Cream Cheese Pasta Bake
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This Cream Cheese Pasta Bake is a spin-off of the Baked Feta Pasta that went viral on TikTok in early February 2021!
I am usually not one for trends or even trying out recipes seen on TikTok, but this one I had to try and make my own version.
I am a huge fan of feta cheese, I love it in salads and even on egg dishes too. But, my hubby isn’t too fond of feta so I made this pasta bake with cream cheese instead and it did not disappoint!
Looking for more easy pasta dishes to add to your weeknight dinner rotation? Be sure to check out my Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato and Spinach Orzo, Single Skillet Spaghetti, and Marry Me Chicken Pasta!
Ingredients you will need:
With just a few simple ingredients you’ll be able to whip up this delicious weeknight meal and I know you’ll be as obsessed with it as we are!
You can scroll down to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and measurements.
- Cherry Tomatoes: cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes work best for this recipe.
- White onion: I love the flavor that onion adds to this dish. Yellow onion works fine, too!
- Sun-dried tomatoes: adding spinach and sun-dried tomatoes gives this dish a Tuscan feel. I usually add in some of the oil from the jar that the sun-dried tomatoes are in, too, for a boost of flavor!
- Olive oil: opt for a good quality olive oil. The olive oil coats all of the ingredients and helps prevent anything from sticking to the casserole dish.
- Seasonings: garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Feel free to experiment with other seasonings, such as oregano, thyme, roasted garlic, etc.
- Cream cheese: Full-fat cream cheese is what I use, but a reduced-fat cream cheese will do the job, too!
- Fresh spinach: stir in the fresh spinach at the end. It will wilt right into the warm dish!
- Basil: to garnish
- Pasta: I used mini bow tie pasta noodles, but you can use any pasta shape you prefer! Pick your favorite shape and switch it up for fun!
Step by Step Directions
It’s really so EASY you guys. I could almost do it in my sleep! You can scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe instructions.
Pour & stir!
Add the cherry tomatoes, onions, sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper into an oven-safe casserole dish. Stir to combine.
Add cream cheese block
Nestle the cream cheese block in the center of the ingredients.
Bake & stir!
Bake for ~35-40 minutes. Then stir it all together, gently smashing down the tomatoes to help create a sauce.
Add spinach & pasta!
Stir in the spinach and cooked pasta, taste and adjust seasonings, and that’s it!
Mmmmm
Garnish with fresh basil, and dig in!
Tips and FAQs
- Add a protein! We love this with chicken or even chicken sausage. It would be delicious with shrimp, salmon, or tofu too!
- Use your favorite pasta shape: Linguine, bow tie, penne, spaghetti, etc. The options are endless!
- Add in more veggies: Mushrooms, bell peppers and asparagus are yummy options. Swap out the spinach with another green like kale!
- Can I make it with another type of cheese? I haven’t tested this recipe with another type of cheese but of course feta cheese is an option and I bet Boursin would be really yummy.
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Cream Cheese Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 20 oz. cherry tomatoes (2 pints)
- 1/2 small white onion, minced
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 8 oz. full-fat cream cheese
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach, gently torn
- 8 oz. pasta of choice, cooked
- basil (optional garnish)
Last step! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Pour the cherry tomatoes, onions, sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper into an oven-safe casserole dish. Stir to combine.20 oz. cherry tomatoes (2 pints), 1/2 small white onion, minced, 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, 3 cloves garlic, minced, 1 tsp. Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, to taste
- Nestle the cream cheese in the center.8 oz. full-fat cream cheese
- Bake, uncovered, for 35-40 minutes. (Until the cheese is golden and looks like it's about to fall apart).
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta of choice according to package directions. Drain.8 oz. pasta of choice, cooked
- Remove the casserole dish from the oven. Smash the tomatoes down using a spoon and stir the cream cheese until it creates a sauce.
- Stir in the spinach until wilted, and then stir in cooked pasta. Taste and adjust, adding more salt or pepper as desired.2 cups fresh baby spinach, gently torn
- Serve and garnish with basil. Enjoyyyy!!basil (optional garnish)
Video
Notes
- Storage: Allow pasta dish to cool then transfer to an air tight container. Store in fridge for 3-4 days.
- Add a protein of choice to make this a more satisfying meal! Chicken, bacon, grilled shrimp, salmon, steak, tofu, etc.
- Use any pasta shape you prefer.
- Make sure the sun dried tomatoes are mixed in the dish to prevent them from burning.
Nutrition Information
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is automatically calculated. It should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Kroll’s Korner can’t make any guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS!!!! I doubled the recipe and tripled the spices ( I love lots of flavor) added deli chicken and fresh garlic bread and everyone loved it!!! THANK YOU!!
Hi Mona! OMG that sounds amazing. Thank you so much for making!! Glad you loved it. xo, Tawnie
I tried this recipe and adjusted it by adding red pepper instead of sundried tomatoes, in addition to kalmata olives and broccoli. It tasted amazing and was so flavourful! 🤩
OMG those changes sound soooo good I will have to try that! 🙂
I make this dish often! It’s a house favourite. I remembered to actually take a photo to share this time!
I always add protein, usually cut up boneless chicken thighs, and do a blend of virgin and harissa olive oil and it really takes things up a notch!
It looks amazing in your photo! Thank you so much for making, I am happy it’s a favorite! I need to try harissa olive oil, that sounds soo good!
This dish was one of the worst meals I have ever created. I never leave bad reviews but I feel compelled to as I was so unaware that this dish was so bland and utterly unsatisfying. I followed the recipe to a T but I doubled the garlic as we love garlic in this household. I have 4 kids who are pretty good eaters. There’s not much they refuse. I thought this would be a fun dish for them. Not one of them ate this meal they all opted for the plain pasta I didn’t put into the sauce mixture. The tomatoes didn’t squish as much as I was hoping after 40 minutes in the oven. It was just a big fail. There’s no flavor, the tomatoes don’t blend in very smooth and the spinach stems don’t welt because you’re not putting the dish back into the heat. We all found it really bland and gross. A big waste of my time and money
Hi Shannon! First off, I just want to say I am terribly sorry you had a bad experience with this recipe. Personally, this is actually one of my favorites, and a Kroll’s Korner reader favorite that gets a lot of positive reviews. Tomatoes aren’t in season right now, which could make this dish not taste as good as peak season cherry tomatoes. The tomatoes should burst and almost go “jammy” after baking, it of course won’t be liked a jarred marinara since it has the skins but it should be able to mix in fine. I recommend using baby spinach, and you can always trim off any long spinach stems because I know that can be a bit unpleasant. It should all wilt and incorporate fine if the dish is hot. Once again, I am sorry you wasted time and ingredients on this recipe, I hope this doesn’t discourage you from trying another recipe of mine. Thank you – and take care! xo, Tawnie
Hi. Loved this recipe. I did make a few changes. I added green pepper for color combo, bacon and mushrooms.
That sounds amazing!! thank you 🙂
I’d been wanting to try this recipe and I just happened to have all the ingredients on hand except sun-dried tomatoes, but I don’t love them anyhow, so tonight was the night!
I doubled the amount of garlic and used Sungold cherry tomatoes from my garden (20 oz of tomatoes is +/- 100 Sungolds) and basil from my garden as well. I used protein penne pasta.
It was a big hit and I can’t wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow for lunch!
Thanks for sharing.
This was so delicious! I halved the recipe and did use 1/3 fat cream cheese. Added some garlic salt and a more Italian seasoning and used chickpea pasta. I will making this at least twice a month for my lunches. It’s a favorite! Yum!
So good, I made 1/2 your recipe with bowtie noodles and added some button mushrooms and some rotisserie chicken. My husband raved he loves it and so do I. I can’t wait to try this out on my friends. Classy and delicious. Next time will have a bit of garlic toast with switch with grilled shrimp! Better than Red Lobster!!!
I’m wondering how critical the “full fat” cream cheese is versus something reduced? Thanks!
that will be fine:)
LOVE how you put the measurements throughout the recipe as well!!
Thank you so much!
I added a shredded rotisserie chicken (with the drippings/stock from the container), about 2 tbsp of tomato paste, and 1 tbsp of chili paste.
i also sautéed the onions on their own first before adding to the pan, just to take a little of the edge off and give them some color
I also drained and added the pasta 2 minutes early and put it back in the oven to let it finish cooking in the sauce.
Absolutely divine, so much depth, just the right amount of heat. Excited for the leffovers.
Next time i’ll probably add mushrooms, but this is getting added to the repertoire, for sure.
love all those changes you made. Ahhhh, isn’t that the best part of cooking? Taking a recipe and using it as a template and making it your own, or how you like it best?! Thank you Randy!