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This luxuriously smooth pasta cream sauce drips from long and slender al dente strands of your favourite pasta for a simple and stunning meal in minutes. This authentic sauce recipe is only two ingredients: cream and Parmesan cheese, and under 10-minutes to make.
Once you’re a pasta master, you can work on sauce perfection- adding vegetables and protein to your cream sauce for pasta is the next level up. Try this one first with pancetta and peas.
Before my kids left home for university here in the UK, my biggest fear was that they would starve without me! So, I was determined that they would have a couple of basic recipes they could easily whip up.
I knew these recipes needed to be minimal ingredients, student-budget-friendly and not too tricky to pull off if they were actually going to cook them.
This pasta cream sauce recipe was the first on my list. As well as being affordable, quick and easy to put together, it is also customisable. Meaning they can add anything that’s knocking about in the student fridge like bacon, mushrooms, peas… Jello shots?!! OK, maybe not anything (I hope!).
Ingredients
When a recipe contains so few ingredients it’s vital that each one is as good as it can be! For this pasta cream sauce recipe, you’ll need only pasta, cream and Parmesan.
You’ll notice there’s no garlic, no stock, no flour, no milk. Garlic will rival the Parmesan, stock will dilute, and milk and flour will thicken the slender sauce. No thank you!
So, let’s talk pasta. I always buy 100% durum semolina pasta made in Italy. If cooked al dente, it offers that much-desired signature chew. While I favour a long pasta for cream sauce, the shape is secondary.
Now, cream. I’ve used heavy (double UK) cream. With a fat content of at least 36%, you’ll achieve a richly decadent sauce that is still pourable.
Finally, Parmesan cheese. I strongly advise against buying the pre-grated kind. Let me list the reasons (in case you’re new here):
- anti-caking agent is added to it meaning the cheese does not incorporate into the sauce fully and the texture will be grainy if not claggy!
- pre-grated cheese immediately begins to dry out and lose flavour meaning you need to use twice the amount. So, it’s a false economy product.
- simply, it doesn’t taste as good.
I implore you to invest in a block of the authentic hard stuff, which is widely available in supermarkets, and grate it as needed. Trust me, you will notice the difference.
Using these three simple, but stellar ingredients will result in the most authentic-tasting cream sauce for pasta that you’ll come back to making again and again.
Pasta recipes know-how
Pasta and sauce recipes can be quick and easy. That’s why so many of us eat them on repeat. But are we all getting the best, restaurant-worthy meals from them? What are the professionals doing that you might be skipping at home? Here’s a quick chef’s checklist:
- Add salt to the pasta water. Pasta needs to absorb a little salt so it isn’t bland, and it stops the pasta sticking together. Don’t add oil! That slick-coats the pasta and the sauce slips right off.
- Cook the pasta to al dente. This means draining the pasts before it gets too soft.
- Reserve a cup of the cooking water. Don’t drain it all away!
- Splash some of the reserved starchy water into the pasta sauce along with the pasta. Pasta is thirsty and can slurp up all the sauce without a little extra liquid.
- Combine pasta and sauce before serving. The sauce should never be served on top or on the side!
Now you’re a pasta cooking pro, you can flex your skills to any number of pasta sauce recipes. For another creamy pasta sauce, try a 10-minute homemade Alfredo or creamy tagliatelle with bacon and mushrooms.
The same basic pasta tips apply to tomato sauces too; tomato and mascarpone pasta is still creamy but sharpened with tomato and basil. If dairy’s off the menu, this tagliatelle with pancetta recipe can be made omitting the cheese.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Use the best quality ingredients accessible to you.
- Invest in a block of This is an affiliate link.Parmesan cheese. It can be used for more than just pasta (hello, Caesar salad!).
- Using heavy (double UK) cream eliminates the need for thickeners like flour or corn starch.
- Use a low heat to combine the cream and cheese to ensure a fluid pasta sauce.
- Don’t forget to reserve the pasta water- that deserves another mention!
Serving suggestions
Creamy pasta sauce is best suited to long pasta, like fettucine, tagliatelle or This is an affiliate link.linguine. But no-one is judging if you’re just using up the leftover This is an affiliate link.penne, fusilli or conchiglie (they’re the gorgeous shell shapes!).
With a rich and luxuriously smooth white sauce like this one, I want my sides to be three things:
- crunchy or crisp in texture
- colourful
- sharp or fresh in flavour
With this in mind, I’d serve lemon green beans, a Caprese salad or tenderstem broccoli with vinaigrette. These elements will perfectly balance the plate, visually and nutritionally.
If balance and nutrition aren’t high on your culinary priorities, add garlic bread too!
Did you know that pasta is usually the first course of an Italian meal? Never the main event? And it’s served in modest portions to leave room for the second course which is usually meat or fish.
This is definitely a philosophy I can get behind! For my classic Italian main course, it would be a mouthwatering, meaty pork osso buco or caper-heavy salmon piccata.
Which would you choose?
Storage and leftovers
When a pasta sauce recipe takes less time to make than boiling the actual pasta, why would you not start again fresh? Besides, leftover pasta that has spent a night in the fridge is shudderingly unappetising!
More creamy pasta recipes
- Chicken and Bacon Pasta
- Orzo Pasta with Roasted Butternut Squash
- Creamy Salmon Pasta with Mixed Greens
- Easy Carbonara Sauce
- Tagliatelle with Truffle Sauce
Creamy Pasta Sauce
Equipment
- This is an affiliate link.Saucepan
- This is an affiliate link.Fine grater
Ingredients
- 500ml / 2cups double cream/heavy cream
- 50g / 1/2cup This is an affiliate link.Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Heat the cream in a pan over low heat but do not let it boil.
- Take it off the heat and whisk in the grated Parmesan cheese until melted and smooth. Taste the sauce and add the salt as needed. (Salt is an important ingredient here, so do not skip it.)
- To dress the pasta with the cream sauce, add the pasta directly to the pan with the sauce and gently shake the pan to coat the pasta with the sauce. Add up to 1/3 cup of the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- It may be slightly more expensive to use 100% durum semolina pasta from Italy, but the difference in quality makes this worthwhile, and it is much easier to cook to al dente.
- Be sure to salt the water you boil your pasta, but don’t add oil. The pasta will need time to absorb the salt from the water so it isn’t bland.
- There is no need to add flour or starch to thicken the sauce because the fat in the heavy or double cream is enough to make the perfect sauce.
- Don’t drain the pasta without reserving some pasta water. It can be used to add to the sauce later to keep it loose, while also adding creaminess.
- Dress your hot pasta with sauce before serving, rather than serving the sauce on the side. Leaving the pasta undressed can mean that it becomes dry and flavourless.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe is so incredibly good. Who knew just 3 ingredients could make the perfect sauce. This will be my go to sauce from now on. Thank you!!
My pleasure, Josie!! 🙂
How many people with this serve ? Will it be enough for my husband my daughter and I ?
Hi Vicky, this recipe serves 6 or 4 if you like a lot of sauce. You can usually find all this information at the top of a recipe card under Servings.
Okay, Awesome I’m going to the store soon to get the ingredients. My husband & I are excited to try this dish. The only thing I’m going to try next time is adding a little Spanish & sauteed mushrooms but this first time making it I’m doing it the exact same way you have posted.
Enjoy, Vicky! 🙂
Couldn’t find how do add a new comment lol so I’m just adding it here sorry. So I just got done make this and we all love this so much I will be making this every 2 weeks my husband said lol. I just added fresh rosemary, thyme, and a pinch of fresh chive. I wish I could give this 10 stars.
Wow, you just made my day, Vicky!! Thank you for such an amazing review!
It is easy and SUPER!!!!! Love it!!!!!! Thank you vikalinka!
My pleasure!
Finally! I thought I was the only one who skipped the flour roux! This is my go to recipe for cream sauce and I have NEVER had a complaint 😉
I have experimented with lower fat alternatives to heavy cream and had success but you do have to let the sauce reduce for a longer period of time to thicken. My best alternative to using heavy cream is 18% Table Cream (available in Canada – I’m not sure if it is widely available elsewhere). This gives a nice creamy texture almost indistinguishable from the heavy cream but will almost half the fat. As I mentioned, it may take longer to thicken as it needs to reduce but I don’t find that it takes an inordinate amount of extra time – maybe worth trying to cut some calories if you make this type of sauce often 🙂
Thanks for sharing the beaurty of using simple and quality ingredients!
Thanks, Jenn! I completely agree that the sauce thickens when reduced. Double cream, which is sold in the UK, is so thick on its own, I struggle to keep the sauce runny, so I often add pasta water to mine. Single cream is the equivalent of Canadian table cream, which works great in this recipe as well.
This is a simple great recipe. I was very impressed. I did add garlic, butter and shrimp. I let the dish sit for about 15 minutes before serving. AMAZING!
Thank you so much, LaVonne!
Made with penne, tossed in spinach and black pepper. I simmered it for a bit and the sauce stuck to the pasta beautifully. Truly excellent and a wonderful, comforting meal. This seemingly simple recipe speaks volumes to the importance of quality ingredients and technique in cooking. Thank you Julia!
Absolutely delicious! I served this with fresh Fettuccine that I made as well. My husband I practically licked our plates and my three young children enjoyed it as well.
Yay! I love hearing success stories and especially right now! Thank you for sharing with me, Abbey!
Came out great.i had doubts as i was adding the cheese but it just took longer than i expected to get the creamy texture..You really need to put in the elbow grease with the whisk to get there. It takes a fair amount of salt to get it seasoned properly. I added a bit of pepper for personal preference too ended up delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
My pleasure, Stacey!
I learned how to make Alfredo pasta exactly this way when I worked at the Magic Pan restaurant in the early 80’s! The exception being adding garlic, and chopped parsley on top, it was a restaurant and some color added to presentation, it was also a great flavor component. Truly a simple fantastic meal, Thanks for sharing the “right” way!
I completely agree about the parsley, Bela! It’s important to have garnish for visual appeal!
Oh Magic Pan! I worked there too, in N.J. That cheddar cheese salad dressing was fab too.
First time making this recipe. I added flour, tomatoes, broccoli, pepper flakes, parmesan and cheddar cheese for a thicker sauce. It was so goooooooddddd! Easy peasy!
Sounds great, Christine!
Oh my goodness- what an amazing sauce. Thank you a thousand times over. To think I have been making sauce Alfredo sauce from a roux base is now appalling. As listed it was amazing: fresh and creamy. As a catch all for leftovers- also great. Ended up with no cream just whole milk so I used that as my base. Added in some butter for fat content and the last 1/4 of a sour cream container. While grabbing that I found the end of a holiday cheese ball, scraped out the clinging schmear of cream cheese, tossed in the Parmesan packets from the salad mixes that accumulate on our refrigerator door along with some not so fresh Parmesan cheese and it was STILL great! After I tossed with the al dente noodles, I turned the pan back on warm and kept rotating the noodles till there wasn’t much sauce left at all on the bottom. This is the best cream sauce and really- it’s all about the method and simplicity. So many years wasted on the other recipes – argh!!
Sounds like you’ve had great results, Tamara! Comments like yours make my day! 🙂