Cream Cheese Pasta Sauce

This creamy Cream Cheese Pasta Sauce is pure comfort in a pan. It’s rich, garlicky, and smooth, with a quick-fix feel that makes busy-night dinners easy and delicious.

A simple green salad balances the richness of this dish and be sure to add homemade garlic bread to get every last drop of this delicious sauce!

Contents show

1 Holly’s Recipe Highlights: Cream Cheese Pasta Sauce

2 Ingredient Notes

3 Save That Sauce

4 More Creamy Pasta Favorites

4.1 Related Posts

Holly’s Recipe Highlights: Cream Cheese Pasta Sauce

Flavor: Rich, creamy, and savory with a mellow garlic bite and a hint of herbs.

Why Make It: The sauce comes together in the time it takes to boil pasta, all in just one saucepan for an easy, no-fuss dinner.  

Serving Suggestions: I love serving this sauce over spaghetti, penne, rotini, bowties, or tortellini. I’ll often toss in peas, spinach, or leftover chicken to make it even heartier and more satisfying.

Total Time: 10 Minutes Serves: 4 Cooking Method: Stovetop

Ingredient Notes

• Cream Cheese: Brick-style cream cheese works best for the smoothest, creamiest sauce, and cubing it helps it melt quickly and evenly.
• Broth: Chicken broth adds savory depth and helps thin the sauce without making it feel heavy or bland. Vegetable broth works for a vegetarian option.
• Parmesan Cheese: Freshly grated Parmesan will give you a creamier texture and better flavor than pre-shredded. To make it extra cheesy add a little more Parmesan or a sprinkle of mozzarella.
• Pasta: Any pasta shape works well, with short shapes holding onto the sauce nicely, while spaghetti or fettuccine give it that classic Alfredo-style feel.
• Variations: The sauce can be made lighter by using half broth and half milk for a softer, creamier flavor. It can also be spiced up with red pepper flakes, or turned into a heartier meal by adding cooked chicken, shrimp, ham, bacon, or Italian sausage.

Save That Sauce

Keep leftover sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Freeze the sauce in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks. Dairy-based sauces can separate after freezing, so thaw in the refrigerator and reheat slowly while whisking.

Did you enjoy this Cream Cheese Pasta Sauce Recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

• Cook pasta according to package directions.

• While pasta is boiling, cook garlic in butter in a saucepan over medium heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add dried basil and onion powder. Whisk in cream cheese until melted and smooth.

• Add chicken broth a little bit at a time and simmer 3-4 minutes or until slightly thickened.

• Remove from heat and stir in parmesan cheese. Season with salt & pepper to taste and serve over pasta.

Leftover sauce can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. 
Freeze in a ziptop bag for up to 4 weeks. 

Calories: 252 | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 447mg | Potassium: 133mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 905IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 136mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Pasta, Sauce

Cuisine American

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