Easy Cream Sauce For Pasta

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Easy Creamy Herb Pasta

How To Make Easy Chicken Creamy Sauce Pasta | Chicken Mushroom Cream Sauce

This vegetarian creamy herb pasta dish is the perfect side dish for chicken, for pork, for steak and dare I say it for turkey! Yes this simple pasta side would be perfect on the Holiday table. Or serve it as a quick and easy lunch! The creamy Italian herb sauce is super easy to make and the whole dish can be made in around 10 minutes!

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A Note About Measurements

NOTE: Most of my recipes are written by weight and not volume, even the liquids.Even though I try to provide you with volume measurements as well, I encourage you to buy a kitchen scale for ease of measuring, accuracy, and consistency.

This is the scale I use, love, and recommend. If youre unsure, please read my post about how to use a food scale.

Reviews really help sell the recipe, and negative reviews help me tune into what people really want to have explained better, so any ratings and reviews are helpful!Also feel free to tag me on Instagram at with #pcorecipe so I can find your creation. Thank you!

Is This A Traditional Italian Pasta Sauce

Not at all. As much as Id like to tell you it is, it just isnt.

For one thing, cream cheese is an American invention . The smoked pepper wouldnt be anything included traditionally, either.

If you are looking for a true, old school Italian cream sauce, you will definitely want to check out Vikalinkas post. Hers is about as authentic as it gets.

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How To Make Carbonara

PASTA. This recipe really is quite simple. Begin by cooking the spaghetti as directed on the box. Drain and set aside reserving ½ cup of cooking water.

SAUCE. Make the carbonara sauce by mixing together the cream cheese, milk and Italian seasoning in a bowl.Add garlic to a large skillet, then add bacon, pepper and cream cheese mixture. Cook for a few minutes or until heated through. Add ½ cup reserved Spaghetti water and mix well.

COMBINE. Combine spaghetti with the cream cheese mixture. Add most of Parmesan cheese and mix.

How To Make A Cream Sauce: Its All About The Roux

Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce

A roux is flour and butter cooked together and used to thicken sauces. Its usually made from equal parts of flour and butter. Youll cook the butter and flour together until they start to turn light brown, then add milk to the pasta sauce. Here are a few tips on how to make a roux for this cream sauce:

  • Measure out all the ingredients first. The cooking process goes quickly, so you dont want to have to stop to measure an ingredient.
  • Dont leave the stove. Youll have to babysit the pan for this sauce, especially the initial few minutes. Dont get distracted!
  • Saute the garlic only 30 seconds. Be careful not to overcook: you dont want it to brown!
  • Add flour and whisk constantly. This part is the most important. The flour can overcook in an instant, turning a brown color. Only cook it until its golden.
  • Whisk in the milk gradually. Add just a little milk, then whisk it in. Continue adding little bits until the sauce is smooth. Then cook about 5 minutes until thickened, and add the Parmesan and salt. Voila!

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Just A Few Ingredients Make Up This Luxuriously Creamy Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce Perfect For Dipping Or Swirled With Your Favorite Pasta

This is the ultimate cream sauce decadently silky, creamy, and full of deep roasted garlic flavor!

I have a small confession to make one that may shock you. I dont like alfredo sauce. I know, its just weirdto not like it right?? My husband teases me about it big time lol. For me, I guess I just love big, bold flavors, so I need some extra oomph in my pasta sauces. I love all the components of a great alfredo sauce, butter, cream, and Parmesan cheese, but I just need more!

Thats where this sauce came from, my need of something more. Well, that and a restaurant we ate at once served their chicken parmesan with a garlic spaghetti that was just to die for! I immediately came home from dinner and started brainstorming ideas to recreate that pasta!

The beauty of this cream sauce is that it also doubles as a fan-freakin-tastic dip for some crusty bread or breadsticks! In fact, half of this batch was used for dipping I just couldnt stop lol.

Like I mentioned, I like the big, bold flavors, so I literally use a whole head of roasted garlic here. But feel free to temper that to your tastes Looking for a foolproof method for perfectly roasted garlic? Ive got you covered here! I typically roast several heads of garlic and keep the extra cloves stored in the fridge.

If youre a fan of alfredo sauce, or are looking for something a little different, a little bolder give this cream sauce a try. You wont be disappointed!!

Easy Cheesy Cream Sauce

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Any cheese lovers out there?? This easy cheesy cream sauce is created with just 6 ingredients you probably already have in pantry! Whip this together in 20 minutes for a delicious cream sauce to pour over your favorite pasta.

Thispost is part of our Basic Cooking Skills series. Each week we will be doing a deep-dive into one basic cooking skill and a brand new recipe to accompany it to practice that newfound skill.Check back throughout the series for updates and new posts.

Please note this post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using the links. Please see my disclosure for more details.

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What Pasta Should I Use

You can use any pasta you like but I absolutely love using pasta shells also known as conchiglie for its amazing ability to hold sauce.

If you look closer at the photo above you will see that each pasta shell is filed with the delicious creamy sauce. Just imagine how much more flavour you will get with each bite!

More quick pasta recipes:

What To Do To Reheat Your Leftovers

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In the event that you do have leftovers, you can reheat them, but it can be a bit finicky to do so.

Its really better to guess as near as you can how much you and your family/guests/Valentine will eat and cook just that amount.

Again the sauce scales up and down easily, so its pretty easy to make exactly how much you need.

Since the sauce is basically a bunch of butterfat, you have to reheat it very slowly so you dont break the emulsion, leaving you with a lot of melted butter swimming around on your plate.

It will still taste great, but it wont look pretty.

To reheat with the least chance of the sauce breaking, heres what I recommend:

  • dump the leftovers in a small saucepan. They will be all stuck together in a big clump.
  • Add a splash or two of heavy cream or half and half to the pan, and turn the heat on to medium-low.
  • Allow the pasta to heat gently, turning the clump of pasta until the heat gently melts the butterfat allowing you to start to slowly toss the pasta to reheat evenly.
  • Keep the heat on medium low and dont let it boil. Toss and turn the pasta gently until heated through.
  • If your sauce does break a little, be glad you ate most of it right after making it when it was still super creamy and beautiful, and enjoy every bite anyway!

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Roast Pumpkin & Spinach Lasagne

Nothing is as comforting as a rich creamy lasagne and the sweet, earthy flavours of this veggie classic are well worth the effort

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    Keep the kids happy with this easy, low-fat recipe that’s ready in under half an hour

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    The perfect summer comfort food – classic macaroni cheese with extra veggies and herbs

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    A creamy and comforting quick pasta recipe, ideal for when you’re short on time

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    Make a change from pasta with this Italian-style midweek meal

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  • Pasta With Basil Cream Sauce

    Creamy pasta is an easy dinner dream. Al dente pasta served with basil cream sauce is the perfect vegetarian meal and can be ready in 20 minutes.

    I know a recipe is absolutely delicious when my husband asks for it continuously. I made this easy creamy basil sauce recipe one night when I I made my favorite Tomato Cream Rigatoni. He struggles with heart burn so he tries to stay away from tomatoes as much as he can. I whipped this creamy sauce up in minutes and he absolutely loved it. So did I and since then Ive been making it weekly. Its so simple and perfect served with al dente pasta . Its also scrumptious served over pan-seared chicken breasts, pork and salmon.

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    How To Make An Easy Vegan Pumpkin Pasta Sauce

    For the full written instructions and ingredientmeasurements, see the bottom of this post in the recipe card. You can also hit the jump to recipe button at the top of this post!Here, well go over a brief overview of the steps, along with providing visuals for a better understanding of the recipe.

    Recipe note: I always find it helpful and more streamlined of a process when I measure everything out before beginning. Its also a good idea to get the pasta water boiling first!

    You can make this pumpkin pasta one of two ways: either boil the pasta first then make the sauce, and make everything quicker, and make the sauce as youre boiling the pasta!

    I vote the latter, but either way works Now lets begin:

  • Start to boil the water: once you get the water started, you can begin to make the sauce.
  • Make the pasta sauce: first start by heating the olive oil and garlic in a pan, eventually adding in the fresh herbs as well. Then add in the pumpkin puree, softened cream cheese, dairy free milk, pasta water, and spices. Whisk together until melted, and reduce the heat.
  • Once the water is boiling, add in the pasta to the water: aim for al dente fettuccine. The pasta wont be super soft then, it will still have some chew to it, but it will definitely still be cooked. This should take about 8 minutes.
  • Strain the pasta: once your pasta is strained, add it immediately to the pumpkin sauce, and toss together.
  • Creamy Pasta With Pancetta And Peas

    The Simplest Pasta Cream Sauce!

    This creamy and cheesy pasta with pancetta and peas could be yours in 20 minutes! I am so excited to finally share our family favourite.

    For a pancetta pasta with tomato basil sauce, take a look at our Tagliatelle with Pancetta and Mozzarella.

    Last week I shared my recipe for a basic pasta cream sauce. The recipe that is the foundation of all creamy pasta dishes. Ive also told you that you could add many delicious things to that recipe to make it more interesting.

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    How To Make Creamy Garlic Chicken Pasta

    I dont know if you can make an easier pasta dish with as much flavor as this one. Youll need to start off by preparing the pasta according to the package directions. You want to cook it till its al dente and not overly cooked.

    Then youll take the seasonings and add it to both sides of the chicken breast.

    Warm up the olive oil in a heavy-duty pan using medium-high heat. Once its hot, add the chicken breast and cook them for 5 minutes on each side or until its cooked all the way through. After the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pan and set it aside.

    Using the same pan, add in the garlic and butter. Sautee for 1 minute or until the garlic is fragrant. Then add in the diced tomato and fresh spinach. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the spinach has wilted and the tomatoes have softened.

    Turn down the heat and add in the heavy cream along with the parmesan cheese. Use a whisk and stir until it is fully incorporated in creamy. Add in a little bit of salt and pepper to taste.

    Drain the pasta and slice up the chicken into thin slices. Place them in both in the pan and stir well. Serve, and enjoy!

    How To Make Garlic Cream Sauce

    • Step 1: Make the roux In a large non-stick skillet melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook for about 1 minute or until lightly golden.
    • Step 2: Add half and half Gradually whisk in the half and half. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Simmer until thickened, about 1-2 minutes.
    • Step 3: Stir in Parmesan Stir in Parmesan cheese and parsley. The cheese should immediately melt into the sauce. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

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    Parmesan Cream Sauce Ingredients

    This Parmesan cream sauce uses only a few ingredients. And guess what? Theres no cream in it! Cream is more of a specialty ingredient that we usually dont stock in our refrigerator. So this recipe is made with milk instead of cream! It comes out perfectly rich and creamy without it. The ingredients for Parmesan cream sauce are:

    • Salted butter

    Beef Stroganoff With Herby Pasta

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    If you usually serve beef stroganoff with rice, try it with pappardelle pasta instead – it works beautifully with the creamy sauce

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    Creamy pasta needn’t be off the menu when you’re watching your weight – this one’s low-fat

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    This rich, luxurious one pan supper is stunningly simple to make and ready in under 25 minutes

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    Why Should I Make This Pasta Dish

    For starters, because Katie says so:

    Made this creamy fettuccini tonight!! Really, really good. Husband wants an encore!! Thanks for simple and delicious!!

    Reader Katie

    And while nothing really beats a reader rave, its also objectively delicious. Still not convinced? Here are some other reasons:

    • Since this recipe is made for just two people, you wont have any leftovers to tempt you
    • If you decide you do want leftovers, you can absolutely double the recipe with no problem
    • The combination of heavy cream, a touch of garlic, smoked black pepper, and Asiago yield a truly flavorful pasta sauce thats not so assertive you cant taste the pasta
    • Since this sauce doesnt start with a roux, its made without flour and happens to be gluten free, so if you want to pair it with gluten free pasta, youll be good to go
    • Just knowing that you can reduce heavy cream on the stove to a thick, sexy sauce that clings to each strand of pasta is an excellent tip to have in your back pocket when its pasta night and you dont have any tomatoes on hand

    What Is Pancetta

    Here is the short answer. Pancetta is Italian bacon. The long answer is pancetta is made slightly differently than bacon. Both are made from pork belly. And while bacon is smoked, pancetta is cured with salt.

    You can easily substitute pancetta with bacon but make sure you go for high quality, meaty, thickly sliced bacon.

    Here is a photo of cooked pancetta, not much fat there. So if you end up using bacon, discard excess fat to prevent your pasta from becoming too greasy.

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    Can I Use Pre

    You can but I wouldnt recommend it.

    Once the cheese is grated and packaged, it immediately dries out and starts losing flavour, so you would actually need more of pre-grated cheese to get enough flavour in your sauce.

    Buying a small, vacuum sealed piece of Parmesan and grating it yourself before adding to pasta sauces will always result in a more flavourful and creamier dish.

    As Id mentioned, this recipe for pasta cream sauce is basic to which you can add all kinds of things to make it more interesting like this Creamy Tagliatelle with Bacon, Portobello Mushrooms and Truffle Oil.

    If you are a fan of tomato sauces as well, check out my Homemade Basil and Tomato Spaghetti Sauce.

    What is your favourite? Red Sauce or White Sauce? Let me know in comments.

    I love seeing your creations from my website! If you do make one, do tag in your Instagram snaps!

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    Can You Make Cream Sauce Ahead How To Store It

    Easy Lemon Pasta

    This garlic cream sauce is best freshly made! Since it only takes 10 minutes to make, its not hard to fit into your meal prep.

    If you do happen to have leftover sauce, you can store it, but it gets very thick and gummy. Store it refrigerated, then re-heat on low head and add milk until the sauce becomes creamy again. This is not ideal, which is why we suggest making it fresh!

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