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This super easy One Pot Creamy Penne Alfredo with Spicy Arugula is the perfect easy recipe. I took a classic pasta recipe and updated it with a one pot cooking method and a rich and creamy sauce. Penne pasta tossed with herby garlic butter, then boiled until al dente. Add a splash of milk, a touch of cream, and a generous handful of parmesan cheese for a luscious, creamy penne Alfredo. Every bite of pasta has delicious Italian flavors that melt in your mouth. Fancy enough for the weekend, but easy enough to make any night of the week. And most importantly, it’s delicious!
Sharing the absolute easiest bowl of comfort food today. And you guys, it’s the perfect mid-week pasta to keep things exciting…and yes, delicious too. Growing up, fettuccini alfredo was something my dad would make only on the weekends as our special occasion pasta. Meaning dinner and a movie kind of Friday or Saturday night.
Oh my gosh, do you guys remember those days? I loved when my dad would make his creamy fettuccini and we’d all pile on the couch for a good movie. I wouldn’t mind going back for just a day or so. Simply the best, right?
Lately, I’ve been drawing some inspiration from my favorite childhood comfort foods. Which made me realize that I don’t have a good stove-top Alfredo recipe that’s simple and flavorful like Dad’s. How that is I have not a clue. But the good news is that I quickly worked to change that, and created the perfect creamy, one-pot penne alfredo.
This. Is. So. Good…and easy too!
As I said, I’ve been looking back to my days of living at home with my family for some inspiration recently. Alfredo was such a special pasta dish. We’d only have it every so often, but when my dad made it, it was always enjoyed.
I knew I wanted to create the perfect creamy alfredo that was similar to my dad’s, but all made in one pot, and hopefully just as delicious. With the addition of some spicy arugula on top, I was able to use way less cream, butter, and even cheese, to create a slightly lighter pasta. But yet still keep this dish as the super creamy, cheesy Alfredo that everyone loves.
(pasta cooking in water and butter)
Here are all the details.
As you can guess, this is so quick and easy. Start by melting together some butter, garlic, and herbs. I love to use a mix of dried basil and oregano for a classic Italian sauce. Then add water and bring to a boil. Use a pot that will be large enough to hold the pasta and sauce.
Once the water comes to a boil, add the pasta and boil until al dente. Then simply stir in all the remaining ingredients. The key is to use a touch of cream cheese for an extra added creaminess. This creates the perfect amount of creamy sauce, but still keeps things on the lighter side.
Just before the sauce is finished cooking, stir in lots and lots of parmesan cheese and fresh parsley for additional flavor and to finish out the recipe.
SIMPLE but GOOD.
Now finish it up…
While the sauce simmers, mix up a simple herby, spicy arugula salad. It’s just a quick mix of olive oil, lemon, shallots, and chili flakes tossed with arugula and whatever fresh herbs you have on hand.
Serve the penne topped with the arugula and an extra dusting of parmesan…for good measure. When all combined together ’tis a very delicious meal that will remind you of your favorite restaurant-style Alfredo pasta. Or maybe, like me, it will remind you of childhood days enjoying creamy bowls of dad’s Alfredo!
What I love about this recipe is that it really does look and taste like a dish you’d order out from your favorite Italian spot. BUT, it’s all made at home in just 30 minutes, and all in ONE pot. It’s pretty hard to beat. If you wanted to add a little protein, I’d toss in some grilled or roasted pesto chicken. That would be delicious!!
Looking for other quick-cooking pasta dinners? Here are some of my favorites:
20 Minute Orzo Carbonara with Crispy Prosciutto and Burrata
20 Minute Lemon Butter Pasta with Ricotta and Spicy Breadcrumbs
One Pot Baked Spinach and Artichoke Mac and Cheese
Lastly, if you make this One Pot Creamy Penne Alfredo with Spicy Arugula, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
One Pot Creamy Penne Alfredo with Spicy Arugula
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 447 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- red pepper flakes
- 1 pound penne pasta
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 cup whole milk or canned coconut milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream or canned coconut milk
- 2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- juice from 1 lemon
- 1/2 shallot, finely chopped
- 2 cups baby arugula
- 1/2 cup mixed fresh herbs, such as parsley and basil
Instructions
- 1. In a large pot set over medium heat, melt together the butter, garlic, oregano, basil, onion powder, and a pinch of red pepper. Cook 2-3 minutes until the garlic is fragrant. Pour in 4 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add 1 teaspoon salt and the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes. Do not drain the water. Stir in the milk, cream, and cream cheese and cook until the cream cheese has melted and the pasta is al dente, about 4-5 minutes more.2. Stir in the parmesan until melted and creamy. Remove from the heat. Stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper.3. To make the arugula, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, shallot, and a pinch each of red pepper, salt, and pepper. Add the arugula and mixed herbs, toss to coat. 4. Spoon the pasta into bowls and top with arugula and extra parmesan. Enjoy!
Love ! Made this recipe 3 times. I forgot the cream cheese once and it was still amazing. So fast and yummy.
Hi Sandra,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for your comment and making this recipe. So glad it hear it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Love this recipe!! Any time I make it, I think “there’s no way this will work” & it always does. Thank you!!
Hey Rainey,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for trying it out! xTieghan
I made this dish tonight, at my sons birthday dinner request. This was a HUGE hit! I paired it with braised chicken, asparagus and garlic bread. I would probably use a little more liquid and less cheese next time. This is a personal preference, however. We like to call my so, Ego, the food critic, from the animated film Ratatouille. So a thumbs up/5 stars is a rare occasion. Thank you Tieghan! Will definitely make again and again!
Hey Shannon,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
We loved the pasta, I served it as a side dish with a steak and substituted spinach for the arugula. The flavor was very good! Since there is only 2 of us , I clicked the button to change the ingredients to 3 servings, rather than 6, and unfortunately the water did not convert so I had too much water… I took the noodles out of the pot, added a bit more cream cheese and parmesan, and cooked the liquid down to a nice creamy thick sauce, and then added the noodles back in along with adding the spinach etc. All in all it was great! I will definitely make it again….
Hey there,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a go and sharing your feedback!! I love to hear that it was a winner:) Sorry about the water, since it is not listed as an “ingredient” that is something you will have to adjust yourself. xTieghan
Would I be able to sub spinach for arugula? We aren’t big arugula fans in our house 🙂
Thank you!
Hey Julie,
Totally, that will work well for you! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Would it highly impact the flavour if I omitted the arugula?
Hi Kathy,
You can definitely skip the arugula:) Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
I made this last night for my small group. So delicious and easy!! Everyone loved it. I’m going to make it tomorrow night for my mothers Friday night Lent meal. Yum. Thank you
Hey Tricia,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xx
I LOVE Alfredo pasta and this recipe made me love it even more! One pot for everything is wonderful for clean up hahah. So good and creamy. Noodles were cooked perfect in the one pot! I wish I could post my picture of my meal, soo good!!
Hey Carolyn,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback, I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed! xx
Would this still be a good recipe if you made it dairy free?
Hey Caroline,
Sure, I would just use your favorite dairy free substitutes. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
This recipe was SO good and SO easy. I had my doubts and concerns that the sauce might not thicken. But I followed HBH recipe to a T and it was perfect. My boyfriend said three different times while eating “this is SO good.” Will definitely be making again. Thanks for another awesome recipe!
Hey Jen,
Fantastic! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xx
So delicious and super easy! Love that it’s one pot. For the salad I used baby kale instead of arugula because that’s what I had and I only used only half a lemon because I knew a whole lemon would be too acidic for me personally.
Will definitely make this again! Can’t wait to eat leftovers tomorrow.
Hi Christina,
Fantastic!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! Have the best weekend:) xT
My family loved this! So easy and yummy! Thanks Tieghan!
Hi Mallory,
Awesome!! I am thrilled that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have a great week:) xx
This was outstanding! Made it tonight with fettuccine and chicken but followed the recipe preparation EXACTLY and it was perfection. For those that say it’s too watery, I suggest boiling the pasta a bit more so the water evaporates a bit. Once I added the milk and cream I boiled it for probably 6 more minutes so it was less watery. At first I was skeptical about not draining the water but why waste all that yummy butter, garlic and herbs! Honestly this was such a hit and we’ll be making it again for sure.
Hey Courtney,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed!! ?xTieghan
Forgot to fill in the five stars!
Thanks again!!
Another absolute homerun! So easy and SO delicious! Absolutely no substitutions necessary. I want to make it again tomorrow!
Hey there,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks bunch for giving it a go! xxTieghan