Cream Cheese Pasta

Enjoy an easy restaurant grade dish with this Cream Cheese Pasta. Knobs of cream cheese melt into a lovely sauce for penne, dotted with chopped tomatoes, shredded kale, green onion, and topped off with Everything Seasoning. This is so easy and cheap, you’ll want it on your monthly meal plan.

Serve this with Garlic Green Beans and a basket of Self-Rising Flour Biscuits for an easy, affordable dinner or skip the lunch line by including this Cream Cheese Pasta recipe in your next Lunchtime Meal Prep. Add a few Buffalo Chicken Bites or a Fried Egg to boost the protein.

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• Why Make This
• Get Meal Plan 9
• Ingredients
• Step-by-Step Instructions
• FAQs
• Recommended Proteins to Add
• Tell us what you think!
• Cream Cheese Pasta

Cheese and pasta is one of my favorite flavor combinations. See: Instant Pot Mac and Cheese, our easy one-pot Brie Pasta, or the best ever Cheesy Sausage Pasta in the Instant Pot. 

This Cream Cheese Pasta is the newest addition to my quick and easy pasta recipes that can be made on the stove top or in the electric pressure cooker. And it’s so good, you’re gonna know this delicious pasta dish by heart in no time flat.

Why Make This

It’s quick and easy. Whether you make it in the Instant Pot or on the stovetop, this dish is super simple to make, especially since it’s a one-dish dinner. It mixes up in minutes and requires very little in the way of prep. I love to serve this for a non-traditional Easter dinner menu because you can present it in a fancy way, but it’s so easy.

It’s super versatile. In our family’s recipe testing, we tried this lots of ways which is part of the beauty of this recipe. There are so many different mix-in’s that you can add to make this creamy pasta dish your own. Make it as is and it’s like an Everything bagel in pasta form.

It’s cheap. Pasta is at the top of our Budget Grocery List, with cream cheese not too far behind. Choose mix-in’s from what you have on hand, and this is a great catch all meal for shopping the kitchen.

It tastes great. You can easily dress up this Cream Cheese Pasta to be a little more elegant, based on your mix-ins. It tops our list of Romantic Dinner Ideas to Cook at Home. Serve it with Air Fryer Asparagus for an easy, but fancy meal. This is a great kid-friendly meal.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy dish:

penne pasta or other small pasta – You can use spaghetti if you like, but since the cream cheese sauce is created by stirring the pasta, I find that short noodles work best.

vegetable broth or water – The vegetable broth adds another layer of flavor to the noodles when you cook them in the Instant Pot, but you can absolutely use water, whichever prep method you choose.

cream cheese – You can use neufchatel or full fat cream cheese. Note that you won’t use the whole brick. Make some Flavored Cream Cheese with what’s left so nothing goes to waste.

kale – I like the texture that chopped kale adds to this pasta, but you can use spinach if you prefer or choose from one of the mix-in variations below.

chopped tomatoes – I love the way the acid and freshness of the tomato perfectly counters the creamy richness of the cream cheese sauce.

Parmesan cheese – A little bit of freshly grated parmesan cheese adds a nice saltiness to the cream cheese pasta sauce.

green onions – These are a natural pair for cream cheese and an easy addition since you don’t need to cook them. You can also used sautéed shallots, leeks, or onions if that’s what you have.

spice – We liked Everything seasoning in our testing, almost like a bagel pasta. (It’s great on rolls, like everything hamburger buns, too.) You can add a bit of crushed red pepper flakes and freshly ground black pepper instead or in addition to those spices. Consider trying one of our Spice Mixes for another variation.

Mix-in Variations

There are so many yummy things you can add to the basic recipe. Consider adding:

• leftover cooked vegetables, meats, or cheeses
• Sautéed Mushrooms and Onions
• sun dried tomatoes in olive oil
• fajita vegetables
• steamed broccoli
• Roasted Vegetables
• grilled meats, shrimp, or fish
• leftover ham from a holiday meal – remember you can freeze ham to use later.
• cooked sausage
• bacon bits
• sliced or chopped olives
• smoked salmon
• chopped red onion
• fresh herbs, such as basil or dill.

Step-by-Step Instructions

You can make Cream Cheese Pasta in the instant pot or on the stovetop. Both are super simple!

Pressure cooker instructions:

• Place the pasta in the instant pot. Add enough broth to cover the pasta, about 4 cups.
• Secure the lid and set the machine to manual. Set the minutes according to ½ the pasta’s recommended cooking time plus 1 minute.
• When the cycle is complete, do an instant pressure release. The pasta will look very soupy, but after a few stirs, it will start to thicken up.
• Add the cream cheese, kale, parmesan, green onions, and red pepper flakes. Stir well, until the cheese is melted and the kale is wilted. 
• Season to taste with Everything seasoning. Serve immediately.

Stovetop Instructions

• Cook the pasta in salted, boiling water according to package instructions. Reserve some of the starchy pasta water, drain the rest and return the hot pasta directly to the pot. 
• Add the cream cheese, kale, parmesan, green onions, and red pepper flakes. Stir well, until the cheese is melted and the kale is wilted. Add a bit of the pasta water if needed to help create a pasta cream sauce. 
• Season to taste with Everything seasoning. Serve immediately.

FAQs

Recommended Proteins to Add