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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.
This recipe was delicious overall. However, I couldn’t get the flour to dissolve with the milk and broth for the life of me. I was stirring the flour consistently on medium-high heat for almost an hour. It still wouldn’t dissolve. I tried lowering the heat. I tried increasing the heat. I even tried taking it off the heat. Nothing worked. I ended up giving up and just adding the rest of the ingredients to the sauce and combining with the pasta. Unfortunately, the sauce had this grainy texture and it was very off-putting. The taste, also didn’t take taste like much. Just flour really. It was probably a mistake I made, but I recommend not using the flour. You can definitely make the same exact sauce without the flour and end up with the same result! I served with grilled chicken and green beans on the side!
Thanks for sharing. You possibly did this, but I always pour the milk in very slowly and gradually while whisking to try to help it combine smoothly. Hope that helps in the future!
This was simple to make from scratch and delicious
Can’t wait to try
It was such hard choice on which dish to rate but, my grandkids and greatgrand children seem to love this recipe alot. I make it at least once a week. I have 4 grands and 3 greats that live with me so, I am always looking for recipes that are simple and plentiful to make and you have plenty. Thank you so much for all the recipes, cooking ideas and time you spend to enable your followers and fans to make delicious meals for our families.
I can’t have this one too much, it’s so easy and delicious! One of my alltime favorite dishes. I add chopped rotisserie chicken most of the time but it’s great all by itself. Yum!
This sauce is so easy & delicious & so so good . Thanks for a perfect & yummy recipe⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️😊
Why count grams, with all the cream and milk? If for health, I would skip this one.
I have made it and it is yummy.
This recipe is fantastic, but what’s up with the serving size in the nutrition information?? Serving size = 1 gram?? There’s no way that’s right. Nobody eats a gram of food at a time. There are 28.35 grams in an ounce, and a normal serving size of anything is a couple of ounces. Please correct the serving size; it makes it impossible to count calories for those of us who need to.
Thanks for the feedback. We’ll look into that!
I think I put in too much flour.. should I add water or milk or anything?
I loved this. I made it tonight without even measuring and with hardly any cheese. Used half 1% milk and half Fat free half and half and it thickened up super fast. Great fast, clean healthy sauce recipe
Love this!! Made it couple times before, no problems, so cheesy and creamy, definitely would recommend this
Thank you!! So glad you enjoyed the pasta!