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This super simple and delicious white sauce penne pasta recipe is packed with flavor. This dish is perfect by itself or you can add chicken too!
Whenever I crave a white sauce recipe, I also love to make Chicken Alfredo, Pasta Bake, or Chicken Lasagna.
Why We Love it So Much
We LOVE pasta! I mean, who doesn’t?! It’s one of our common go-to dinner recipes on a weeknight.
This pasta dish is especially one of our favorites, here’s why:
- Simple and quick. You can make it start to finish in about 20 minutes.
- Basic ingredients. This type of sauce uses a flour roux made with flour, butter, and milk.
- Versatile. You can use the white sauce (also known as Béchamel sauce) as a base for other sauces (like Alfredo Sauce), add it to pizza, lasagna, etc.
- Flavor. It’s super cheesy and has just the right touch of garlic and other spices.
- Customizable. You can add any veggies or protein you like! Our favorite is adding chicken to make a Chicken Penne Pasta.
Simple Ingredients
- penne – or another short pasta like macaroni or rotini
- unsalted butter
- minced garlic
- all-purpose flour – Make a gluten-free substitute using four parts potato starch to three parts cornflour. Once you have the mixture, measure out 3 tablespoons and use it in place of the flour.
- milk – Use whole milk for the creamiest pasta sauce, but you can also use 2% or fat free milk. If you want it extra thick, use half and half or heavy cream.
- chicken broth – or vegetable broth for a vegetarian version
- mozzarella & parmesan cheese – To make the cheese sauce extra cheesy, add up to ½ cup more of each.
- season with parsley, garlic salt & black pepper – You can also add a teaspoon of red chili flakes or nutmeg.
How to Make a White Sauce
- PASTA. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- ROUX. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute more.
- BOIL. Add milk and broth to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce boils and thickens about 5 minutes.
- SEASON. Add Parmesan, parsley, garlic salt, and pepper. Continue stirring until the cheese has melted.
- SERVE. Add pasta to the sauce and stir to combine. Add mozzarella and stir until melted. Serve warm.
Pro Tip!
When adding flour to the butter, make sure to cook it long enough or it will taste like flour. While adding milk, take your time pouring it slowly and whisk constantly or it may have lumps.
For even more tips, check out How to Make a Roux!
Recipe Tips
- Protein. Try adding meats such as grilled chicken, diced ham, or shrimp (we love our Chicken Penne Pasta).
- Produce. Add produce such as halved cherry tomatoes, sliced sun-dried tomatoes, asparagus, broccoli, bell peppers, or mushrooms.
Storing + Serving Info
STORE. Leftover cream pasta sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
- To reheat. We typically reheat this pasta in the microwave, but this can also be done in a pot on the stove. You may need to add a little more broth if it’s too thick when reheating.
FREEZE. If you plan to freeze this dish, leave the pasta undercooked as the freezing process will make thoroughly cooked pasta mushy. Store the cooked dish in a freezer-safe airtight container for months.
- To reheat. Thaw this simple pasta recipe in the fridge and reheat on the stove top stirring constantly to keep the cream base from curdling. Adding a bit more milk will help smooth out the texture.
For more easy pasta recipes:
White Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 (16-ounce) package (about 4 cups) penne
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- garlic salt with parsley flakes or salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese or additional Parmesan cheese optional
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
- Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute more.
- Add milk and broth and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce boils and thickens about 5 minutes.
- Add Parmesan, parsley, garlic salt, and pepper. Continue stirring until the cheese has melted.
- Add pasta to the sauce and stir to combine. Add mozzarella and stir until melted. Serve warm.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe adapted from HERE.
AS ALWAYS, ANOTHER DELICIOUS AND QUICK TO COME TOGETHER RECIPE! DIRECTIONS WERE SO EASY TO FOLLOW THAT I HAD MY KIDS USE THIS RECIPE AS PART OF THEIR “HOME-EC” TIME AKA QUARANTINE LUNCH.
Yay!! Love that we can turn cooking into a class at home! Thank you so much!
I can’t BELIEVE how easy and fast it was to make this sauce. It was reaDy in aBout 20 MINUTES Start to Finish. It took longer to cook the noodles than to make the sauce. My faMily lOves it and it’s Going to be a new family favorite. My only problem is i’m not serving dinner for another 45 MINUTES anD wE’ll probably Have tasteD it, until it’s all Gone, by then. Lol
Haha..that’s what I love to hear! Thank you for letting me know that!
I.LOVE.THIS.RECIPE!!!!! MY DAUGHTER AND I ARE TOTAL PASTA LOVERS. WE LOVE THE CREAMINESS OF IT. MY HUSBAND HAS TO HAVE MEAT WITH MEALS SO WE ADDED CHICKEN! DEFINITELY GOING ON MY ROTATION!
Love adding chicken to make it heartier! I am happy you all liked it! Thank you!
Love this! I especially love that it just uses milk instead of cream because heavy cream doesn’t sit well With me. The family gobbled it up and it makes a ton- I have 4 boys 2 which are teenagers and we actually had a little leftover!
Woohoo!! So happy it was gobbled up! Thank you!
This looks simple and yummy. Adding it to our menu this week.
It really is! I hope you like it!
I actually made this when it was first put up!!!! we love it at home! Ive actually made modifications; changing the pasta used, adding protein, and its stayed flavorful and yummy!
That’s great! I am so happy you like it, as much as we do 🙂 Thank you!
i made this recipe last night and it was AMazing!!! i chopped shittake mushrooms and sauteed them with the garlic and butter sauce and my kids inhaled this dish! I will definitely make this again!
That sounds delish!! Thank you for sharing what you did! Happy it was a hit!
The whole family lOved it!!
Yay..I am so glad they did! Thank you!
This recipe is awesome! I cut the recipe in half since I’m cooking for 2 and it still made a lot! It’s creamy and so full of flavor. The only change i made besides the AMOUNT is adding a tablespoon of SOUR cream to my sause (i add it to many recipes that have cheese in it). I will use this as a base from now on for many different variations of this recipe. Thank you so much for sharing recipe!!
You are so welcome! I like adding sour cream too!
Family loved it. Made it last night and even my 3 year old gobbled it up. So good. I used Fettuccine noodles instead of penne and added shrimp.
Perfect!! Thank you for sharing what you did! Those are great options!
This is so easy and oNe of the best pasta cream sauce recipeS i’ve tried, my son loves it! Thanks Luna 🙂
You are so welcome!! Thank you for letting me know that 🙂 I am happy he likes it!