Healthy Cream Cheese Recipes

Use your slow cooker to create this tasty vegetarian soup. If you like a little kick, a few drops of hot sauce does the trick.

This one-pot chicken pasta dish with Cajun seasonings is a snap to whip up. Here we use the technique of stirring often to help the starches release for natural creaminess. We love the spicy flavor profile of Cajun seasoning, but you can substitute different spices depending on what you have on hand.

This orange-scented carrot cake cheesecake has a wonderfully moist and flavorful carrot cake shell which holds the creamy cheesecake portion. The swirl effect of dollops of cheesecake batter is a fun and festive way to round out this rich dessert.

This creamy spinach orzo pasta dish is light, quick and easy. The fresh basil truly shines through and complements the spinach in this vegetarian pasta dinner.

Tangy horseradish flavors this smoked salmon cream cheese. Serve it spread on rice crackers for an impromptu cocktail party snack.

A riff on traditional spinach artichoke dip, this creamy, cheesy dip recipe is made healthier by replacing some of the cream cheese with yogurt. Serve as an easy appetizer with tortilla chips and carrot sticks.

Get into the fall spirit with this one-pan gnocchi with a creamy pumpkin sauce. Some pumpkin and other squash sauces can be cloyingly sweet, but not this one--it's savory all the way, thanks to the bacon, garlic and thyme. Instead of being boiled, a package of store-bought gnocchi--one of our favorite convenience products--is browned and crisped in a little bit of bacon fat. Then the sauce (made with canned pumpkin--another great convenience product) is prepared right in that same pan, so cleanup is minimal too. Serve with a simple green salad for an easy dinner that comes together in 30 minutes.

With sliced vegetables, a whole-wheat tortilla and baby spinach, these roll-ups make the perfect healthy lunch for your kids to take to school.

If you love warm spinach and artichoke dip, then you'll love that we turned this classic dip into a creamy pasta dish with chicken. And here's what's almost as good as the flavor of this comforting dish: the fact that this healthy dinner takes just 20 minutes to prepare.

Inspired by the classic combination of smoked salmon and cream cheese, this spread is perfect for slathering on a bagel or serving as a dip with bagel chips. This salmon dip recipe is a great way to use up leftovers from Miso-Maple Salmon (see Associated Recipes).

Need an appetizer for your next cocktail party? Look no further than these easy canapés. A blend of smoked tuna and seasoned cream cheese is stacked with crisp cucumber slices atop crunchy almond crackers in an appetizer that your guests will be reaching for first.

A great dessert option for your next holiday party, these sweet cheesecake bars have an oat crust and a cranberry-orange sauce that's swirled on top and baked right in.

Blanketed in chopped nuts and zesty chives, this cheese ball is festive enough for even the most discerning party guests. Serve with sturdy crackers or toasted baguette slices for easy spreading.

These easy and classic cookies incorporate mild-tasting white whole-wheat flour for extra fiber and nutrients.

This diabetes-friendly take on a classic black forest cake boasts a thick cream-cheese filling mixed with antioxidant-rich cherries and is drizzled in decadent hot fudge topping.

These mini cheesecakes aren't just adorable--baked in a muffin tin, they're quicker to make than traditional cheesecake and perfectly portioned.

Here we take all the warm, delicious flavors of cinnamon buns and roll them into a cake smothered with a sweet cream cheese frosting. It's best enjoyed fresh out of the oven.

This quick and easy summer appetizer turns all the simple flavors of a lobster roll into a warm and bubbling dip that's perfect for slathering on slices of baguette or fresh veggies.

Inspired by artichoke dip, we made a creamy cheese topping to serve on quick-cooking chicken breast cutlets for an oh-so-satisfying meal.

Sun-dried tomatoes pull double duty in this flavorful casserole: the oil is used to sauté the onion and garlic while the tomatoes are added to the sauce. The creamy sauce tops broccoli for a cheesy side dish that all will love.

Try this light spinach dip made healthier with reduced-fat cream cheese, nonfat yogurt and low-fat cottage cheese instead of full-fat cheese, mayonnaise and sour cream. It will save you a whopping 84 calories and 10 grams of fat per serving when compared to traditional versions. Serve it with pita chips and crunchy vegetables or spread it on a sandwich.

Cream cheese and pesto make a delectable filling for lean chicken breasts. Use this technique to experiment with other fillings as well, such as ham and cheese or goat cheese and chopped olives.

Sneaking green peppers into this quick fresh dip supplies added vitamin C.

Need a super-easy holiday-party hors d'oeuvre? These tasty little cream cheese and cherry pepper tartlets come together in a snap, thanks to premade pie dough, which is pressed into a mini muffin tin to make the tart shells--then all you have to do is fill the cups with cream cheese and chopped cherry peppers. Chopped herbs add a nice hit of color, but these are just as tasty as-is. Consider making a double batch--these bites are sure to go quickly.