Easy Cream Cheese Pasta Sauce
Published 6/22/2023 • Updated 3/17/2024
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Keep this cream cheese pasta sauce in your back pocket at all times. It takes less than 15 minutes to whip up and is so creamy and delicious.
Simple Cheesy Pasta Sauce!
You folks love our Baked Cream Cheese Pasta, so we thought we’d come up with a go-to cream cheese pasta sauce recipe that you can keep in your back pocket at all times.
This easy cream cheese pasta sauce is made from the base of cream cheese, garlic, and milk and can be tossed with pretty much any kind of noodle for the ultimate pasta dish.
Heck, it could even be used as a dip for veggies or tortilla chips. Keep reading to learn how to make cream cheese pasta sauce + how to alter it to make it your very own.
Try it!
Baked Cream Cheese Pasta
This baked cream cheese pasta is next level thanks to a super flavorful cream cheese sauce with tomatoes, mushrooms, onions and fresh lemon juice all baked to perfection and served with spaghetti. Enjoy!
Ingredients for Cream Cheese Pasta Sauce
Cream cheese pasta sauce might be one of the most basic pasta sauces. But, let us tell you, it’s one of the most delicious!
- Cream cheese: we’re using full-fat cream cheese for this recipe.
- Milk: milk is used to thin out the sauce.
- Garlic and onion: garlic and onion add a great base flavor:
- Asiago cheese: asiago cheese adds a bit of sharpness to this recipe. You can also use parmesan.
- Salt: salt to taste.
- Nutmeg: nutmeg adds a bite. Trust us! You don’t wait to skip it.
Cream Cheese Recipes
How to Make Cream Cheese Pasta Sauce
This pasta sauce recipe is meant to serve 4 people with a total of 8-oz. pasta!
Cook Noodles
Boil a pot of salted water. Then, cook 8-oz. of your favorite pasta until al dente. Reserve some pasta water for later.
Cook Garlic and Onion
Cook garlic and onion until fragrant.
Melt Cream Cheese
Add cream cheese and milk and stir until the cream cheese fully melts.
Best
Mac and Cheese Sauce
No matter if you’re making stovetop mac and cheese or baked mac and cheese, this is the best mac and cheese sauce on the internet!
Add More Cheese
Add shredded cheese, salt, and nutmeg, and stir until melted.
THin Sauce
Depending on how thick you like your sauce, you can add starchy pasta water or more milk to thin out the sauce as needed.
Add Noodles
Finally, add your cooked noodles and toss until fully coated.
Serving Ideas
- Switch up the pasta: use what you have on hand! This pasta sauce can be served with fettuccini, rigatoni, angel hair, etc.
- Add a protein: cook up some chicken breast or shrimp and add some protein. Our sister site, Fit Foodie Finds, has some great options 😀
- Bake it: turn this into a baked pasta. After tossing it with the pasta, transfer it into a casserole dish. Then, top with mozzarella cheese and bake it for 15 minutes at 350ºF.
Make it!
Homemade Cream Cheese
Did you know that you can make homemade cream cheese with 3 ingredients — milk, lemon juice and salt? So the next time you’re all out, use our homemade cream cheese tutorial!
FAQs
The best way to thicken cream cheese pasta sauce is with starchy pasta water.
In order to thin out cream cheese pasta sauce, you can use more milk.
Philidelphia cream cheese can easily be melted and turned into a pasta sauce.
The best way to make a creamy sauce for pasta is to either use cheese or cream. You can add starchy pasta water to make it nice and thick.
Easy Cream Cheese Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 8 oz. dried pasta of any kind
- ½ cup starchy pasta water
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 oz. cream cheese
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup asiago cheese, shredded
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
- Boil a large pot of salted water and cook noodles according to package directions. Before straining, reserve ½ cup of pasta and set cooked noodles aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil.
- When the olive oil is fragrant, add minced garlic and saute until it becomes translucent (about 2-3 minutes).
- Next add cream cheese and milk, stirring until cream cheese is melted and the two are combined.
- Add in shredded asiago cheese, salt, and nutmeg, stir until melted.
- Add starchy pasta water by the tablespoon, if desired, to thin out the sauce. You may or may not need to use any depending on how thick you like your sauce.
- Pour sauce over cooked noodles and toss. Toss and enjoy.
Tips & Notes
- If the sauce is too thick, more milk can be added to thin out the sauce before adding noodles. Reserved cooking water could also be used.
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This recipe is delicious! I have followed FFF for several years. I had some leftover cream cheese and took a look at Cheese Knees for recipes with cream cheese. Found this one and loved it! Not only was it super easy to make, but the flavor was rich and creamy. I used parmesan cheese (that’s what I had on hand), Banza pasta, and added chicken breast for more protein.
Aw we’re blushing, Kim! So glad you loved this sauce <3