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Looking for a quick comfort food? This creamy ditalini pasta will hit the spot. Made in one pan with Boursin cheese, this easy pasta recipe can be ready in just 15 minutes and makes the ultimate girl dinner or side dish. Only 4 main ingredients needed!
Quick Look: Viral Ditalini Pasta
- Total time: Roughly 15 minutes total – no chopping or prep needed!
- Main ingredients: Ditalini pasta, Boursin cheese, vegetable or chicken broth, and garlic powder.
- When to serve: You want an easy and fast pasta with minimal work, but lots of flavor.
- Dietary information: This recipe fits a Mediterranean diet, HYH migraine diet, and vegetarian diet.
- Why you’ll love it: This creamy ditalini pasta recipe is one of those weeknight meals you’ll reach for when you don’t know what to make or have little left in the fridge. It’s the ultimate girl dinner that’s cozy and comforting, with Boursin cheese adding a lot of flavor – and no chopping required.
Ditalini pasta is ideal for one pan meals because it absorbs the liquid easily. The starches from the pasta create a thickened, creamy sauce. Similar to my viral ditalini butter pasta, this one packs in a little more creaminess from the cheese. I call this my lazy mac and cheese!
Table of Contents
Ingredients
Here’s a list on details you may need for grocery shopping. For the full recipe, please see the card at the bottom of this post.
- Ditalini pasta – A small tubular pasta that easily cooks in the sauce, eliminating the need for two pans. You can find it at Walmart, Kroger, or online. This is difficult to substitute as you’d want to go with a smaller pasta shape like orzo.
- Boursin cheese – You can use your favorite flavor, but I recommend Garlic and Herb for best results. Costco carries a 3 pack of this for a much lower price than getting it from other grocery stores.
- Broth – Use a low sodium vegetable broth to keep this vegetarian, but you could also use rotisserie chicken broth or bone broth to increase the overall protein content.
- Garlic powder – My preference for this particular pasta is to use garlic powder because it’s much easier to measure than having to peel and chop fresh garlic. However, you can use them both interchangeably depending on the effort level you have energy for.
- Kosher salt – I used Diamond Kosher salt which is less salty per volume compared to Morton’s or other brands. If you are using another brand, you may want to decrease the recommended amounts to your own taste.
Variations
- Gluten free – I haven’t tried this gluten free ditalini pasta, but it should work for this recipe, although you may have to play with the broth amounts. Instead, I recommend using this Boursin orzo bake recipe. It’s easier to locate gluten free orzo and this is a similar recipe.
- Dairy free – Use dairy free Boursin cheese.
- Protein – Cook chicken breast or shrimp in the same pan before cooking the pasta, or add in pre-cooked rotisserie chicken.
How to Make Ditalini Pasta
Step 1: In a medium sized pot, add chicken broth, kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Bring the mixture to a boil.
Step 2: Add in the ditalini pasta, stirring well. Return the mixture to a boil then turn the heat down to medium low.
Step 3: Cook, stirring often, until the pasta has mostly absorbed the liquid, about 10 minutes total. If the liquid is almost gone before the pasta is finished cooking, add more broth or water as needed. Taste and make sure the texture is good – it should be a perfect al dente pasta.
Step 4: Turn off the heat and crumble the Boursin cheese into the pot with your hands. Stir till fully incorporated into the pasta.
Recipe Tip
Because this pasta all cooks in one pan, the size of the pan can affect how well the pasta cooks. In a very large, flat pan, you may have to add more liquid as the surface area is larger and evaporation happens more easily before the pasta is cooked through. Do a quick taste test before adding in the cheese.
Storage Information
- Refrigerator – This pasta keeps well in the fridge for 3-5 days in an airtight container. You may need to add a little bit of broth when reheating in the microwave or on the stove top as it will thicken when it cools.
- Freezer – Freeze the pasta for up to 3-4 months. I recommend using the 2 cup Souper Cubes to freeze and then transfer to a freezer bag for easy, long term storage. Defrost overnight in the fridge, or heat on the stovetop with a about 1/4 cup of broth, stirring continuously till warmed through.
Serving Suggestions
Pair this creamy ditalini pasta with garlic bread and apple fennel salad or bibb lettuce salad for a filling vegetarian meal.
As a side dish, this will pair incredibly well with cast iron roast chicken or pan-seared salmon.
More Easy Pasta Recipes
For another pasta with ditalini, don’t miss this zucchini pasta. It’s similar to this viral pasta recipe, but with added vegetables!
Pasta
Easy Cream Cheese Pasta
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 Ditalini Pasta
Ingredients
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth, plus more if needed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 cups ditalini pasta
- 5.3 ounces Boursin Garlic and Herb cheese (1 package)
Instructions
- To a medium size pot, add the chicken broth, salt, several grinds of black pepper, and garlic powder. Place over high heat and bring to a boil.
- Add the ditalini, bring the broth back to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring every minute or so, until the pasta is tender and has absorbed almost all of the broth, about 10 minutes. (If the pasta gets dry before it’s done cooking, you can add a little more chicken broth or water.)
- Turn off the heat. Use your hands to crumble the Boursin into the pot. Stir well until the Boursin is fully melted and combined. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if desired. Serve with a little more pepper on top and enjoy!
Notes
- If using a larger, flat pan, liquid may evaporate faster during cooking and more broth or water would be needed to allow the pasta to fully cook through. Not a big issue – just something to be aware of!
- Added protein – Can cook shrimp or chicken breast in olive oil in the same pan, before adding the broth. Or you can use bone broth for added protein without meat.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
