Quick and delicious cream cheese pasta with broccoli! Easy and customizable pasta recipe you can whip in less than 30 minutes! Check out how to make this creamy pasta recipe with step-wise pictures.
After a long and hectic day, we all look for quick and easy dinner recipes. I have quite a few easy dinner and lunch recipes on my blog, and I will share a couple more that you can make quickly and effortlessly this week. Here is the first recipe – creamy pasta with cream cheese. If you all love pasta like us, check out my 10 easy vegetarian pasta recipes.
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This cream cheese pasta is,
✔ super easy to make. The only time-consuming part is bringing the water to a boil. I usually set my water to boil in my electric kettle, which makes the process easier.
✔ easy to customize. You can add veggies and seasonings of your choice and customize them to your taste preference.
✔ a great lunch and dinner option.
Ingredients required
Pasta: You can use pasta of your choice. I used regular wheat pasta. You can use gluten-free pasta or lentil, quinoa-based pasta of your choice. Make sure to cook the pasta aldente as per the packaging instructions.
Vegetables: Vegetables are optional in this pasta. But no harm in adding some vegetables. You can add flash-cooked vegetables to make the pasta more colorful and healthy.
Cream cheese: This is the key ingredient, and I used an 8oz block for this measure, and we need this amount for this pasta. You can add more cheese or milk for a rich and creamy taste, but that’s not required.
Seasonings & condiments: I love Trader Joe’s seasonings, and I used their 21 seasonings salute mix for this pasta. You can use Italian seasoning or dried herbs that you have in hand. I have also used honey mustard, and it adds a nice flavor, but that’s completely optional.
Apart from these ingredients, we also need salt and water. Please check the recipe card for exact measurements.
Variations
This version of the cream cheese pasta I shared here is very basic. Some variations that you can try are,
- Along with cream cheese, you can use more parmesan and pesto for creamy pesto pasta.
- When the cream cheese is softening with pasta, you can parallelly heat oil or butter, roast some garlic, saute mushrooms, and add it to the pasta for a creamy garlic mushroom pasta.
- Add roasted or sauteed vegetables or canned beans to this pasta.
Note: While you can use precooked pasta for other dishes, for this recipe, I highly recommend cooking the pasta when you are making this dish. As soon you drain the water, and when the pasta is still hot, we add the cream cheese and let it sit for some time to soften. It helps in even melting the cheese and is easy to mix. I learned this idea from the Salt and Lavender website, which works well.
Dietary specifications and storing suggestions
This pasta is a vegetarian, nut-free rennet-free cheese pasta. Use gluten-free pasta for a gluten-free dish. I have only refrigerated this pasta for up to two days and have yet to try freezing them. You can reheat this pasta in a saucepan by adding milk and enjoy it warmly.
How to make cream cheese pasta
Blanch the broccoli florets.
- Add the broccoli florets to a bowl and 2 cups of boiling water. Cover the bowl, let it sit for 3 to 5 minutes, and drain the water.
Cook the pasta
- Cook the pasta as per the package instructions. For this Gemelli pasta, I used 7 cups of water with 2 tsps of salt. When the water comes to a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook until it is aldente. It took me approx 10 minutes.
Drain the pasta and add cream cheese.
- Reserve ¾ to 1 cup of pasta water and drain the remaining water. Immediately transfer the drained pasta to the sauce pot, place the cream cheese on top, and add the broccoli florets. Cover the sauce pot and let it sit for 5 minutes – no need to turn the heat on. This step is very important. Do not let the pasta cool. The cream cheese block softens quickly when the pasta is hot.
Add the condiments
- After five minutes, turn the heat on. Over medium-low heat, add the pasta water and mix the pasta and cheese nicely. The cream cheese will be soft, and you can mix it easily.
- Add the honey mustard sauce, pepper, and the 21 seasoning salute or Italian seasoning. If needed, add the milk and mix well. I did not add any extra milk.
- Mix well and serve hot immediately.
Recipe Notes
- Ensure you add sufficient salt when cooking the pasta. We are not adding any additional salt later.
- You can add more cheese, like parmesan or cheddar, for a more rich and creamy flavor.
- Instead of broccoli or along with broccoli, you can add green peas or asparagus. You can also add other steamed veggies that you have in handy.
- Please check the variations section for more options.
More pasta recipes
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📖 Recipe
Easy Cream Cheese Pasta with Broccoli
Equipment
- Saucepan or kadai
Ingredients
Measurement Details: 1 cup: 240ml; 1 tbsp: 15ml; 1 tsp: 5ml;
- 250 grams pasta I used Gemelli pasta, 8.5 oz approx
- 10 cups water divided
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 broccoli head small heads or approx 15 florets
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1 tbsp honey mustard optional
- 1 tsp black pepper or to taste
- 1 tsp Trader Joe's 21 seasoning salute refer notes
- ½ cup milk optional
Instructions
Blanch the broccoli florets.
- Add the broccoli florets to a bowl and 2 cups of boiling water. Cover the bowl, let it sit for 3 to 5 minutes, and drain the water.
Cook the pasta
- Cook the pasta as per the package instructions. For this Gemelli pasta, I used 7 cups of water with 2 tsps of salt. When the water comes to a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook until it is aldente. It took me approx 10 minutes.
Drain the pasta and add cream cheese.
- Reserve ¾ to 1 cup of pasta water and drain the remaining water. Immediately transfer the drained pasta to the sauce pot, place the cream cheese on top, and add the broccoli florets. Cover the sauce pot and let it sit for 5 minutes – no need to turn the heat on. This step is very important. Do not let the pasta cool. The cream cheese block softens quickly when the pasta is hot.
Add the condiments
- After five minutes, turn the heat on. Over medium-low heat, add the pasta water and mix the pasta and cheese nicely. The cream cheese will be soft, and you can mix it easily.
- Add the honey mustard sauce, pepper, and the 21 seasoning salute or Italian seasoning. If needed, add the milk and mix well. I did not add any extra milk.
- Mix well and serve hot immediately.
Notes
- Ensure you add sufficient salt when cooking the pasta. We are not adding any additional salt later.
- You can add more cheese, like parmesan or cheddar, for a more rich and creamy flavor.
- Instead of broccoli or along with broccoli, you can add green peas or asparagus. You can also add other steamed veggies that you have in handy.
- Please check the variations section for more options.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
Doesn’t the Trader Joes seasoning makes everything better? Love this creamy pasta any time… Simple to make and always feels like a hug…
Oh yeah absolutely :-)
The pasta looks super delicious ! I am very fond of cream cheese and to add it as a sauce to pasta is a great idea.
Must try this delicious dish , so rich and creamy.
Thank you :-)