Creamy Penne Alfredo Pasta Recipe (with cream cheese!)

This creamy, restaurant style penne alfredo pasta recipe uses cream cheese as its secret ingredient. It's perfect for family dinners and easily one of my favorite pasta dishes that the whole family will love. 

Why You'll Love Penne Alfredo

Making homemade alfredo sauce may seem like a daunting task, but with this easy recipe, it's not!

I love serving this simple pasta recipe during busy weeknights when you need quick, easy meals on the table without a lot of effort. 

My secret ingredient that not only thickens the sauce but makes it even more flavorful is cream cheese. 

And best of all, you can spruce it up however you see fit. Want to use a different kind of pasta, go for it! Want more veggies? It's extra delicious with broccoli florets, wilted spinach and even some sun dried tomatoes.

Want to have more protein to make it a complete meal? No worries - simply add in a handful of rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. Or grill up some chicken breasts and chop them into bite-sized pieces before adding to make your own chicken penne alfredo.  

With this easy pasta recipe, the world is your oyster! And I mean, who doesn't love Italian food?!

Oh, and if this is your first time making it, then get ready because you just found one of the best simple pasta recipes on the internet.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Penne Pasta: If you don't want to use penne noodles, any types of pasta will work. From fettuccine, to angel hair pasta, to rigatoni - you do you!
• Salted Butter: Butter is more on brand for pasta alfredo but you could use olive oil if absolutely necessary.
• Fresh Garlic: Although I recommend using fresh garlic, you could swap it for garlic powder if that's what you've got in your own kitchen. 
• Heavy Whipping Cream: If you wanted a lighter, thinner sauce, you could do ½ cup heavy creamy and half cup chicken broth but it won't taste as good. In my opinion, if you're eating homemade alfredo sauce, it might as well be as delicious as possible! I've also seen people use almond milk and skim milk but again, it just doesn't taste like a legit penne alfredo recipe. 
• Creamy Cheese: The secret to my creamy alfredo sauce is the cream cheese! This ingredient not only adds a nice tang to the dish but it makes the pasta sauce stay nice and creamy without seizing up. The cream cheese also thickens the cheese sauce so you don't need to make a roux. 
• Parmesan Cheese: Parmesan cheese is traditionally what's used to make this white sauce but you could absolutely add in some romano cheeses as well. 
• Kosher salt: Although you don't need a lot of salt, I still recommend using kosher salt if possible. 
• Optional Add-ins: Feel free to add extra flavor to this creamy sauce however you see fit. For spice, try adding in some red pepper flakes, italian seasoning, cajun seasoning or even something simple like black pepper. You could also top this dish with some rotisserie chicken, sliced grilled chicken breasts, steamed broccoli florets or sun dried tomatoes.

How to make it - Detailed Instructions

Boil the Pasta: Fill a large pot or dutch oven with water and add a hefty pinch of salt. Once it starts boiling, give it a good stir to dissolve the salt. Then add your uncooked pasta and cook al dente according to the package directions. Once it's done, just be sure that you reserve some of the starchy pasta water for later. 

Make the Garlic Butter Base: Meanwhile, it's time to start the creamy alfredo sauce. To do so, grab a large skillet and heat it over medium heat. Next, add your butter and then grate fresh garlic cloves directly into it. The grated garlic helps the sauce remain smooth and creamy without any big chunks of garlic. Let this mixture cook for 2-3 minutes. 

Make it Creamy & Cheesy: Once the butter and garlic has melted, add in the heavy cream and the cream cheese and stir. Once smooth, stir in your grated parmesan cheese and once all of the cheese melts, add in the salt. Stir once more then drop it down to low heat and let the sauce reduce and thicken just slightly.

Add in the Pasta: Once the penne pasta is done, strain it while reserving some of the starchy pasta water ~ about 1 cup. Add the cooked penne to the creamy cheesy sauce followed by ½ cup of pasta water. Stir it up and season to taste. 

How to Store & Reheat Creamy Pasta

If you have leftovers, don't toss them! This delicious dinner can be served as a stand alone quick meal or as a great side dish with fish, chicken or steak. 

I know penne pasta with cheese sauce isn't the best pasta dish to reheat, but I've got some tricks to make it the best way possible. Just be sure to pack the leftovers in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge until you're ready to reheat.

Then when you're ready to reheat it the next day, add a splash of milk and place it in a microwave safe container or bowl. Cover the penne alfredo with a moist paper towel and microwave for one minute at a time, stirring often until the pasta noodles are heated through. If it's dry, add a splash of heavy cream and stir in some more parmesan cheese.

What goes with it

Beyond adding some grilled chicken to it to create your own chicken alfredo pasta, I've got a lot of good choices to make any night of the week even more delicious. I recommend serving it with one of these delicious recipes:

• Miso Caesar Dressing without Anchovies
• Easy Honey Harissa Chicken Recipe (for CAVA bowls)
• Pizza Sliders with Hot Honey and Pepperoni
• Mediterranean Chicken Meatballs
• Crispy Air Fryer Asparagus with Parmesan and Lemon

Recipe