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This super simple and delicious White Sauce Pasta recipe is packed with flavor, loved by all and on the table in 20 minutes.
Too good NOT to Love!
We LOVE pasta so much that we have it for dinner every Tuesday night.
Our White Sauce Pasta recipe is one that is so simple and loved so much that it’s made at least once a month. In fact, it’s so easy that the older kids can make it on their own.
We love to serve it with some Fried Zucchini and Cheesy Garlic Bread (or Knots) and especially love that it’s made in no time. It’s honestly too good not to love.
Why you’ll love it:
- 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),or on pizza or in lasagna.
- Customizable. You can add any veggies or protein you like! Our favorite is adding chicken to make a Chicken Penne Pasta.
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 White Sauce Pasta
- 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!
COMPLETE THE MEAL
- APPETIZERS: Easy Bruschetta, Mozzarella Sticks, Fried Zucchini
- SIDES: Garlic Knots, Cheesy Garlic Bread, Olive Garden Breadsticks, Focaccia Bread
- SALADS: Tomato Mozzarella Salad, Chicken Caesar Salad, Pesto Salad
- DESSERTS: Italian Cookies, Panna Cotta, Easy Chocolate Cake
Other Pasta Recipes: Spaghetti, Fettuccine Alfredo, Pasta Bake, Chicken Penne Pasta
More Collections: Sunday Dinner Ideas, Dinner Ideas for Kids, Italian Dinner
White Sauce Recipe
This super simple and delicious white sauce recipe is packed with flavor. This dish is perfect by itself or you can add chicken too!
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
Variations. Try adding cubed grilled chicken, chicken sausage, diced ham or shrimp for protein, or adding vegetables like halved cherry tomatoes or steamed asparagus, broccoli, bell peppers, or mushrooms. You can also change up the flavoring with spices and herbs such as red chili flakes (for heat), dried Italian seasoning, and fresh basil or parsley.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 191kcal, Carbohydrates: 8g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 43mg, Sodium: 512mg, Potassium: 117mg, Fiber: 0.1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 450IU, Vitamin C: 0.4mg, Calcium: 251mg, Iron: 0.3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Can I add veggies or protein to this dish?
- 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.
How to best store?
- Leftover cream pasta sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
- 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.
How to 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:
Recipe adapted from HERE.
Looks delicious & certainly going to try making it. My question is – with your recipe how much does it actually make? I will need enough to serve 6 people so do I double this recipe or? Thanks.
This recipe makes enough for about 6 servings… depending on how large the servings are, you may want to 1.5x the recipe. You can adjust the servings on the recipe card on the post. If you have a group of adults who may eat larger portions, you could increase the servings a bit. If there are children or others who may not eat as much, the 6 servings it makes may be enough too. It might also depend on if you are serving side dishes with it, etc. You can also save leftovers in the fridge for 3-5 days and have it for lunches or another dinner later if you do double it and have extra.
Is it ok if I use vegetable brother instead of chicken broth?
You bet!!
the recipe overall is ok but it needs to be specified more it was too salty for me and it was just not tasting that good
Thanks for your feedback and for giving the recipe a try. You can totally play around with the amount of salt if it was more than you prefer. 🙂
What a wonderful and simple sauce! Could easily do different herbs to switch up the flavor. Thanks for this classic creamy recipe!!
Yay! So glad to hear you loved the recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Love the recipe! Have made it several times, and am making it again tonight! Can’t wait! I’ve made a few modifications such as adding sauteed onions and mushrooms and throwing in some peas. I might even add some ham tonight. But it’s a winner every time! Thanks!
Ooh those add-ins sound tasty! I’m sure they make it taste great. Thanks for giving the recipe a try. Glad to hear you enjoy it!
I have made this several times and I will never go back to store bought sauce again! The only change I make is I add another cup of parmesan. Thank you!
Mmm can’t go wrong with extra cheese, right? So glad to hear you enjoy the recipe!!
Just tried this amd must say that I love it
Yay!! I’m glad so to hear that!
10000000000/5 absolutely amazing!! I’m still a beginner at cooking and I’m so glad I found this recipe, it’s simple, has common ingredients and tastes delicious! Would definitely recommend 🙂
Thank you SO much! So so glad to hear that you enjoyed the recipe!
Not enough information.
Sorry to hear you felt there wasn’t enough information. Please let us know if you have any specific questions regarding the recipe that we can help answer. 🙂
I want to make this but was wondering how much salt you add? I know it says to taste but what would be a good starting point. Thank you
I usually just do a few shakes of salt to start and then add from there if I feel it needs more. If measuring it out, maybe 1/8 tsp and go from there. If that’s not enough, gradually add a little more in.
Loved this recipe!! I ran out of Alfredo sauce so I used this recipe. It is delicious! I didn’t have parsley, but it was still very good tasting.
Yay! So glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
Adding 1 cup broth and 1 cup milk to 3 tablespoons of flour made for a very very thick sauce. Adding another cup of milk made it much more manageable.
If you want a super thick sauce, follow the instructions.
Overall, pretty good. A few modifications makes it excellent.
Thanks for your feedback!