Cream Cheese Garlic Pasta (Printer-friendly)

Rich pasta with creamy garlic sauce and tender broccoli, perfect for a cozy dinner.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz penne or fettuccine pasta

→ Vegetables

02 - 10 oz broccoli florets

→ Sauce

03 - 2 tbsp olive oil
04 - 4 large garlic cloves, minced
05 - 8 oz cream cheese, softened
06 - ½ cup milk
07 - ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
08 - ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
09 - ½ tsp salt, plus additional for pasta water
10 - ⅛ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

→ Garnish

11 - 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
12 - Extra grated Parmesan cheese for serving

# Directions:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Add broccoli florets during the last 3 minutes of cooking. Reserve ½ cup pasta water, then drain pasta and broccoli.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant but not browned.
03 - Reduce heat to low, add softened cream cheese, and stir until melted and smooth.
04 - Gradually whisk in milk until sauce is creamy. Stir in grated Parmesan, black pepper, salt, and optional red pepper flakes. Add reserved pasta water incrementally if sauce is too thick, achieving desired consistency.
05 - Add drained pasta and broccoli to the skillet. Toss gently to coat evenly with the sauce.
06 - Dish immediately, garnished with chopped parsley and extra grated Parmesan cheese.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in under 30 minutes, which means you can actually enjoy dinner instead of spending your whole evening cooking.
  • The sauce is impossibly creamy without being heavy, thanks to the milk bringing it all into balance.
  • Broccoli becomes sweet and tender when cooked this way, so even skeptics tend to ask for seconds.
02 -
  • Don't let the garlic brown or it becomes acrid and bitter—medium heat and constant attention are your friends.
  • The pasta water is genuinely essential; it has starch that helps the sauce cling beautifully instead of sliding off.
  • Softened cream cheese makes all the difference between a smooth sauce and a lumpy one, so don't skip that step.
03 -
  • If you accidentally brown your garlic slightly, don't panic—start the oil again with fresh garlic rather than pushing through with a bitter sauce.
  • A good whisk makes incorporating the milk into the cream cheese infinitely smoother and faster than stirring.
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