Requested by several people who have tasted my creamy Cheesy pasta, here is my recipe that can be flexible. This recipe is for a party size tray that I often bring to a potluck when I know there’s American folks. I would use half the ingredient when making a batch at home for my kids. My Creamy Cheesy Pasta has many variations. I think the key ingredient that makes it delicious is the herbal seasoning mix.
- Cook and Prep: 30 minutes
- Serving: Double up ingredients to make enough for an 8×12-inch party size tray (
- Ingredients measured is what I cook for my kids at home.
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbsp Butter
- 1 or two bags of frozen Birds Eye mixed vegetables or two pounds of mixed vegetables diced into small pieces
- 1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 10.5 oz can of Campbell’s Cream of Chicken OR Cream of Mushroom
- Half cup water
- 1/4th block Velveeta Queso Blanco cheese AND 1/4th block Velveeta Cheddar (use one or the other or both, amount totals to half a block)
- Half pound of any Barilla pasta
- Protein options: one cup diced honey smoked ham, or shrimp, or shredded rotisserie chicken
- 1 Tablespoon “Herbal Seasoning Mix” of preference (see below of the different variations of herbal seasoning mix I used)
Seasoning Mix 12/4/24:
- 1 Tbsp toddy palm sugar
- 1 tsp salt and black pepper mix
- 1/4 tsp Herbs de Province
- 1/8 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1/8 tsp sage
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder
Seasoning Mix 9/3/23:
For my friend Corinna, I used Orzo pasta with the following seasoning mix doubled up for a party tray.
- 1/2 Tbsp Goya’s Salzonador Total
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp Herbs de Provence
- 1/4 tsp Sage
Seasoning Mix 10/16/23:
For Sujanna’s potluck party: double up for party tray
- 1/2 TBsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/8th tsp black pepper
- 1/4th tsp garlic powder
- 1/4th tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp Herbs de Provence
Direction:
1. Place pasta in water. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes on medium high heat with a pinch of salt. Strain. Set aside. Mix the seasoning mixture while cooking the pasta.
2. Melt butter in pot. Add in the frozen vegetables. Cook on medium high heat until frozen vegetables thawed.
3. Then add the heavy cream, cream of chicken/mushroom, and water. The Birds Eye frozen mix vegetables cook fast. But if I am using diced cauliflower and broccoli for my kids, I would make sure to cook this a bit longer for about ten minutes on medium heat.
4. Once the vegetables are almost cooked, add in the Velveeta cheese. Stir until cheese melted and all blended over medium heat. Stir continuously or else the cheese might get burnt on the bottom of the pan. Tip: Cutting the Velveeta cheese into small cubes speed up the melting time.
5. Add in the seasoning mixture followed by the cooked pasta. Turn off heat. Stir to mix the pasta into the creamy cheesy mixture. Serve. Enjoy!
My creamy cheesy pasta has been a hit at potluck parties where there’s American folks and lots of kids attending. I would definitely not make this for a hardcore Asian potluck, because cheese is an inferior ingredient just like I would never bring fermented fish sauce to an American potluck. 😂 No offense to the cheese lovers.
