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cream cheese pasta held on a serving spoon.
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5 from 5 votes

Cream Cheese Pasta

This easy cream cheese pasta recipe uses just a few basic ingredients and is ready in about 15 minutes. And it is versatile; add other ingredients to make this dish your own.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Course: Main Course, Pasta and Rice
Cuisine: American, Italian
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 519kcal
Author: Adina

Equipment

  • Large pot
  • Large skillet or pan

Ingredients

  • 1 lb pasta 450 g, Note 1
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3-5 garlic cloves to taste
  • 1 ⅓ cup cream cheese 300 g/ 10.5 oz, Note 2
  • 1 cup milk 230 ml
  • 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan + more to serve, Note 3
  • small handful fresh basil Note 4
  • fine sea salt or kosher salt
  • ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Before draining, reserve about ½ cup of the cooking water.
    1 lb pasta / 450 g
  • In the meantime, prepare the ingredients for the sauce, but only start cooking a couple of minutes before the pasta is cooked.
  • Grate the garlic and set aside. Whisk the cream cheese and milk in a bowl and add salt and pepper to taste. Grate the Parmesan. Cut the basil into strips. Keep all the ingredients in separate containers.
    3-5 garlic cloves + 1 ⅓ cup cream cheese/ 300 g + 1 cup milk/ 230 ml + 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan + small handful fresh basil
  • Cream cheese sauce: Heat the oil and sauté the garlic on low heat for just about 30-60 seconds; it should not get too much color or burn. Add the cream cheese mixture and stir until smooth. Add the chopped basil and Parmesan and combine.
    1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Add drained pasta and a little reserved cooking water, just enough to make the sauce creamy and help it coat the pasta thoroughly.
  • Adjust the taste with salt and pepper and sprinkle with more Parmesan, if desired. Serve immediately.
    fine sea salt + ground black pepper

Notes

  1. Pasta: I use spaghetti or tagliatelle most of the time, but any other kind of pasta shape is fine.
  2. Cream cheese: I usually use creamy and softer cream cheese from a tub of cream cheese. However, brick cream cheese is just as great, but you might need to mix it with more milk or pasta water to help it reach a smooth and creamy consistency. Add the extra liquid gradually and stir well before adding any more.
  3. Parmesan: Preferably freshly grated; pre-grated cheese has less flavor, and its preservatives might make the sauce grainy. It can be left out; the dish will still taste great without it.
  4. Basil: Only fresh basil, don't substitute with dried. Fresh or frozen parsley can be used instead.
  5. Customize:
  • Add 1-2 deseeded and chopped tomatoes and stir them with the garlic in the pan for 1-2 minutes until slightly softened before adding the cream cheese.
  • Sauté 3-4 finely chopped anchovies with the garlic until “melted.”
  • Sauté a finely chopped chili with the garlic, or add some red chili flakes or cayenne pepper to the sauce.
  • Add a good handful of peas to the cooking pasta during the last 2 minutes of the cooking time.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 of the dish | Calories: 519kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 611mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g