White Sauce Pasta is an easy to make one pot pasta dish which can be easily made at home from scratch. Make it for a lovely family meal using my easy recipe. It is apt for your lazy weekday dinners too and is loved by the kids.
Everyone’s mood in my family just lights up when I say there is ‘Pasta’ for dinner.
Due to hectic working hours, I usually find easy peasy and quick to make recipes for dinner, so that I don’t end up spending rest of my time in kitchen and get some time for myself too after a busy day.
Those are the days I need something easy yet delicious and comforting, and what can be better than making a Pasta, which is easy and tasty at the same time and gets ready quickly too.
White Sauce Pasta is one such Pasta, that is very comforting and gets ready under 30 minutes.
Creamy and filled with the goodness of vegetables, this Pasta is my go to dinner whenever I crave for something that can satisfy my taste buds.
It also brings up so many childhood memories when we didn’t know about all the fancy Pastas.
Only Pasta with red sauce and white sauce!
There are many variations of Pasta, that can be made at home, but this pasta with white sauce is one of the most popular Pastas, that is also found on the menu of almost every Italian restaurants or even cafes.
Here are some more Pasta recipes that you can make for your weekday meals – Garlicky Roasted Red Pepper Pasta, Masala Macaroni and Garlic Shrimp Spaghetti Aglio E Olio.
What is White Sauce Pasta?
White Sauce Pasta or as it is called Bechamel Sauce Pasta is a delicious pasta dish where boiled penne pasta is mixed along with a creamy white sauce base made of all purpose flour, butter, full cream milk and fresh cream.
I have also filled it with the goodness of vegetables such as Carrot, Broccoli, Mushroom and Mixed Bell Peppers.
Adding vegetables in it is also a great way to sneak in veggies in your kids everyday diet.
Fresh basil adds a great flavour to this Pasta.
To make it even more flavourful, garnish it with some extra oregano seasoning and chilli flakes.
This is a great one pot recipe, except for boiling the pasta, that hardly takes any time.
This one pot recipe is such a big mess-free dinner, as you don’t have to use many utensils to make one meal!
If you like, you can even add some roasted chicken or cooked shrimp into these creamy Pasta to add some more protein into your meal.
Just mix it up at the end, when you are mixing the pasta with the sauce.
You can even make Baked version of it by baking this Pasta for some time with extra cheese on top.
This White Sauce Pasta is,
- Creamy and delicious.
- A great way to include vegetables in your diet.
- Loved by kids.
- Can also be packed in your Lunch Box.
- Perfect for your weekday meals.
Ingredients
We think that Restaurant Style White Pasta is difficult to make from scratch and thus we often rely either on the store bought Pasta Sauce or we just end up eating out.
But let me tell you, it is actually very easy to make and also with minimal ingredients that can easily be found in any supermarket.
To make this creamy Pasta you need,
Pasta – I have used Penne Pasta, but you can use any variation such as Spaghetti, Macaroni, Fusilli, Fettuccini or any other pasta of your choice. You can even make Stuffed Ravioli using this sauce as the base.
Vegetables – This is my favourite ingredients! This Pasta is a great way to feed your kids all the important vegetables that are important in day to day life. I have used onion, carrot, garlic, mushrooms, mixed bell peppers and fresh basil.
Milk, Cream, Cheese and All Purpose Flour – For the creamy white sauce in this Pasta, you will need these 4 ingredients. They together will give the perfect creamy texture to the pasta.
Spices – Here, I have used Black Pepper, Oregano and Red Chilli Flakes. You can even use the mixed Italian seasoning for the pasta.
Serving Suggestions
For a comforting weekday dinner, pair this delectable, creamy, and smooth White Pasta along with Garlic Bread Slices, Corn Cheese Toast or Garlic Knots, and you’re done for the day. You can also serve Bruschetta or Open Toasts on the side.
You can also serve it as a side dish with your Italian meal.
Tips to make perfect White Sauce Pasta
You can use any Pasta of your choice. Just make sure that you don’t overcook it, it should be cooked Al-Dente. You can also choose Pasta made with whole wheat or other grains for a healthier version.
Do not miss the garlic! It adds a beautiful flavour in the pasta. Also, add seasonings such as Red Chilli Flakes, Oregano and Black Pepper according to your taste.
Always use a full fat milk. It adds to the richness and creaminess of the Pasta. If you like you Pasta extra creamy, reduce the quantity of milk and increase the quantity of fresh cream.
I have used Processed Cheese, but you can also add Cheddar Cheese, Parmesan Cheese or combination of both.
Which vegetables can be added in this pasta?
I have added onions, mushroom, mixed bell pepper, carrot, broccoli but you can go ahead and add more veggies such as zucchini, summer squash, cherry tomatoes, baby corn, spinach, kale etc.
How to store this Pasta?
This Pasta stays good for about 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator.
Just make sure you either store it in an air tight container or a ziplock bag.
It thicken while storing, so when to serve it gain, add some warm milk and cook the dish until warm.
Which Pasta is best to make this dish?
To make this dish, I used Fussli pasta this time but you can choose any other Pasta such as Penne, Spaghetti, Macaroni, farfalle or anything that you would like to use.
How is White Sauce Pasta different from Alfredo Sauce Pasta?
Both the Sauce for the Pasta are different!
While White Sauce Pasta is made with equal parts of butter and and all purpose flour with milk added, Alfredo Sauce is made with grated parmesan, butter and some pasta water.
There is no flour added in Alfredo Sauce.
Can you mix red and white sauce for Pasta?
Yes, you can definitely mix red sauce and white sauce for the pasta, it is popularly called as Pink Sauce.
After the white sauce is ready, add 1/2 cup of red sauce in the pan and keep the remaining process same to make pink sauce pasta.
How to make the Non Vegetarian version of White Sauce Pasta?
To make the Non Veg White Sauce Paste, you can add in Chicken or Prawns along with the veggies. You can even skip the veggies and just use the Non Veg protein.
How to make a Vegan White Sauce Pasta?
To make Vegan version of the same, you can use Almond Milk or Soy Milk instead of Milk and Cream. Also substitute Butter with Olive Oil.
Step by Step Recipe
Heat butter in a pan.
Add minced garlic and onions and cook for minute.
Add carrots, mushroom and bell peppers and saute for a minute.
Add flour and cook for a minute.
Add hot milk slowly and whisk continuously.
Add salt, pepper, oregano and chilli flakes and cook the sauce on low heat until it starts to thicken.
Add fresh cream and cheese and cook until cheese melts.
Add the cooked pasta along with some of the water in which it was cooked.
Simmer for a minute. Garnish with fresh basil and serve hot.
White Sauce Pasta Recipe
It is an easy to make one pot pasta dish which can be easily made at home from scratch. Make it for a lovely family meal using my easy recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Penne Pasta
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 1 tsp Garlic minced
- 1/4 cup Onion finely chopped
- 1/4 cup Carrots sliced
- 1/4 cup Mushroom sliced
- 1/2 cup Mixed Bell Peppers cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1-1/2 tbsp All Purpose Flour
- 300 ml Full Cream Milk hot
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1/2 tsp Red Chilli Flakes
- 1/4 cup Fresh Cream
- 1/4 cup Processed Cheese Shredded
- Fresh Basil
Instructions
Bring a large to of water to a boil.
Add 2 tbsp salt to this.
Add pasta and cook until it is Al Dente.
Drain the pasta and run it under cold water.
Reserve some of the water from cooking the pasta.
Heat butter in a pan.
Add minced garlic and onions and cook for minute.
Add carrots, mushroom and bell peppers and saute for a minute.
Add flour and cook for a minute.
Add hot milk slowly and whisk continuously.
Add salt, pepper, oregano and chilli flakes and cook the sauce on low heat until it starts to thicken.
Add fresh cream and cheese and cook until the cheese melts.
Add the cooked pasta along with some of the water in which it was cooked.
Simmer for a minute.
Garnish with fresh basil and serve hot.
Recipe Notes
You can skip adding chilli flakes if making the pasta for kids.
Add any vegetable of your choice in this pasta.
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