Cheddars Kid’s Penne Pasta: Price, Calories & Nutrition Guide
The Cheddars Kid’s Penne Pasta is the pasta pick on the Kids menu: a bowl of penne with your choice of three sauces — butter, homemade marinara or alfredo — served with garlic bread on the side. It is one of only two pasta entries in the Kids category, and it is the one that lets a young pasta fan pick exactly the sauce they want.
Every version costs $5.99 at the Arlington, Texas, Cheddar’s, which makes it the joint-cheapest kids meal on the menu, tied with the Kid’s Grilled Cheese. The calories depend entirely on the sauce: 430 with marinara, 490 with butter and 700 with alfredo. This guide covers the Kid’s Penne Pasta price, what comes with it, the calories and full nutrition for all three sauces, what to pair it with, and how to order it online.
Price: From $5.99
Calories: 430–700
Category: Kids
What Comes With the Kid’s Penne Pasta?
Order the Kid’s Penne Pasta and the kitchen sends out a bowl of penne pasta coated in the sauce your child picks, with garlic bread served with it. Unlike most Kids meals at Cheddar’s, this one has no side choice — the garlic bread takes the side’s place. A drink choice is offered with the meal, so you can pick milk, chocolate milk, apple juice, a soft drink, a lemonade or an iced tea when you order.
- Penne Pasta with Your Choice of Sauce: Butter, Homemade Marinara or Alfredo
- Garlic Bread Served With It
- A Drink Choice Offered With the Meal
- Extra Alfredo Sauce Available (+$1.29)
How Much Does the Kid’s Penne Pasta Cost?
The Kid’s Penne Pasta price is $5.99 at the Arlington, Texas, Cheddar’s — and that price is the same whichever sauce you choose. Butter, homemade marinara and alfredo all sit at $5.99, so the decision at the table is purely about taste, never about cost. At that price it is the joint-cheapest meal in the Kids category, level with the Kid’s Grilled Cheese, and the only extra you can add is more alfredo sauce for $1.29 on the alfredo and butter versions.
Kid’s Penne Pasta
Penne pasta with your choice of butter, homemade marinara or alfredo sauce, served with garlic bread.
Three Sauces · Garlic Bread Included · Joint-Cheapest Kids Meal
From $5.99
Prices can differ between restaurants, and the final total may change if you add extra items to your order. Check the price shown by your local Cheddar’s before checkout, because prices and availability are set by each location.
Kid’s Penne Pasta Nutrition and Calories
Because the sauce changes everything, Cheddar’s official nutrition guide prints a separate panel for each version of this dish. The marinara bowl is the lightest at 430 calories, the butter version sits in the middle at 490, and the alfredo is the richest at 700 — the full spread is 270 calories on the same bowl of penne. The tables below are the official guide panels for each sauce.
Kid’s Penne Pasta Alfredo
| Nutrient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 700 cals |
| Calories from Fat | 410 cals |
| Total Fat | 45 g |
| Saturated Fat | 23 g |
| Trans Fat | 1 g |
| Cholesterol | 90 mg |
| Sodium | 970 mg |
| Total Carbs | 56 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugars | 6 g |
| Protein | 16 g |
Kid’s Penne Pasta with Butter
| Nutrient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 490 cals |
| Calories from Fat | 260 cals |
| Total Fat | 29 g |
| Saturated Fat | 14 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.5 g |
| Cholesterol | 50 mg |
| Sodium | 400 mg |
| Total Carbs | 49 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugars | 2 g |
| Protein | 9 g |
Kid’s Penne Pasta with Marinara
| Nutrient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 430 cals |
| Calories from Fat | 130 cals |
| Total Fat | 14 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g |
| Trans Fat | 0 g |
| Cholesterol | 5 mg |
| Sodium | 980 mg |
| Total Carbs | 63 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugars | 10 g |
| Protein | 12 g |
What to Pair With the Kid’s Penne Pasta
Side House Salad is the easy add-on when you want something fresh next to the pasta bowl. At $3.99 it gives the table a crisp salad to share while the penne stays the main event, and it suits the marinara version especially well.
Kid’s Grilled Cheese is the natural partner order for a second child at the table. Also $5.99 — American cheese on Texas toast with a side — it keeps the bill flat while giving the table two completely different meals.
Kid’s Chicken Tenders cover the other classic kids-menu craving. Hand-breaded tenders with homemade ranch and a side, at $6.99, pair up with the pasta for families ordering across the Kids menu in one go.
Which Sauce? From Lightest to Richest
All three sauces cost the same $5.99, so the choice is about the meal you want. The marinara is the lightest bowl at 430 calories and just 14 grams of fat — the pick when you want the pasta itself to lead. The butter version sits in the middle on calories at 490, but it holds a distinction of its own: its 400 mg of sodium is the lowest sodium figure of any kids meal on the menu, well under every other Kids panel in the official guide. The alfredo is the full comfort version — 700 calories, 45 grams of fat and the most protein of the three at 16 grams. Same penne, same price, three genuinely different meals.
Nutrition and Allergen Considerations
The sauce decides this meal’s allergen picture. The official allergen guide marks the alfredo version for soy, dairy (milk), wheat and gluten, and the marinara version for soy, dairy, wheat and gluten as well. The butter version is printed with soy, wheat and gluten — as printed, the guide shows no dairy flag for the butter version, which is worth confirming with your restaurant if dairy matters for your child. The garlic bread served with every bowl is a grilled item marked separately for soy, dairy, wheat and gluten. Cheddar’s warns that its kitchens use shared cooking and preparation areas, so cross-contact can occur. It cannot guarantee that any menu item is completely free of allergens.
How to Order the Kid’s Penne Pasta Online
To check availability and place a takeout order:
- Visit the Cheddar’s online menu.
- Select your restaurant.
- Open Kids.
- Choose Kid’s Penne Pasta and add it to your order.
- Confirm the current price and complete checkout.
Availability and pricing can vary by location. If you need to change or cancel a To Go order after placing it, Cheddar’s advises contacting the restaurant directly.
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View All LocationsFinal Thoughts
The Cheddars Kid’s Penne Pasta is the flexible pick on the Kids menu: one bowl of penne, three sauces, garlic bread with every order, and a flat $5.99 price that never changes with the sauce. Order the marinara for the lightest kids pasta at 430 calories, the butter for the lowest sodium of any kids meal, or the alfredo when only the richest bowl will do. Confirm the current price and nutrition information with your selected restaurant before ordering.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: How much does the Cheddars Kid’s Penne Pasta cost?
It costs $5.99 at the Arlington, Texas, Cheddar’s, and all three sauces — butter, homemade marinara and alfredo — are the same price. Prices can vary by location.
Q2: How many calories are in the Kid’s Penne Pasta?
It depends on the sauce: Cheddar’s official nutrition guide lists the marinara version at 430 calories, the butter version at 490 and the alfredo version at 700.
Q3: What comes with the Kid’s Penne Pasta?
A bowl of penne pasta in your choice of butter, homemade marinara or alfredo sauce, served with garlic bread. There is no side choice on this item — the garlic bread comes with it instead — and a drink choice is offered with the meal when you order.
Q4: Can I add extra alfredo sauce to the Kid’s Penne Pasta?
Yes — extra alfredo sauce is offered for $1.29 on the alfredo and butter versions when you order.
Q5: How do I order the Kid’s Penne Pasta?
Order it online for takeout or in the restaurant: open the Kids section of the Cheddar’s menu, choose Kid’s Penne Pasta, pick your sauce, and complete checkout.
