What Can I Do With Cream Cheese for Dinner

This quick and easy Cream Cheese Spaghetti is a comforting pasta dinner that the whole family will love! It's cheesy, creamy and downright delicious.

A Quick and Easy Pasta Dinner Idea

Meet my mom's quick-fix spaghetti dinner! This cream cheese spaghetti dish is an easy pasta recipe that never gets old. Kids love it, adults love it, and it tastes great with added vegetables or meat. It's the perfect inexpensive meal to add to your weekly dinner rotation.

You only need 7 ingredients to make this pasta dish, and it'll be on the table in 15 minutes. This is my go-to dinner on busy weeknights when we need a little comfort food, but fast. Every bite of this cheesy pasta is guaranteed to lift your mood.

Recipe Ingredients

• Spaghetti
• Olive Oil
• Minced Garlic
• Cream Cheese: Cut your cream cheese into cubes to it's easier to make the sauce.
• Parmesan Cheese
• Water
• Salt & Pepper
• Fresh Parsley: If desired, garnish your spaghetti with parsley and cracked black pepper.

Why Use Cream Cheese in Pasta?

Believe it or not, cream cheese is an amazing ingredient to add to your pasta. When it's mixed with garlic, parmesan cheese and a dash of salt and pepper, it makes the creamiest cheese sauce ever! And, it tastes like Alfredo sauce.

If you have kids who love pasta but don't like tomato sauce, this simple cream cheese spaghetti is a great alternative.

How to Make Cream Cheese Pasta

1. Cook Spaghetti: Cook the spaghetti according to the directions on the package. Do not drain it yet.
2. Heat Oil: In the meantime, heat olive oil in a large skillet set over medium heat.
3. Add Garlic: Add garlic to the oil and cook for 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Do not burn the garlic.
4. Add Cream Cheese: Increase heat to medium-high; add cream cheese to the skillet and ½ cup of the cooking pasta water.
5. Whisk: Whisk the cream cheese and water until well combined.
6. Add Cheese & Seasonings: Whisk in the parmesan cheese; taste for salt and pepper and adjust accordingly. I almost always add very little salt because the parmesan is salty enough for me. Also, if needed, add more water to reach your desired sauce consistency.
7. Drain Spaghetti: Drain your spaghetti and then return it back to the cooking pot.
8. Add Sauce: Add the cream cheese sauce to the spaghetti; stir until combined.
9. Garnish & Serve: Garnish with a crack of black pepper and chopped parsley, if desired.

Tips for Perfectly Creamy Pasta

• Watch the Garlic: Your garlic should only take about 30 seconds to sauté. Watch it closely to make sure it doesn't burn. Add the cream cheese and pasta water once the garlic becomes fragrant.
• Adjust Sauce to Taste: Taste your cream cheese sauce and add salt and pepper until you're satisfied with the flavor. Add more pasta water as needed if you want a thinner sauce.
• Use Pasta Water: Make sure you use the pasta water to make your sauce instead of just regular water. This will give your sauce the best flavor and help it stick to the spaghetti.
• Cut Cream Cheese into Cubes: If you cut your cream cheese into smaller pieces, you'll have an easier time incorporating it into the sauce.

Serving Suggestions

• Add Meat: This pasta would taste great with Swedish meatballs or grilled shrimp!
• Add Veggies: Get your kids pumped about eating their veggies by making this cheesy pasta with broccoli or asparagus.
• Serve with Garlic Bread: Everyone loves pasta and garlic bread. Make your dinner even more delicious by serving your spaghetti with my Easy Garlic Bread Bruschetta.
• Top with Crumbled Bacon: Top your cream cheese pasta with some crispy bacon bits to add a savory crunch.

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

• Store leftover spaghetti in an airtight container in the fridge. It will stay good for 2-3 days.
• When you reheat your pasta, I recommend adding a little bit of water to keep the sauce nice and creamy.
• You can reheat your cream cheese spaghetti on the stove or in the microwave.

Quick Cream Cheese Spaghetti

This quick and easy Cream Cheese Spaghetti is a comforting pasta dinner that the whole family will love! It's cheesy, creamy, and downright delicious.

Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Total Time 15 mins

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cream cheese pasta, cream cheese pasta sauce, cream cheese sauce, creamy pasta recipes, creamy pasta sauce, pasta cream sauce

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 450 kcal

• Stove

• 16 ounces dry spaghetti
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature, cut into cubes
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
• ⅔ cup cooking water, plus more if needed
• salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
• cracked black pepper, red pepper flakes, and/or chopped fresh parsley, for garnish, optional

• Cook spaghetti according to the directions on the package. Do not drain it yet.

• In the meantime, heat olive oil in a large skillet set over medium heat.

• Add garlic to the oil and cook for 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Do not burn the garlic.

• Increase heat to medium-high; add cream cheese to the skillet and ⅔ cup of the cooking pasta water.

• Whisk the cream cheese and water until well combined.

• Whisk in the parmesan cheese; taste for salt and pepper and adjust accordingly.

  If needed, add more water to reach desired sauce consistency.

• Drain the spaghetti and return the spaghetti back to the cooking pot.

• Add the cream cheese sauce to the spaghetti; stir until combined.

• Garnish with a crack of black pepper , red pepper flakes, and/or chopped parsley.

• Serve and enjoy!

Calories: 450 kcal | Carbohydrates: 58 g | Protein: 14 g | Fat: 18 g | Saturated Fat: 9 g | Cholesterol: 45 mg | Sodium: 191 mg | Potassium: 221 mg | Fiber: 2 g | Sugar: 3 g | Vitamin A: 544 IU | Vitamin C: 1 mg | Calcium: 101 mg | Iron: 1 mg

What Can I Do With Cream Cheese for Dinner

Source: https://easyweeknightrecipes.com/quick-cream-cheese-spaghetti/

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