If you’re looking for an incredibly quick, incredibly easy dinner dish for frantic evenings, this 4 ingredient pea and cream cheese pasta is for you! It’s quicker than a takeaway or ready meal and tastier too.
I have a handful of recipes like this in my repertoire – pasta dishes made with fresh pasta that are ready in the time it takes to cook the pasta. This particular one takes just 5 minutes. They’re extremely handy – perfect for those busy nights.
This one uses cream cheese for the sauce, which makes it extra delicious. It’s balanced with sweet peas and you could easily use flavoured cream cheese for a flavour boost too.
Pea and Cream Cheese Pasta Ingredients, Substitutions and Variations
- Onion – use a large white onion. I like to chop mine into quite large chunks for this recipe. It adds a nice bit of crunch and texture, particularly as we don’t cook it for very long.
- Cream cheese – I used plain cream cheese but you could use one flavoured with garlic and herbs for some extra tastiness.
- Peas – frozen peas are perfect here. If you like, you could add some more frozen veggies, like broccoli or spinach.
- Pasta – use fresh pasta for extra speed. I used radiatori because I like the funky shape, but this recipe will work with any fresh pasta shape.
Top Tips
- Use a nonstick pan We don’t use oil here, so it’s important to use a nonstick pan to cook the sauce. Alternatively, you could cook the onions in a tbsp of olive oil.
- Don’t over cook the peas The peas only need warming through – no more than that. You want them to have bite and keep their fresh green colour.
- Cook extra The leftovers work brilliantly for lunches! You can eat them hot or cold.
More quick and easy pasta recipes to enjoy:
- 15 Minute Creamy Chorizo and Leek Pasta
- 15 Minute Creamy Garlic Mushroom Pasta
- Parma Ham, Fig and Blue Cheese Spaghetti
- Pancetta, Broccoli and Dolcelatte Rigatoni
- Mushroom, Courgette and Ricotta Pasta
- Garlic, Chilli and Prawn Tagliatelle
- Quick and Easy Tagliatelle
- Artichoke and Pancetta Pasta
- Garlic Prawn Linguine
- Tuna, Black Olive and Tomato Pasta
- Pesto Pasta with Feta and Green Olives
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4 Ingredient Pea and Cream Cheese Pasta
A brilliant 4 ingredient pea and cream cheese pasta dish that is ready in the time it takes for the pasta to cook – less than 10 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- 100 g cream cheese
- 150 g frozen peas
- 500 g fresh pasta
Instructions
- Fill and boil the kettle. Pour the boiling water into a large saucepan and put it on a medium heat. Add the pasta and cook according to packet instructions (mine took 4 minutes).
- Meanwhile, peel and chop the onion. Put in a non stick pan on a medium heat. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring often.
- Add 100ml water and the cream cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted, then add the peas. Cook for one more minute. Season with salt and pepper.
- When the pasta is cooked, drain it. Toss with the sauce. Serve immediately.
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 489kcalCarbohydrates: 78gProtein: 18gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 117mgSodium: 114mgPotassium: 388mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 682IUVitamin C: 17mgCalcium: 59mgIron: 5mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
I made this pasta for dinner and added chicken. It was delicious! So simple but full of flavor!
The creamy texture of the cream cheese paired perfectly with the sweetness of the peas. It was quick and easy to make, and I will definitely be adding this recipe to my regular rotation.
I love the combination of ingredients here. Simple and delicious., Thanks for sharing.
I made this for my kids for dinner tonight and they absolutely loved it! And I loved how easy it was to make, I had dinner ready in minutes!
A simple yet delicious dish! When I’m in a rush to make something quick – this recipe always comes to mind!