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Love is in my Tummy

Plant-based flavor

October 12, 2016 By Tina Dawson 12 Comments

Cream Cheese Veggie Pasta

Try this Cream Cheese Veggie Pasta on a special weeknight when the lack of time should not warrant a proportionate detriment in the quality of your meal. 

Cream Cheese Veggie Pasta - a quick and easy weeknight meal that comes together so quick without compromise on taste!

I had a little cream cheese leftover from making these Mini Chocolate Cheesecake Bombes and I wanted to make something savoury with it. Last pasta night, I was inexplicably a little short on marinara, so to save the pasta from being too dry and flavourless, I substituted the remaining marinara with cream cheese, and that’s how this Cream Cheese Veggie Pasta was born.

I just cannot think of enough things to do with my special homemade 5-min Spicy Marinara – here it joins with rich and gooey cream cheese to create a unique sauce blend that coats the pasta like silk! Seriously, it’s really comforting to sit with a warm bowl of this pasta, tucked in on the couch, watching TV on a cold day with the lights turned off! Hmm….

Use whatever vegetable you fancy, these are what I had – frozen spinach, cherry tomatoes, corn kernels, carrots, cabbage, jalapenos and onions. Chop the hard vegetables in bite-sized pieces, it gives a nice crunchy contrast to the soft pasta.

Cream Cheese Veggie Pasta - a quick and easy weeknight meal that comes together so quick without compromise on taste!

Once the pasta has cooked al dente, add the chopped carrots to the water and let it sit for a couple minutes until cooked. Then drain.

Cream Cheese Veggie Pasta

Sauté the vegetables in butter/oil, add cream cheese, this awesome 5- minute marinara, add seasoning and cooked pasta. Toss well to combine. You may serve at this stage, or go the extra mile and top it with some well needed heaping of shredded cheese. Bake in a preheated 400°F/200°C oven for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and coats the pasta in a velvety blanket.

Cream Cheese Veggie Pasta

Serve hot, with a final sprinkle of freshly chopped herbs – mine is cilantro. I can never have enough cilantro in my life, ever! If cilantro ever becomes extinct, I’d probably kill myself!

Cream Cheese Veggie Pasta - a quick and easy weeknight meal that comes together so quick without compromise on taste!

Dig in while it’s still hot! And try not to think about the carbs – we don’t need that kind of negativity in our lives when there’s so much good on the plate! And don’t forget to share the recipe around! 🙂

Cream Cheese Veggie Pasta - a quick and easy weeknight meal that comes together so quick without compromise on taste!

[Click image below to get the super-awesome 5- minute homemade Marinara recipe ]

The best 5 minute Pizza sauce

Enjoy!

Cream Cheese Veggie Pasta - a quick and easy weeknight meal that comes together so quick without compromise on taste!

When you make these (which I really think you SHOULD!), be sure to SHARE YOUR PHOTOS with me through Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. I’d love to see what you cook from here and will share it with pride on my social media feeds. 🙂

Cream Cheese Veggie Pasta

Created by Tina Dawson on October 11, 2016

Cream Cheese Veggie Pasta

  • Prep Time:10m
  • Cook Time:20m
  • Total Time:30m
  • Serves: 3

Ingredients

  • 2 c pasta (I use Rotini)
  • Water, to cook the pasta
  • 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
  • 1 c onions
  • 2 jalapenos, de-seeded, chopped
  • 1 c cabbage, chopped in 1" pieces
  • 1/2 c carrots, chopped in 1/2" pieces
  • 1 c corn kernels
  • 1 c cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 1 c spinach
  • 3 oz (85 grams) cream cheese
  • 1/2 c homemade marinara
  • 1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder (substitute with 1 clove of crushed garlic)
  • Salt, to taste
  • Shredded Cheese (optional)

Instructions

  1. In a large pot of boiling water (salted), cook the pasta according to package instructions. Once cooked al dente, add chopped carrots and remove from heat. Let sit on the counter for a couple of minutes (till carrots cook), then drain. Set aside.
  2. Melt butter in a large pan and sauté the onions, jalapenos, cabbage, corn, spinach and tomatoes on high heat for a couple of minutes, till the vegetables are cooked, but remain crunchy.
  3. Stir in the cream cheese and marinara. Toss well to combine.
  4. Add seasoning - red pepper flakes, garlic powder, dried Italian herbs and salt. Adjust according to taste.
  5. Transfer to an oven-proof baking dish and top with cheese.
  6. Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F/200°C for about 10 minutes, or until the cheese is completely molten.
  7. Serve hot, topped with freshly chopped cilantro or parsley.
  • Print

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Filed Under: All Recipes, American, Cuisines, Italian, Lunch/Dinner, Table for two, Vegetarian Tagged With: cream cheese, garlic powder, marinara, Pasta, Vegetables

Previous Post: « The best Butter Biscuits (Cookie) in a bag
Next Post: BAKED Chilli Garlic Potato ‘Fries’ »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jill says

    October 12, 2016 at 12:54 pm

    Great photos! Sounds like a very flavorful dish. I like the addition of jalapeno too!

    Reply
    • Tina Dawson says

      October 12, 2016 at 4:36 pm

      Thanks so much Jill! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Julie | Bunsen Burner Bakery says

    October 12, 2016 at 12:09 pm

    Such a great quick weeknight dinner. Love the addition of jalapenos for a little extra kick!

    Reply
    • Tina Dawson says

      October 12, 2016 at 12:36 pm

      I love me some jalapenos too! Thanks Julie!

      Reply
  3. Tania says

    October 12, 2016 at 11:36 am

    This pasta looks amazing! I am sure my husband will appreciate it! Saving the recipe for later. 🙂

    Reply
    • Tina Dawson says

      October 12, 2016 at 12:36 pm

      Thanks Tania, glad you like it!

      Reply
  4. Julia (@imagelicious) says

    October 12, 2016 at 11:32 am

    Great idea of using pasta water to cook/soften vegetables too. And cream cheese is one of my favourite things to add to pasta to make creamy sauce!

    Reply
    • Tina Dawson says

      October 12, 2016 at 12:37 pm

      Thanks Julia – I always add harder vegetables to the pasta water – I think it adds a little more flavour to the pasta.

      Reply
  5. Platter Talk says

    October 12, 2016 at 11:27 am

    Healthy, quick meal for a hectic day. Also a good way to get the kids to eat their veggies.

    Reply
    • Tina Dawson says

      October 12, 2016 at 12:37 pm

      Thanks a lot Dan! Glad you liked it!

      Reply
  6. Bintu - Recipes From A Pantry says

    October 12, 2016 at 11:11 am

    Looks easy and delicious. I love the addition of cabbage too

    Reply
    • Tina Dawson says

      October 12, 2016 at 12:37 pm

      Ha ha yeah, it was a bit of a last minute addition! I thought I’d like the crunch, and I did! 🙂

      Reply

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Hi! I'm Tina - the human behind all the content you see on this blog. Welcome to my little corner of the internet where I create flavorful and unique plant-based recipes.

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