Grilled Shrimp is served over seasoned rice with garlic lemon butter, and Steak Kabob is marinated sirloin with vegetables over seasoned rice. Both give you protein over a starch base.
Does the kids’ menu have pasta?
Yes. Kids’ macaroni and cheese is a standard kids’ menu option and includes a drink at most locations. It’s the go-to order for a child who won’t eat steak or chicken.
Has Texas Roadhouse ever offered a pasta entree?
Not as a permanent national menu item that we can verify. Individual stores occasionally run limited-time or regional specials, so if you saw one it was likely local. Call the location to check.
Is the mac and cheese gluten-free?
No. It’s wheat pasta in a cheese sauce, so it contains both wheat and dairy. Ask the manager for the store’s allergen guide if you’re eating around restrictions.