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This mascarpone pasta is covered in a simple mascarpone sauce that’s incredibly easy to make in just 25 minutes. Using pasta water and broth mixed with the mascarpone cheese creates a simple pasta sauce that is super creamy without having to use heavy cream.
Quick Look: Mascarpone Pasta
- Cooking time: Only 20 minutes, with only about 10 minutes of hands on cooking.
- Main ngredients: Mascarpone cheese, pasta, garlic, shallot, and broth.
- Servings: 4 people as a main course or 6 as a side dish.
- When to serve: Great for weeknights or when you’re low on groceries. Or if you’re looking for a pasta without parmesan cheese.
- Dietary information: Vegetarian diet friendly and also compliant with a migraine diet and Mediterranean diet recipes. Fits a gluten free and dairy free diet with edits. Because mascarpone is much less sodium than parmesan this makes a great pasta for Meniere’s patients or a low sodium kids pasta.
- Why you’ll love it: This mascarpone pasta is fast and easy with very few ingredients. It’s also creamy without having to add any heavy cream. It makes a great side dish pasta for just about any meal!
I’ve been testing out new ways to make pasta without aged cheese and I love mascarpone for a multitude of reasons. Originating in Italy, mascarpone cheese is made from heavy cream which gives it a luscious flavor and texture compared to cream cheese. Because of it’s higher fat content, it makes an amazing addition to pasta for a creamy, savory sauce. The whole meal is similar to a Cacio e Pepe without pecorino.
Pasta with mascarpone pairs incredibly well with pan seared salmon, cast iron roast chicken, or an arugula salad. If you love my Boursin pasta or butter pasta, this will be a new favorite!
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Mascarpone cheese – BelGioso and Vermont Creamery are my two favorites. You want to choose a mascarpone cheese with very minimal ingredients for the best taste and texture. Most should just have cream/milk and some kind of acid. You can even make your own! For any leftover, you can add it to this mascarpone ice cream. If you can only find basic cream cheese – try this cream cheese pasta instead.
- Linguine or fettuccine – Any pasta will work at the end of the day, but these are my two favorites. You could also use this sauce with a ditalini pasta.
- Garlic and shallots – These both provide a good base of flavor for the pasta. Shallots are a lot lighter in flavor than onion, so they don’t overpower the mascarpone sauce. Since mascarpone is a very mild cheese, we don’t want to overpower the flavor.
- Broth – I like to use a good quality vegetable broth or rotisserie chicken broth here to bump up the flavor as well.
- Freshly cracked black pepper – To amp up the flavor, I go a little heavy on the black pepper for this recipe. The creaminess compliments the pepper nicely. You can always adjust this to your own taste! Especially if you intend to pair this with another dish.
Recipe Variations
- Gluten free – Use gluten free pasta, like Jovial.
- Low sodium – This recipe is naturally very low sodium! Use a broth without added sodium or homemade where you can adjust it.
- Mascarpone tomato sauce – Add around 1/4-1/2 cup of your favorite marinara, like Rao’s, Carbone’s or Sauz.
- Add a protein – This recipe would be amazing with grilled chicken, grilled Italian shrimp, or rotisserie chicken.
- Add veggies – Stir in small, steamed broccoli florets, sautéed mushrooms, spinach, kale, tomatoes, or zucchini.
How to Make Mascarpone Pasta
Step 1: Cook the pasta. In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil over high heat and cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside at least 1 cup of pasta water to make the sauce.
Step 2: Make the mascarpone sauce. Add olive oil to a large pan over medium heat, then add garlic and shallots, stirring often for 1-2 minutes till fragrant and softened. You don’t want the garlic to burn or brown. Add the vegetable broth and bring to a simmer over medium high heat – reducing till about 1/3 cup is left.
Step 3: Add in 1/3 cup of reserved pasta water and cooked pasta, using tongs to toss with the shallots and garlic.
Step 4: Turn the heat to low and add in the mascarpone cheese, continuing to toss the pasta till it is fully incorporated.
Add in more pasta water if needed to thin the sauce, then taste. Add any salt and freshly cracked black pepper as needed. Add a squeeze of lemon juice, if desired.
Serving Suggestions
Delicious on its own, you’ll also love this mascarpone cheese pasta topped with a protein or with a simple side salad. It’s perfect with just a slice of garlic bread, but here are a few suggestions for pairings.
- Baked beef kabobs or baked chicken kabobs – good as a side dish for these protein options.
- Seared sea bass – great for an elevated date night meal.
- Apple fennel salad – A nice balanced sweetness and acidity that compliments the rich mascarpone sauce.
- Kale crunch salad – The perfect crunchy side to add extra vegetables if you aren’t putting them into the pasta.
Storage & Reheating Information
- Refrigerator – This mascarpone pasta will store well for up to 3-4 days in the fridge.
- Reheat from fresh – Microwave mascarpone pasta in 30 second increments, stirring in between. You may need to add a little bit of reserved pasta water or milk to make the sauce really creamy again. This can also reheated in a pan over medium low heat, stirring often.
- Freezer – This recipe also freezes well, but I recommend making it more into a casserole if your intent is to freeze. It can reheat in the oven, covered, at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20-30 minutes. Stir occasionally as it reheats.
Mascarpone Pasta FAQ
A lot of people would probably think to substitute cream cheese for mascarpone, and you can, but I’d actually recommend a good quality, whole milk fine ricotta cheese. If you’ve never had this type, it’s super creamy and similar in texture and taste. BelGiosio and Calabro are two favorites.
Any pasta with mascarpone would pair very well with spinach, zucchini, tomatoes, broccoli and mushrooms. I wouldn’t recommend adding a lot of herbs to it, just parsley at the most.
More Easy Pasta Recipes
For more recipes like this pasta with mascarpone cheese, you’ll love these posts that all highlight one type of cheese.
Pasta
Creamy Boursin Salmon Pasta
Pasta
Pesto Burrata Pasta
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Mascarpone Pasta
Ingredients
- 11 ounces pasta, linguine or spaghetti recommended
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 shallot, chopped small (about 1/4 cup)
- 1/2 cup vegetable or chicken broth
- 1/3 cup pasta water, *reserve about 1 cup total
- 8 ounces mascarpone cheese
- 3/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- kosher salt for pasta water
Instructions
- Heat a large pot of water over high heat, and add about 1-2 tablespoons of kosher salt to salt it. Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions then drain, reserving about 1 cup of pasta water.
- Add olive oil to a large pan over medium heat, then add garlic and shallots, stirring often for about 1-2 minutes till fragrant and softened. Add vegetable broth, bringing to a simmer until it is reduced to about 1/3 cup of liquid.
- Add in pasta water and cooked pasta, using tongs to toss with the shallots and garlic until well-coated. Turn the heat to low and add in mascarpone cheese, continuing to toss the pasta till it gets fully incorporated and very creamy. Add in more pasta water as needed to thin the sauce. Stir in fresh black pepper and adjust any seasonings to taste.
Notes
- Use a good quality mascarpone cheese like BelGiosio or Vermont Creamery, which will make a difference in taste and texture.
- A serving size for pasta is typically about 2oz. This is calculated for 3oz as a main dish, but would need to be paired with a protein and/or side salad for a complete meal.
- For gluten free, use a favorite gluten free pasta. For low sodium, omit added salt for pasta water.
- Mascarpone tomato sauce – Add around 1/4-1/2 cup of your favorite marinara, like Rao’s, Carbone’s or Sauz.
- Add a protein – This recipe would be amazing with grilled chicken, grilled Italian shrimp, or rotisserie chicken.
- Add veggies – Stir in small, steamed broccoli florets, sautéed mushrooms, spinach, kale, tomatoes, or zucchini.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Excellent!!!
Genial. Very good outcome.
I love this recipe, it is simple yet flavorful. Everyone enjoyed it!
I’ve been trying to make 1 meal a week for my husband and I instead of eating convenience foods. We usually get two nights of meals when I cook. Tonight’s effort: Mascarpone Linguine (subbed in ricotta). It was super easy, especially coming off of a three-day migraine.
Thanks again, Katie. So glad you enjoyed!
Finally made this tonight…SO good! And SO quick & easy! My daughter said it tasted like “restaurant food”😄
So happy you both loved, Gina!
Another recipe that is wayyyy tastier than it should be considering how easy it is to make (even with a migraine like I had when I tried it) My new favorite comfort food. I paired it with cod using the Blackened Sea Bass recipe and that was a match made in heaven.
Delicious and easy. I’m using the rest for your apple cake recipe!