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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.
Ok this is delicious but I felt it was more of a gravy than a pasta sauce? I added cooked chicken sausage to it and served with a spinach and ricotta ravioli and it was very tasty. Thinned the sauce some with more chicken broth. Actually used the leftover sauce with toast and eggs for breakfast. I will definitely make again but maybe less flour?
delishh, looked questionable at first but it was soo goodd
Looks so yummy and I cannot wait to try this out. My Kids LOVE pasta! Quick question, would it be suitable to substitute the whole milk, for heavy cream?
I followed the basic recipe with some substitutions to make it more plant based and it turned out great. I also added Wine Cap mushrooms as I just harvested quite a few and that was a good addition.
Delicious!!!!!! I sauteed bacon pieces, big mushroom slices and strips od chicken in butter till slighly browned. I set aside….then took juices from mixture for my broth. I prepared sauce then tossed all browned ingredients into sauce!!! So yummy!!!!! Bacon, bacon!!!
Yum!! Sounds amazing!
My family loves this recipe. I cook it about once every other week. I add ground turkey meat and I use rigatoni noodles as it holds the meat and sauce better.
Sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing what you do!
1g serving!? With that many calories?? How? Can you convert this to an easier to measure serving size?
A serving size would actually be about a 3/4 cup – 1 cup.
So, my stove went out while trying to boil water and I already had all the ingredients out so I put everything in a 9×13 casserole dish, added 2 cups of water to accommodate the uncooked pasta, covered with foil and baked for 30 minutes at 400 degrees. When it was done I stirred it and let it rest/cool for 15 minutes and the sauce thickened up and it was delicious. My toddler at 3 servings! So if anyone has stove trouble, they can totally throw it in the oven after adding the extra water! Thanks for this recipe.
1g serving ???
Also good with venison steak cut up.
Oh that would be tasty!