This creamy Boursin pasta is rich, garlicky and made with a simple 5-ingredient sauce. Better yet, it’s ready in just 10 minutes!
If you’re looking for a way to turn the classic Boursin ‘Garlic & Fine Herbs’ Cheese into something other than an excuse to eat a whole pack of crackers, you’re going to LOVE this pasta. And you know I’m already the self-proclaimed king of Recipes using Boursin, so you’re in safe hands. Follow me…
Boursin Cheese Pasta
Boursin makes the perfect pasta sauce for a couple of different reasons:
- As it’s a soft cheese, it melts very easily into a silky, creamy sauce.
- It’s already an explosion of flavours. You don’t need extra herbs to dress up the pasta, and you certainly won’t need garlic. It really does all the heavy-lifting.
When it comes to this particular recipe, just a few extra ingredients will bring everything to life and result in a restaurant-quality pasta. Which is crazy, because the sauce only requires 5 ingredients and the whole thing takes 10 minutes to make.
Boursin Pasta Ingredient Notes
- Pasta – I prefer using a longer cut of pasta; I love how the sauce clings to the long noodles to create an oozy, cheesy sauce. But you can use any variety you like.
- Boursin Cheese – 1x 5oz/150g block. Roughly diced to help it melt at an even rate.
- Parmesan – Adds another layer of cheesy flavour without affecting the texture of the sauce too much.
- Smoked Sausage – The smokiness goes perfectly with both the garlic and the cheese. Plus it’s already cooked, so it reduces cooking time.
- Shallot – Slightly milder/sweeter than onion. The sweetness helps balance out the sharp tones of the garlic/cheese.
- Butter – To fry the sausage/shallot. I recommend unsalted, just so you’ve got more control over the seasoning of the dish.
I love smoked sausage, but you can honestly use anything you fancy in this dish. Bacon works nicely because it also adds smokiness. Leftover chicken is great, and Mushrooms go really well, as does spinach or other veggies. Generally speaking, I just throw in whatever is in need of using in the fridge.
How to make Boursin Pasta
Whilst you can just melt the Boursin straight into the pan to create the sauce, you’ll notice it dries up VERY quickly and risks going clumpy. Introducing your new best friend:
Starchy Pasta Water
By adding some of the water your pasta is cooked in, you’ll emulsify the fats in the sauce and help create a creamy texture. It thins out the cheese enough to create a sauce, but not so much it goes watery. This is the secret to making creamy Boursin pasta without using any cream at all. Just a few things to keep in mind:
- Don’t overfill the pasta with water; only use just enough to boil the pasta. The less water there is, the starchier it’ll be.
- Scoop the water out just before draining the pasta, just so the water is at its starchiest.
- Make sure to salt the pasta water, just so it doesn’t dilute the water of the sauce.
Process shots: melt butter (photo 1), fry shallots (photo 2), fry sausage (photo 3), whisk in pasta water and melt in boursin (photo 4), add parmesan and s& p (photo 5), toss in pasta (photo 6).
Boursin Pasta Serving Suggestions
When it comes to serving, I tend not to add any more parmesan because it’s already fairly rich in flavour, but go wild if you want to! I love to finish with a pinch of cracked black pepper, so a final pop of spice.
Can I reheat leftovers?
Sure! Just reheat in a pan over low heat with a splash of milk to thin out as needed.
If you’re looking for another quick and easy soft cheese pasta recipe check out my Cream Cheese Pasta!
For more recipes using Boursin check out my Boursin Mash, Boursin Salmon Orzo and Boursin Chicken.
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this Boursin pasta shall we?!
How to make Boursin Pasta (Full Recipe & Video)
Boursin Pasta
Equipment
- Large Pan & Wooden Spoon
- Large Pot & Pasta Tongs
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
- 1/3 measuring cup or Jug (for starchy pasta water)
Ingredients
- 7oz / 200g Linguine, or pasta of choice
- 1 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 1 Shallot, very finely diced
- 3.5oz / 100g Smoked Sausage (see notes for subs)
- 1x 5oz/150g pack of Boursin Cheese, roughly diced
- 1/4 cup / 20g freshly grated Parmesan
- Salt & Black Pepper, as needed
Instructions
- Pop your pasta in salted boiling water and cook until al dente. Don't overfill the pot; only use enough water to cook the pasta (the less water, the more starchy it is).
- Meanwhile, in a large pan over medium heat, fry the shallot in 1 tbsp unsalted butter until soft and golden. Push to the outside of the pan and add the sausage. Fry until lightly browned on both sides, then incorporate everything together.
- Right near the end of cooking the pasta, scoop out a cup of the starchy pasta water. Add around 1/3 cup into the pan and swiftly stir to emulsify with the fats (it should go slightly cloudy). Stir in Boursin cheese until melted, then add the Parmesan and a pinch of black pepper. Stir to blend, then turn the heat to low.
- Use your pasta tongs to transfer the pasta straight from the pot into the sauce. Give everything a good toss until the sauce begins to thicken and cling to the pasta. If the sauce dries up, add a splash more starchy pasta water. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, then serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Your Private Notes:
Nutrition
Looking for more?
You’ll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’
This is in our regular me as L rotation because it’s delicious and quick to make!
Thanks for the review, Denise! C.
So simple and SO tasty! I’ve substituted shallots for onion when I haven’t had any on hand and also done a DIY Boursin and used cream cheese and some fresh chopped parsley, chives and garlic, still turns out great.
Great to hear this went down well, Alix! Thanks so much for the review 🙂 C.
This was so delicious and so easy to make! I used what I had on hand, but kept the base recipe exactly the same. No shallots so I used a small red onion, had smoked bratwurst in the freezer, my Boursin was a shallot and chive flavour. That smokey, cheesy flavour was just perfect!
Just the kind of recipe my kitchen has been crying out for. The less it sees of me, the happier it is! (I detest cooking so quick, easy and tasty is just the job). You’re a palate-saver! Thanks.
Glad I can be of help, Linda! Hope the recipe goes down well 🙂
Just bought a 3 pack of Boursin at Costco, now I know what I’m making with it! Yum!
Love it! Perfect timing 🙂