This baked cherry tomato cream cheese pasta is about to become your go-to weeknight comfort meal! It's creamy, flavorful, unbelievably easy, and perfect for anyone who loves the sweet-tangy taste of cherry tomatoes paired with rich cream cheese.
If you've tried the viral Baked Feta Pasta from TikTok, this recipe will feel wonderfully familiar - same cozy vibes, but made with cream cheese instead of feta. It's milder, creamier, and super versatile. You can even prepare it vegan with just one simple swap!
To make the sauce, cherry tomatoes and a block of cream cheese roast together in the oven until the tomatoes burst and caramelize, and the cream cheese melts into a silky base. Toss in your favorite pasta, stir everything together, and dinner is ready. So simple, so good.
This dish works for lunch or dinner, feeds a family, and is also a delicious option for a cozy date night - juicy, extra creamy, and full of comforting flavor.
Best of all: this recipe practically cooks itself. While everything bakes in the oven, all you have to do is cook the pasta. You'll even have time to whip up a fresh green salad.
A little trick I always use: mix in a splash of reserved pasta water at the end. It helps stretch the sauce, keeps everything moist and glossy, and prevents the pasta from drying out once served.
email me this recipe 💌
Plus, enjoy weekly doses of recipe inspiration as a bonus!
Ingredients
- Pasta: Bow Tie Pasta, Penne, Rigatoni, Spaghetti, or pasta of your choice. For gluten-free Baked Cream Cheese Pasta, use a gluten-free type of pasta (e.g. from Barilla). Feel free to use whole wheat or spelt pasta, these satiate a little longer.
- Cream Cheese: Makes for an extra creamy sauce! Hint: Cream cheese is often slightly acidic. If you don’t like this, you can soften the sour note somewhat by adding a pinch of sugar.
- Cherry Tomatoes or Grape Tomatoes: Gives this pasta dish a lot of juice and flavor!
- Shallot & Garlic: Provides a little more flavor. Shallot can be replaced with a small yellow or red onion.
- Olive Oil: For roasting!
- Red Pepper Flakes: Can be omitted.
- Dried Italian Herbs: A mix of dried herbs for a great flavor. Either use a pre-made mix, or mix some dried thyme, basil, sage, oregano, and rosemary yourself.
- Salt & Black Pepper: To taste!
- Variations: Add some fresh spinach, parmesan cheese, or a protein of your choice before serving.
See recipe card for quantities.
Vegan Baked Cream Cheese Pasta: Replace cream cheese with a dairy-free cream cheese alternative. I recommend using one based on almonds!
How To Make
- Place cherry tomatoes, minced shallot, and garlic together with the olive oil, dried herbs, a pinch of red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper in a baking dish or casserole. Toss well to combine.
- Place cream cheese in the middle of the baking dish and bake for 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salt water until al dente. Keep 4 tablespoons of pasta cooking water aside. Drain over a sieve.
- Add the cooked pasta to the baking dish and toss well. → Hint: If the sauce is too thick for your liking, mix in the reserved 4 tablespoons of pasta water.
- Sprinkle with fresh basil before serving!
Storage & Reheating Instructions
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will stay fresh for up to 3 days.
Reheat the whole dish, or a portion of it, in a microwave-safe container in the microwave or in a frying pan with some water!
More Pasta Dishes You’ll Love
Did You Make This Recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, or Facebook, and sign up for my free newsletter to stay updated with new recipes. Thank you for your support! ❤️✨
📖 Recipe
Baked Cherry Tomato Cream Cheese Pasta
email me this recipe 💌
Plus, enjoy weekly doses of recipe inspiration as a bonus!
Ingredients
- 7 oz pasta, of choice
- 7 oz cream cheese
- 2 ¼ cups cherry tomatoes
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
- a pinch red pepper flakes, optional
- salt & pepper, to taste
- some fresh basil, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 390°F (200°C).
- Place cherry tomatoes, minced shallot, and garlic together with the olive oil, dried herbs, a pinch of red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper in a baking dish or casserole. Toss well to combine.
- Place cream cheese in the middle of the baking dish and bake for 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salt water until al dente. Keep 4 tablespoons of pasta cooking water aside. Drain over a sieve.
- Add the cooked pasta to the baking dish and toss well. → Hint: If the sauce is too thick for your liking, mix in the reserved 4 tablespoons of pasta water.
- Sprinkle with fresh basil before serving!
Notes
- Keeps fresh for 3 days. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Gluten-Free: Regular pasta can be replaced with gluten-free pasta.
- Vegan: Use a vegan cream cheese alternative (I recommend one made with almonds).
Nutrition
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Made it today and it was super delicious 👌🏻
Happy to hear! Thank you so much for your review, Susana! 🙌❤️