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This extremely popular recipe for Boursin Pasta is the most delicious, creamy pasta you’ll ever eat with just 5 ingredients and 20 minutes of cooking time! It’s a quick side dish or vegetarian meal that’s easy and comforting. Perfect for a cozy night in.
Quick Look: Boursin Cheese Pasta
- Total time: 20 minutes, and only around 10 minutes of hands on cooking.
- Main ingredients: Pasta, Boursin cheese, heavy cream, butter, and garlic.
- When to use: This extra creamy pasta is great for a Christmas dinner, cozy winter nights, or a date night in.
- Dietary information: This recipe is HYH diet friendly and can also be gluten free. This recipe is so versatile to add protein or veggies too as well. For a similar version that can easily be dairy free, try my Boursin orzo bake instead.
- Why you’ll love it: One of the most popular recipes on this site, the 5 star reviews don’t lie! Followers have loved this Boursin cheese pasta recipe for years because it’s so versatile and customizable – perfect plain or with added oven baked chicken, pan seared salmon, or vegetables.
When I developed this recipe in 2019, I never imagined Boursin pasta would become a huge thing on TikTok. I love the Boursin baked orzo with tomatoes or other vegetables, but this recipe is for people who want a simple creamy pasta.
Some favorites recipes using Boursin cheese have been the Boursin stuffed mushrooms, Boursin soup, Boursin mashed potatoes, Boursin salmon pasta, and Boursin chicken. For a lighter version of this recipe, don’t miss this ditalini pasta.
Ingredients
You only need 5 main ingredients to make this Boursin pasta. Here are some details on what to look for when grocery shopping with the full ingredient amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Boursin Cheese – The star of the show. This Gournay cheese is like a fluffy cream cheese that melts beautifully. I like the Garlic and Fine Herbs Boursin, but the Shallot and Chive or Black Pepper would work here as well depending on what flavors you love most. Get the best deal on these at Costco or Trader Joe’s – it’s so much less expensive than the regular grocery store!
- Pasta – Use any type of pasta you like for this recipe. My favorite with this is fettuccine. Obviously if gluten is an issue for you, you can use your favorite gluten free pasta.
- Heavy cream – This makes the recipe extra creamy and decadent, plus helps coat the noodles in a thick sauce. I used Organic Valley.
- Garlic – Yes, the cheese already has a garlic flavor to it, but this just amplifies it. It gives you enough without being overpowering.
- Butter – A great start to a creamy pasta, I like to use Kerrygold. You can use salted butter and less added salt, or unsalted.
Parsley is purely decorative here, but feel free to add any herbs you like! I find Boursin usually packs enough flavor that you don’t need it.
How To Make
Step 1: Cook and Drain Pasta. Start with a large pot of salted water and boil the pasta according to the package directions. You can begin the sauce while you cook the pasta. Save about 1/2 cup of the pasta water, in case it’s needed.
Step 2: Melt the Butter & Cook Garlic. Melt butter in a large saucepan that will be big enough to toss the pasta in. Stir in minced garlic and cook over medium heat till fragrant (but not brown).
Step 3: Add Heavy Cream. Add the heavy cream and stir, bringing the sauce to a simmer over medium high heat, about 5-7 minutes. This will allow the cream to start to thicken.
Step 4: Add Boursin Cheese. Turn off the heat and stir in the Boursin cheese till fully melted. If you like your sauce to be more thin, save some pasta water to add it to the sauce, about 1-2 tablespoons at a time, till your desired consistency is reached. Add in the cooked pasta and toss it in the sauce. Salt and pepper to taste! Sprinkle parsley on top, if desired.
Recipe Tips
- Turn down the heat – Boursin cheese melts really well, but you want to make sure you don’t do it over too high of heat. Using too high heat can cause milk products to curdle. This low and slow method allows the sauce to get nice and creamy.
- Save some pasta water – The creamy sauce doesn’t look like a lot in amount but it coats the noodles well. I encourage you to taste it before adding extra liquids. However you can add extra pasta water to thin out the sauce.
Recipe Variations
- Gluten free – Use gluten free noodles, spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles in place of regular pasta. Jovial is my recommendation.
- Add in protein or vegetables – This recipe works incredibly well as a base for other vegetables and proteins. Grilled chicken or store-bought rotisserie chicken, shrimp, zucchini, broccoli, mushrooms, asparagus, and tomatoes all work well!
- Lightened up – Sometimes I get asked for a lower calorie option. I’ve tried this recipe, substituting the heavy cream for vegetable broth. It’s not quite as creamy and decadent, but it’s still good.
- Vegan or dairy free – Boursin makes a dairy-free cheese now, that’s available in some stores like Trader Joe’s. You would need to substitute the butter with olive oil and use 1/4 cup pasta water or broth instead of the heavy cream. Add more water as needed. However, I would recommend just making this creamy ditalini pasta instead since it’s fewer ingredients to change.
- Low carb and keto – Try this sauce with roasted cauliflower or spaghetti squash – so good!
Serving Recommendations
You can customize this pasta with Boursin cheese to make it into a great side dish, or as a main course. Below are a few ideas.
- Protein options – Serve with an air fryer filet, air fryer pork tenderloin, or a cast iron roast chicken. This really makes a great side dish.
- Vegetable options – Mix in sun-dried tomatoes, broccoli, cooked mushrooms, or spinach and kale. Or you can pair this with a simple bibb lettuce salad, bang bang brussels sprouts, or honey roasted carrots and parsnips.
- Grown up mac and cheese – Use macaroni instead of fettuccine for an elegant and delicious mac and cheese!
- Christmas pasta – Use tomatoes and spinach for red and green!
- Date night meal – Serve this boursin pasta with a NY strip steak, baked halibut, or pan seared sea bass.
If you love a creamy pasta but with other types of cheese, don’t miss my mozzarella alfredo pasta, cream cheese pasta, or my mascarpone pasta.
Storage & Reheating
Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- Freezer – Allow the Boursin pasta to cool and place in a freezer-safe container. Cover and place it in the oven at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes, then uncover and stir. You can continue to warm it up until it’s your desired temperature, or switch to the skillet method.
- To reheat – Place in a large skillet and reheat over medium low, adding in a little extra water, broth or heavy cream to help coat the noodles and get them creamy again. You can also microwave in 30 second increments, but the skillet will give you the best results.
Boursin Cheese Recipes
I’m clearly a huge fan of Boursin cheese, so here are a few of my favorite recipes that include it. Especially if you buy the value pack at Costco! Don’t miss the creamy Boursin Chicken.
Pasta
Chicken Alfredo Lasagna with Boursin
High Protein
Chicken Orzo Bake with Boursin
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 review in the recipe card! Don’t forget to tag me @thedizzycook on Facebook and Instagram, and follow along on Pinterest for more great recipes!
Creamy Boursin Pasta
Video
Ingredients
- 8 oz fettuccine pasta
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 4 ounces Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs Cheese
- kosher salt and fresh pepper to taste
- (optional) fresh Italian parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions and drain. Keep about a cup of pasta water just in case you need to thin out the sauce later.
- Meanwhile melt butter in a large saucepan and cook the garlic for a minute or two until fragrant, but not brown. Add heavy cream and bring the sauce to a simmer, about 5-7 minutes, until nice and thick. The spoon should leave a line/trail as you run it through the sauce.
- Turn the heat to low and add Boursin cheese, stirring until melted and fully incorporated. Taste the sauce and add any kosher salt or fresh black pepper as needed. Add drained pasta and toss everything to combine. Top with parsley for garnish
Notes
- Use your favorite gluten free pasta to make this GF friendly.
- Substitute fettuccine with other favorite types of pasta.
- For a lighter version, replace the heavy cream with chicken or vegetable broth. You could also use leftover pasta water, but I find this to be more flavorful.
- Add in cooked vegetables, chicken or shrimp for a full meal!
- If the sauce is too thick, add 2 tablespoons of pasta water after adding the Boursin cheese until desired consistency is reached.
- I used Kerrygold unsalted butter and Organic Valley Heavy Cream. See post for more variations!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This Boursin Pasta recipe was originally published December 12, 2019 and was updated August 2024 to include new recipe tips, storage instructions, and photos on how to make.
Recipe lived up to the comments! My whole family loved it. Doubled the recipe and gone in one sitting. Haha.
Yay, thanks Abbey!
My family loves this pasta! I can double or triple the recipe and it’s still gone the next day. I think they’d be happy if I made it every day of the week! Thank you Alicia for this great recipe for my family and for making it easy on me too!
Thanks so much, Susie. Means a lot to me!
How would I go about adding spinach to this recipe! I’m excited to try this
Hey! Whenever you stir in the cheese, add a handful of it. It will start to wilt as you stir it and mix in the pasta too.
I am new to the migraine diet. I think I can not tolerate tomatoes. It was such a treat to eat pasta after a long time. I followed the recipe exactly but I cooked chicken with fresh garlic, salt and pepper in the pot first so the sauce got some extra flavor. It was delicious.
Aw thank you for your review. My new Mediterranean book has a nomato sauce that’s really good too!
can i use pasta water instead of the haevy cream , i do not like milk
Sure! I just can’t guarantee the same flavor results. Would probably cut it with vegetable broth too.
Can’t wait to try this tonight. I always add sauteed peppers to Alfredo sauce.
My son absolutely devoured the pasta with this sauce, so it’s a winner for sure. I added probably half the cheese but so long as you add the cheese slowly and let it melt then you’ll reach the thickness you enjoy. you just have to be careful not to add too much at once.
happy new year 🙂