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    Home » MAINS » PASTA

    Quick & Easy Cream Cheese Pasta

    Published: November 5, 2022 · Updated: January 17, 2023 by Ieva · This post may contain affiliate links · 10 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    An easy pasta recipe is always a great choice for busy weeknights! Not only quick to make, but this Cream Cheese Pasta is also a low-budget meal that comes together in under 20 minutes and is likely to be enjoyed by the whole family, including vegetarians and meat eaters! The creamy sauce covering the al dente pasta is an extremely satisfying thing to eat, especially when paired with earthy dried-fried mushrooms. You will be surprised how flavoursome this easy pasta dish can be with just a handful of ingredients!

    Take Me To:
    • Ingredients and Substitutes
    • Method
      • Step 1: Dry-Fry Your Mushrooms
      • Step 2: Cook Pasta
      • Step 3: Make The Cream Cheese Pasta Sauce
    • What To Serve Cream Cheese Pasta With?
    • How To Store Leftover Pasta?
    • Other Creamy Pasta Recipes
    • Recipe Card

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    Ingredients and Substitutes

    One of our favourite pasta dishes, this recipe will only require 7 basic ingredients that are likely part of your weekly shop.

    • pasta: there’s no need to make your own or buy fresh pasta for this recipe. As long as it’s cooked correctly (and by that we mean, al dente), it will taste wonderful. The flavour of it is all in the cream cheese pasta sauce.
    • mushrooms: closed cup, chestnut, cremini, shiitake, portobello or any other mushrooms you enjoy will work here. If you or your family do not enjoy the flavour or texture of mushrooms, feel free to substitute them with cooked shredded chicken, prawns or halved cherry tomatoes. You can also make it into a creamy bacon pasta dish.
    • brown onion: can be substituted with white onion or shallots.
    • fresh garlic cloves: adds tons of flavor to the sauce and are an essential ingredient in the cream cheese sauce, in our opinion. If you must, substitute them with garlic powder.
    • cream cheese: we use full-fat cream cheese in this recipe. Because creamy cheese sauce is the start of the dish in this recipe, it’s important to use the best quality cream cheese. However, we think that a good Supermarket’s own brand and big brands like Philadelphia cream cheese both work equally well.
    • stock: we like this dish with vegetable stock or chicken broth.
    • parmesan cheese: can be substituted with cheaper alternatives, like Padana Grano or mature Cheddar. Different cheeses will add a slightly different flavour, but as long as you like the cheese you use, it’ll be great!
    • you will also need olive oil, salt and ground black pepper.
    Ingredients for Cream Cheese Pasta with Mushrooms on a wooden chopping board.

    Method

    Step 1: Dry-Fry Your Mushrooms

    Start by preparing your mushrooms. If you’re using small mushrooms, cut them in quarters. But if you have large portobello or flat mushrooms, cut them into 0.5cm wedges.

    Place them in a dry non-stick pan (large skillet) and cook on medium-high heat, stirring them occasionally to make sure they don’t catch. The mushrooms will likely release water and will certainly shrink by at least half the size. Carry on cooking until all the moisture has evaporated from the pan and your mushrooms are well browned. Dry-fried mushrooms add a wonderful savoury flavour to this easy cream cheese pasta recipe.

    Mushrooms dry-frying in a large skillet.

    Once your mushrooms are ready, take them out of the pan and into a small bowl or a plate. Reserve the pan.

    Step 2: Cook Pasta

    Cook pasta in salted boiling water following the package instructions.

    Step 3: Make The Cream Cheese Pasta Sauce

    Return the pan to low-medium heat, add a tablespoon of olive oil and onions and saute for 5 minutes until softened but not browned. Add the garlic and carry on cooking for another minute. Finally, add the cream cheese, crumble in the stock and add about 100ml (* this is the amount of water for 2 portions, adjust if making more pasta) of starchy pasta water into the pan and cook on low heat stirring continuously until well combined. If the sauce is looking thinner than you’d like, leave it to simmer for a minute or two to reduce more. If your sauce gets too thick, add more starchy pasta water or a splash of milk.

    Cream cheese added to the sauteed onions and garlic.
    Cream cheese sauce for pasta in a frying pan.

    Once the pasta is cooked al dente, drain and add it to the sauce alongside the mushrooms. Stir for 20-30 seconds to combine and for mushrooms to warm through. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning by adding salt and pepper. Then divide the pasta between bowls and top with parmesan cheese! Garnish with parsley, if you like!

    A blue bowl full of cream cheese pasta with mushrooms garnished with parsley.

    What To Serve Cream Cheese Pasta With?

    Cheesy pasta in a creamy sauce is known to go well with garlic bread, right? Absolutely! Serve it with a couple of slices (or a whole baguette) or crusty herby garlic bread and a simple green salad or vegetables on the side. We really like Courgette Ribbon Salad or Tenderstem Broccoli with this pasta.

    How To Store Leftover Pasta?

    If you have leftovers, cool the pasta down to room temperature and add it to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 48 hours. An easy way to reheat it is in a microwave, but you can also place the leftovers in a pan with a little bit of milk or water and stir until warmed through. Note though, that your pasta will no longer be al dente after you reheat it and your mushrooms will have a different texture.

    TIP: If you are intending to store this delicious cream cheese pasta for later (rather than eat it immediately) intentionally undercook the pasta to start with!

    Other Creamy Pasta Recipes

    If you enjoy an easy dinner that uses simple ingredients, you are in the right company! Here’s what we recommend you try next:

    • Creamy Boursin Pasta
    • Quick Smoked Mackerel Pasta
    • Lemon Ricotta Pasta
    • Smoked Salmon and Spinach Pasta

    Recipe Card

    Cream cheese pasta with mushrooms in a blue bowl garnished with parsley and parmesan scattered on top.

    Quick & Easy Cream Cheese Pasta

    An easy pasta recipe is always a great choice for busy weeknights! Not only quick to make, but this Cream Cheese Pasta is also a low-budget meal that comes together in under 20 minutes and is likely to be enjoyed by the whole family, including vegetarians and meat eaters! The creamy sauce covering the al dente pasta is an extremely satisfying thing to eat, especially when paired with earthy dried-fried mushrooms. You will be surprised how flavoursome this easy pasta dish can be with just a handful of ingredients!
    5 from 7 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 15 minutes mins
    Total Time 20 minutes mins
    Course Dinner, Main Course
    Cuisine American, British, Italian
    Servings 2 portions
    Calories 633 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 200 g pasta
    • 250 g mushrooms sliced
    • 1 brown onion very finely chopped
    • 2 garlic cloves thinly sliced
    • 100 g cream cheese
    • ½ stock cube
    • 10 g parmesan
    • 1 tablespoon parsley finely chopped, optional for garnish

    Instructions
     

    • Start by preparing your mushrooms. If you're using small mushrooms, cut them in quarters. But if you have large portobello or flat mushrooms, cut them into 0.5cm wedges.
    • Place them in a dry non-stick pan (large skillet) and cook on medium-high heat, stirring them occasionally to make sure they don't catch. Carry on cooking until all the moisture has evaporated from the pan and your mushrooms are well browned.
    • Once your mushrooms are ready, take them out of the pan and into a small bowl or a plate. Reserve the pan.
    • Cook pasta in salted boiling water following the package instructions.
    • Return the pan to low-medium heat, add a tablespoon of olive oil and onions and saute for 5 minutes until softened but not browned. Add the garlic and carry on cooking for another minute.
    • Finally, add the cream cheese, crumble in the stock and add about 100ml (* this is the amount of water for 2 portions, adjust if making more pasta) of starchy pasta water into the pan and cook on low heat stirring continuously until well combined. If the sauce is looking thinner than you'd like, leave it to simmer for a minute or two to reduce more. If your sauce gets too thick, add more starchy pasta water or a splash of milk.
    • Once the pasta is cooked al dente, drain and add it to the sauce alongside the mushrooms. Stir for 20-30 seconds to combine and for mushrooms to warm through. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning by adding salt and pepper. Then divide the pasta between bowls and top with parmesan cheese! Garnish with parsley, if you like!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 633kcalCarbohydrates: 90gProtein: 23gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 513mgPotassium: 915mgFiber: 8gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 880IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 204mgIron: 17mg
    Keyword Cream Cheese Pasta, Cream Cheese Pasta Recipe, Cream Cheese Pasta Sauce, Creamy Mushroom Pasta, Mushroom PAsta, PAsta with Mushrooms, Philadelphia Cream Cheese Pasta Sauce
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
    Pin for Pinterest.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Luci Petlack

      November 19, 2022 at 7:42 pm

      5 stars
      This was so good and easy to make. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
      • Ieva

        November 20, 2022 at 7:17 am

        You’re most welcome! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂

        Reply
    2. Tara

      November 22, 2022 at 2:10 pm

      5 stars
      Oh yum! Definitely the perfect comforting pasta dish for busy weeknights. This looks so good with the use of the cream cheese.

      Reply
    3. Katherine

      December 10, 2022 at 1:38 pm

      5 stars
      So quick and so tasty! Great midweek meal.

      Reply
    4. Janessa

      January 08, 2023 at 11:17 am

      5 stars
      We made this for dinner last night and it was fabulous! I can hardly wait to eat the leftovers for lunch today.

      Reply
      • Ieva

        March 06, 2023 at 2:09 pm

        Thank you so much for such lovely feedback!

        Reply
    5. Janessa

      January 18, 2023 at 1:16 pm

      5 stars
      We made this pasta for dinner last night and it was delicious. I can hardly wait to eat the leftovers for lunch today.

      Reply
      • Ieva

        January 19, 2023 at 9:06 am

        I know the feeling… I sometimes daydream about dinner before I even finish lunch 😀

        Reply
    6. Dannii

      January 18, 2023 at 7:08 pm

      5 stars
      This is now my go-to for a quick and easy meal. So adaptable too.

      Reply
      • Ieva

        January 19, 2023 at 9:05 am

        That’s great! Yes, it works so well with so many different proteins, veggies and mushrooms! 🙂

        Reply

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    Hi, I am Ieva – the face behind this blog. I live in North Wales with my husband Seb and our golden retriever Sawyer. It’s safe to say that I live and breathe food: from researching and reading about food to creating new recipes and growing vegetables to use in my cooking.  The great thing is, Seb appreciates all the good meals that are also essential at his worst ‘hangry’ moments! Somebody HAS to feed Seb…

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