Cavatappi Pasta plus Cream Sauce

Love a simple pasta recipe? You need to try our Straightforward Baked Ziti as well as our Pesto Pasta recipe AND our Creamy Lemon Pasta!

Why you’ll love this 20 minute pasta recipe

This is easily one of my go-to pasta shapes because those grooves TRULY help the sauce cling on! Ultra creamy with so much flavor, this cavatappi pasta recipe is special enough for a romantic dinner, but is so straightforward, it can be thrown together for the kids with no problem! This one’s a winner, guys! Don’t delay… make it tonight!

Why you’ll love this:

• Ready in 20 minutes – genuinely
• Only 8 ingredients, all straightforward to find
• Works as a main dish or a side dish
• Straightforward to customize with whatever protein or veggies you have
• Easily made dairy-free or vegan with simple swaps!

What is Cavatappi Pasta?

Cavatappi is pasta perfection! The name, Cavatappi, means corkscrew in Italian and the noodles are corkscrew-shaped and ridged, so they cling to all that creamy sauce! The fun, spiral shape works well with thick sauces (like this cream sauce) or chunky sauces like my taco pasta or a meat sauce! The twisting shape will catch all of the sauce in the curves for savory flavor in every bite. Try using cavatappi pasta to make my vegan mac & cheese – total worth repeating!

Ingredients needed

The ingredients for this method are listed fully down in the recipe card but let’s briefly go over the pantry staples needed including a few substitutions you can make as desired!

• Cavatappi pasta – the corkscrew shape and ridges grab onto cream sauce better than almost any other pasta; rigatoni, penne, or fusilli all work as substitutes – genuinely any short pasta!
• Butter – the base of the sauce and adds great richness; use dairy-free butter if needed. Olive oil also works well!
• Garlic – fresh is truly worth it here; jarred garlic tends to muddy the flavor of a sauce this simple
• Flour – only a few tablespoons to thicken the sauce to that reliable creamy consistency
• Broth – veggie broth is what I use, but chicken broth works too – only use what you have
• Milk – any milk works, including plant-based; simply make sure it’s plain and unflavored
• Italian seasoning – one simple blend is all you need to let the parmesan genuinely shine
• Parmesan cheese – freshly grated from a block melts much better than the pre-shredded kind; for a vegan version, Violife parmesan is great or use my from-scratch vegan parmesan

How to Make It

Only a reminder that you can find the FULL written recipe down in the recipe card, but I want to quickly go over how to make them with visuals for you:)

1. Start the sauce. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat, add in garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often.

1. Finish the sauce. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Mix in the broth, milk, Italian seasoning, cheese, salt and pepper. Stir until fully combined and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring often, until the sauce is thickened and the cheese has melted.

1. Boil pasta. Start a pot of salted boiling water and cook the cavatappi noodles according to package directions. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Once cooked, drain and set aside.

1. Combine pasta with cream sauce. Stir the cooked, drained pasta into the sauce to fully coat. Plate the pasta with steamed broccoli florets or a simple green salad and add a garnish of fresh parsley and red pepper flakes for color.

Recipe Tips

• Grate your own parmesan. Pre-shredded cheese has anti-caking agents that can make the sauce grainy. Grab a block and grate it fresh – it melts SO much better!
• Don’t skip the flour step. That 1-minute cook on the flour is what gives the sauce body. Rush it and you’ll taste raw flour.
• Salt your pasta water generously. This is where most of the pasta’s flavor comes from – don’t skip it.
• Reserve a splash of pasta water. If your sauce thickens up more than you’d like when tossing with the noodles, a tablespoon or two of starchy pasta water loosens it right back up.
• Serve immediately. Cream sauces thicken fast as they cool. Have everything ready to go before you plate.

Frequently Asked Questions