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 is easily one of my favorite pasta dishes that the whole family will love.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb penne pasta
- 3 tablespoon salted butter
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup parmesan cheese finely grated
- 4 oz cream cheese room temp
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup pasta water
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water and add a hefty pinch of salt. Once it starts boiling, add your uncooked pasta and cook al dente according to the package directions. Once it's done, reserve some of the starchy pasta water for later.
- Meanwhile, begin by grabbing a large skillet and heating it over medium. Add your butter and as its melting, grate fresh garlic cloves directly into it. Stir and let this mixture cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Once the butter and garlic has melted, add in the heavy cream and the room temp cream cheese and stir. Once it's melted, stir in your grated parmesan cheese and stir once again. Once all the cheese has melted into the sauce, add in the salt. Stir once more then drop it down to low heat and let the sauce reduce and thicken just slightly while the pasta finishes cooking.
- Once the penne pasta is done, strain it while reserving some of the starchy pasta water. Add the cooked penne to the sauce followed by the pasta water. Stir it up and season to taste.
Video
Notes
Serve with more parmesan cheese, fresh cracked pepper and flaky salt.
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