Quick and delicious cream cheese pasta with broccoli! Easy and customizable pasta recipe you can whip in less than 30 minutes! Check out how to make this creamy pasta recipe with step-wise pictures.
Add the broccoli florets to a bowl and 2 cups of boiling water. Cover the bowl, let it sit for 3 to 5 minutes, and drain the water.
Cook the pasta
Cook the pasta as per the package instructions. For this Gemelli pasta, I used 7 cups of water with 2 tsps of salt. When the water comes to a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook until it is aldente. It took me approx 10 minutes.
Drain the pasta and add cream cheese.
Reserve ¾ to 1 cup of pasta water and drain the remaining water. Immediately transfer the drained pasta to the sauce pot, place the cream cheese on top, and add the broccoli florets. Cover the sauce pot and let it sit for 5 minutes - no need to turn the heat on. This step is very important. Do not let the pasta cool. The cream cheese block softens quickly when the pasta is hot.
Add the condiments
After five minutes, turn the heat on. Over medium-low heat, add the pasta water and mix the pasta and cheese nicely. The cream cheese will be soft, and you can mix it easily.
Add the honey mustard sauce, pepper, and the 21 seasoning salute or Italian seasoning. If needed, add the milk and mix well. I did not add any extra milk.
Mix well and serve hot immediately.
Notes
Ensure you add sufficient salt when cooking the pasta. We are not adding any additional salt later.
You can add more cheese, like parmesan or cheddar, for a more rich and creamy flavor.
Instead of broccoli or along with broccoli, you can add green peas or asparagus. You can also add other steamed veggies that you have in handy.
Please check the variations section for more options.