Can I use cream cheese to make a sauce? If so how and what type?

[ScreamingBeans]

Thanks Nigella-types.

Just stir it through just cooked pasta and mix is a tin of tuna and some sweetcorn

I use the “flavoured” Philadelphia to make pasta sauce. Just stir it through the pasta and add a bit of pasta water to loosen it.

Oh also I have white wine. That must be possible to use with cream cheese

I've used cream cheese like philadelphia to make a cheese sauce. Heat the cream cheese and add some milk or pasta water to get the consistency of a bechemal sauce then add grated cheese and pepper, maybe some wholegrain mustard if you like. You can also use it instead of cream in a pasta sauce so saute some onions and mushrooms and add cream cheese and some pasta water. Or you could leave out the mushrooms and add smoked salmon and a squeeze of lemon into the sauce instead. Chopped chives or parsley can make it more interesting. Wine would probably work - maybe add after frying the onions.

You can use it to make a lovely, slightly lower fat (especially if you use the reduced fat cream cheese) creamy steak sauce. Fry shallots and chopped mushrooms. some mustard, Worcestershire sauce (or sherry if you've got it) , then beef stock made with stock pot. Reduce down then stir in cream cheese and lots of pepper. Can make a similar honey and mustard sauce to cook chicken in using chicken stock instead of beef and adding honey. It's lovely!

Melt some Philly. Job done

Yeah I always use cream cheese to make sauces....either stir through pasta...or I might fry off onions and mushrooms and add it to make a creamy mushroom sauce for steak or chicken. Might have to thin it down with a little splash of milk. Oh and if you use the garlic and herb cream cheese it's even better. And yep, you could definitely add some white wine to it...that would be good I reckon

Pasta here too - usually with peas and salmon, or pesto and salmon, lemon and salmon.. etc. salmon bits are fine.

Also - crumpets, butter, marmite, philly = a hot /cold/creamy/salty food of the gods - add halved cherry tomatoes on top for an added sweet tangy thing

It's nice stirred through pasta with some pesto and sautéed greens.

Yes. Absolutely. Last night's dinner was pasta with mushroom sauce.

I fried some mushrooms in some butter, added a couple of cloves of chopped garlic, then added some white wine and reduced it, then stirred in half a tub of Philadelphia cream cheese and some pasta water.

It was delicious.

Having it with pasta? Onions/shallots, garlic, white wine, salt, pepper - whatever green herbs you have knocking around - cream cheese. Add a bit of pasta water to loosen it up and voila.

It keeps well, so I often use it instead of double cream - it just needs loosening with a liquid.

On no account use red wine !

currently eating chicken and broccoli pasta made with garlic and herb Philadelphia.

I did white wine and pesto and it was not very nice. OK but not great.

I've come to the conclusion you can mix cream cheese with white wine or with pesto, but not with both.

Yeah, I’m not sure pesto and white wine are the easiest match.
I often add cream cheese in with pesto and a glug of pasta water, and / or a splash of milk, to make a creamy sauce. I’ll use cream cheese or creme fraiche depending on what’s in the fridge. Sometimes both! I’ll fry up some onion, mushroom, leeks etc, or add peas in, add the cream cheese and pesto, warm through, add pasta water and cooked pasta.

Cream cheese mixed with tomato puree, a little milk or pasta water, makes a good pasta sauce too.

Do you like smoked salmon? Personally, I think this looks and smells like cat vomit, but dp and ds love it:

melt some cream cheese in a pan with some freshly squeezed lemon juice
add shredded smoked salmon and a handful of defrosted frozen peas
serve over pasta

I like:
fry some diced onions on a low heat with garlic
add diced courgettes (take the nasty seedy middle out first)
fry just enough to slightly soften the courgettes but leave a bit of crunch
add chilli flakes
add garlic and herb cream cheese until it melts

Over pasta, with grated parmesan if wished

Whip it up with fresh cream and vanilla extract and make an easy Tiramisu. Need the bikkies, cocoa powder and coffee too tho. Still....