Description
This cream cheese pasta sauce is super simple, fast, and great for when you don’t have many ingredients in your fridge! Ready in about 20 minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
- 8 ounces uncooked pasta
- 8 ounces cream cheese (softened)
- 1 tablespoon butter (softened)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1–2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional, or to taste)
- Salt & pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Step 1: Boil a pot of water for the pasta and cook it al dente according to package directions. Before draining, reserve 1 cup of the hot pasta water.
- Step 2: Meanwhile, cut the cream cheese into smaller pieces and microwave it until very soft (try 20-30 second intervals). Prep all ingredients so they’re ready to go as soon as the pasta is cooked.
- Step 3: Return the drained pasta to the pot it was cooked in, and quickly add the cream cheese and butter. Cover the pot and let it sit for about a minute.
- Step 4: Uncover the pot and add in the garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, and parsley.
- Step 5: Add about 1/4 cup of the hot pasta water to the pot, and start tossing it, gradually adding more of the water until the cheese has melted into a creamy sauce.
- Step 6: Season with salt & pepper to taste and serve.
Notes
Serves 2-4 depending on portion size. This recipe is flexible; you can adjust herbs/spices to taste or add 1/4-1/2 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese during the second step.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 433 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 215 mg
- Fat: 23 g
- Saturated Fat: 13 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 11 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
Keywords: cream cheese pasta, easy pasta sauce, quick dinner, creamy pasta