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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.
i love your idea an cant wait to try it! But i have one questioN, can i subst SOMETHING for The broth? If i can then Can u please give me a suggestion?
I don’t know if it’s because of dietary needs, but you can always use water or maybe milk. Google has more suggestions 😉 It really is so good, I hope you find something to use instead.
DEliciOus and easy! My kids loved it. so creamy
My kids love it & they can be picky! I am glad yours did, too! Thank you so much!
Such an easy and YUMMY recipe. My husband and kids Kept going back for seconds! We ate it as a side dish but I’m def goIng to make it wIth broccoLi and grilled chicken next time. My hUsband Kept eXClaiming it as the best Pasta ever lol. Easy, pantry ingredients and loved by all!
Yay!! Great idea about adding broccoli & chicken! SO happy your family liked it! Thank you!
added some mushrooms and it was delicious! We will definitely make this again. Thank you!
Perfect! Thank you for sharing that!
DELICIOUS! I MADE THIS FOR DINNER TONIGHT, AND THERE WEREN’T ANY LEFTOVERS! THE RECIPE IS SIMPLE, AND IT USES INGREDIENTS THAT I ALWAYS HAVE ON HAND. THIS WILL BE PART OF OUR REGULAR DINNER ROTATION FOR SURE!
Glad it made the rotation! Thank you for saying that!
I made this for dinner tonight, and There were no leftovers! It was so delicious! The recipe was simple, and it uses ingredients that I always have on hand. This will definitely make it into our regular dinner rotation. YAY!
oNE OF MY FAVORITE AND MOST COOKED RECIPES, LOVE CREAMY PASTA!!!!!
So happy you liked it! It’s one of my favorites, too! Thank you!
This white sauce pasta is sooooo yummy and sooooo easy to make! Everyone in my house gobbled it up! definitely adding this to Our regular dinner rotation. Thank you!!
Happy it was as hit!! Thank you for letting me know!
Super easy to make anD it was a hit with all 5 of my kids…..so bonus! This would be super easy to aDd INGREDIENTs (musHrooms, chicken, etc) to as well. Great recipe.
For sure! It would be great with so much! I am happy your kids liked it! Thank you!
This was delicious! Easy to make and quick, too! I added extra cheese, per her tip and enjoyed that!
Glad you liked it! Thank you!