This Pasta Bake with cream cheese is the ultimate cozy, creamy comfort food your weeknight dinner routine needs. It’s rich, easy to make, and always a crowd-pleaser.
This pasta bake is Nonna (and Andrea!) approved! I don’t take my pasta lightly. It really took me yeeeears to ever, ever order anything Italian related, let alone pasta (a dish very near and dear to this family’s heart) while out at a restaurant, even if it was an Italian place. I just knew it would never compare to anything we made at home…and we had pasta A LOT growing up.
And then after I moved out of mom and dad’s, I kinda put good ol’ pasta dishes on the back burner (although I ain’t sayin’ I haven’t made a mean pasta dish over the years…). So much so that the boyfriend legit teases me every time I make it.
We don’t have it often these days but I ain’t even gonna lie, pasta was the first thing thrown into our grocery cart on almost every trip to the grocery store mid pandemic aka NOW. So if there’s one thing the pantry is competely stocked up on, it’s pasta.
CREAM CHEESE PASTA BAKE
This pasta bake was actually inspired by the cream cheese I had gotten from a farmer’s market a few weeks back. I had planned to use it in one of my cheesecakes but you know what they say about plans and people that stick to them…. Just kidding, I wouldn’t know cause I don’t.
I decided to go all veg on this one because that’s what I had on hand. I used broccoli and mushrooms but you could throw in whatever you desire, really! You can even use this all purpose meat sauce if that tickles your fancy but either way, this is basically lasagna without all the work and that’s a WIN-WIN in my books.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Here I used organic spaghetti. But penne, bow ties, and fusilli make great options.
Whatever you have on hand! For me, that was broccoli and mushrooms but your favourite vegetables will work just as well!
Of course. This all purpose meat sauce and these Italian-style mini meatballs are a great way to do so!
Anything bread! Like this swiss chard roll. Or a simple side like this tomato salad or these crispy baked potato wedges would do the trick!
MORE DELICIOUS PASTA RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
MOM’S FAMOUS PASTA WITH CAULIFLOWER AND BACON
SAUSAGE AND RICOTTA STUFFED PASTA SHELLS
LOVE THIS RECIPE? PIN IT FOR LATER!
CREAM CHEESE PASTA BAKE
Ingredients
- 1 (300g) package Pasta of Choice*
- 1 (225g) block Cream Cheese
- 1 (325ml) jar Fresh Tomato Sauce* homemade or store-bought
- 1 head Broccoli chopped into tiny florets
- 1 (225g) package Mushrooms sliced
- 1 small White Onion diced
- 2 tbsp Italian Seasoning
- 1 Clove Garlic minced
- 2 tbsp Parmesan Cheese freshly grated
- 2 tbsp Heavy Cream
- 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for a few minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, an additional minute or two. Add the tomato sauce and cook, on low heat, until heated through. Add the heavy cream and stir occassionally on very low heat until ready to use.
- Cook pasta according to directions on the package.
- At the same time, boil the broccoli florets for 7 minutes. Saute the mushrooms over medium heat using the other tbsp of olive oil until cooked through, about 3 minutes.
- Drain the pasta and put back in the pot. Add the cream cheese (leaving aside a few dallops for the top), italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Stir (I carefully used my hands) until the cheese is melted and all the pasta is coated thoroughly. Add the cooked broccoli and mushrooms and mix until combined.
Notes
Nutrition
The links in this post are affiliate links. Thanks for supporting HipHipGourmet!
