Cream Cheese Pasta
on Mar 02, 2021, Updated Apr 04, 2024
Need an easy dinner idea? This Cream Cheese Pasta recipe is perfect for making white spaghetti in just 10 minutes!
This cream cheese pasta is so yummy!
Wondering what to add to plain noodles for dinner? Cream cheese sauce might be your new favorite thing to make! This cream cheese pasta is an easy and delicious recipe that can be served by itself or with a protein and veggie on the side for a complete meal.
When I am craving comfort food that is quick, I love making a batch of cream cheese pasta. It’s so flavorful, easy to make, and who doesn’t love good pasta?!
This would be amazing with a side of roasted frozen vegetables and your favorite protein for a quick dinner!
Cream Cheese Pasta Ingredients
- Cream Cheese: full fat cream cheese
- Butter: unsalted is what we used, but either will work, you will just salt to taste at the end.
- Parmesan Cheese: Freshly grated is a must for this sauce!
- Fresh minced garlic: a must have for any cheese sauce in my opinion! If you are making this for kids you can reduce the amount of garlic you use.
how to make cream cheese pasta
Step 1: Cook 8 oz of spaghetti noodles to al dente, according to package instructions.
- Note: While I used spaghetti for this recipe, any type of noodle will work. This would be great with penne, ziti, macaroni, bowtie, linguini etc!
Step 2: While the noodles are cooking, make the cream cheese pasta sauce.
Step 3: Melt the butter in a pan, then add the minced garlic. Cook for one minute, stirring often, until the garlic is fragrant. Be careful not to burn.
Step 4: Add in the cream cheese, pasta water from the pot of cooking noodles, and fresh grated parmesan cheese. Whisk the sauce until everything is melted and smooth.
How much garlic do I use in the sauce?
For this recipe, I used 6 cloves of fresh minced garlic, which gives the noodles a lovely garlicky flavor. If you are not a fan of garlic, or are cooking for kids, you can take this amount down to one or two cloves of garlic for a more mild flavor.
Step 5: Once the spaghetti noodles are done cooking, drain them and return to the pot. Add the cream cheese sauce and toss to combine. Salt and pepper the cream cheese pasta to taste, then serve immediately.
Like most cheese based pasta recipes, the sauce will dry out once cooled and will absorb into the pasta. This is most creamy when served fresh! I had leftovers the next day and while they were not as creamy, the noodles were still delicious.
How to serve this pasta
The ways you can customize this dish are endless! You could add roasted vegetables such as:
- mushrooms
- tomatoes
- peppers
- onions
- peas
- cauliflower
You can also serve your favorite simple protein along with it if you like! Really, you just can’t go wrong here. Such a simple but really flavorful dish you can eat however you want!
We love making sauce with cream cheese for a “white spaghetti” as my kids call it.
More pasta recipes you’ll love
- Creamy Mushroom Pasta
- Garlic Butter Noodles
- Ranch Pasta Salad
- Bow Tie Pasta
- Parmesan Cream Sauce Pasta
- Vegetarian Baked Ziti
- Roasted Vegetable Pasta
- One Pot Sweet Potato Pasta
- Veggie Lover’s Baked Rigatoni
- Three Cheese Baked Ziti
This pasta is a family favorite, so flavorful, and a great easy dinner when you need something fast!
Cream Cheese Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 oz spaghetti noodles
- 4 oz cream cheese
- ¾ cup reserved pasta water
- ½ cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 6 cloves garlic, minced (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta al dente according to instructions
- In a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat
- Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring often, until fragrant, being careful not to burn it
- Add in the cream cheese, pasta water from the cooking pot, and fresh grated parmesan cheese
- Whisk until the sauce is creamy and smooth
- For a thinner sauce, you can add more water, if desired
- Once the spaghetti is done cooking, return it to the pan and toss with the cream cheese sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Serve immediately
Can I make this in a slow cooker? Using a 16 oz box of noodles & 8 oz cream cheese? Could I add some water to help the noodles cook or a jarred white sauce maybe? High or low? Thanks for your help!
I have not tested this recipe in the slow cooker. Let me know if you try it!