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    Homepage » Recipes

    White Sauce Pasta

    Published: Mar 25, 2020 · Modified: May 16, 2020 This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads · 20 Comments

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    white sauce pasta recipe

    Creamy, garlicky and so delicious! This white sauce pasta is the ultimate weeknight dinner for the whole family. It's a quick one-pot meal that tastes amazing and is very easy to make. The pasta is soaked in a homemade creamy white sauce that’s infused with herbs and spices.

    White Sauce Pasta

    If you are looking for easy pasta recipes for dinner then this recipe is for you. This creamy garlic white sauce pasta is perfect for any occasion. The pasta dish is made from scratch and cooked in one pot.

    Jump to:
    • Why You'll Love This White Sauce Pasta Recipe
    • Ingredients
    • How to Make White Sauce Pasta
    • Recipe Tips and Variations
    • Storage
    • How to Reheat Pasta
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    Why You'll Love This White Sauce Pasta Recipe

    • Simple but flavorful. There is no reason to purchase a jar of store-bought pasta sauce. This homemade white sauce tastes better and is freshly made with a taste that is cheesy, garlicky, and creamy.
    • It tastes good by itself or with toppings of your choice. The pasta has the perfect amount of white cream sauce. For that reason, feel free to add some protein or vegetables to accompany this dish, such as peas, chicken, ham, bacon, sausages, shrimp, or other seafood.
    White Sauce Pasta

    Ingredients

    This quick and easy pasta recipe is made with just a handful of ingredients; pasta, garlic, butter, all-purpose flour, heavy cream, basil, Italian seasoning, nutmeg, salt, and parmesan cheese.

    • Pasta. In this recipe, I used spiral pasta, Gemelli as the main ingredient.
    • Butter, All-Purpose Flour, Chicken Broth, Parmesan Cheese, and Heavy Cream. I used a combination of these ingredients to make creamy garlic sauce. This white sauce is quite similar to Bechamel and Alfredo sauce.
    • Garlic, Nutmeg, Cayenne Pepper, Basil, Italian Seasoning, Salt, and Black Pepper. I used all of these ingredients to season the white sauce.
    White Sauce Pasta

    How to Make White Sauce Pasta

    The cooking process of this creamy garlic pasta is pretty quick and easy. Here's how I make this creamy garlic pasta dish:

    Step 1. Cook the Pasta

    • In a large pot, bring water to a boil then add salt.
    • Add the pasta to the water. Give it a stir a few times to prevent the noodles from sticking together.
    • Cook the pasta until al dente according to the product instructions.

    Step 2. Make White Sauce

    • Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat.
    • Add garlic and stir until fragrant for about 30 seconds. Do not burn.
    • Add all-purpose flour, and cook, stirring constantly, until well combined and smooth.
    • Add chicken broth, heavy cream, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, basil, Italian seasoning, and salt. 
    • Cook and stir constantly for 2 minutes or until thickened and enough sauce to cover the pasta. Taste and adjust seasoning with extra spices if needed.
    white sauce for pasta recipe

    Step 3. Add Pasta and Parmesan Cheese

    • Turn off the heat then add pasta, and stir to coat.
    • Stir in the parmesan cheese until melted.
    • Taste and adjust seasoning with extra salt or cheese if needed.
    bechamel sauce pasta

    Recipe Tips and Variations

    • Heavy Cream. You may substitute an equal amount of heavy cream for half-and-half or whole milk with extra butter.  Heavy creams contain more fat than half-and-half-creams and also more resistant to curdling, so they are a better choice in soups and sauces. If you are going to use milk or half n half, be sure to cook over medium-low heat to prevent curdling.
    • Pasta. Any type of pasta like spaghetti, fettuccine, penne, linguini, rigatoni, or farfalle will also work great.
    • Garlic. You just need to cook the garlic until fragrant. Do not overcook or burn the garlic.
    • Stirring constantly. To make a good roux, whisk the flour and butter constantly to prevent burning and lump and until you reach the desired color. For this particular recipe, you only need to cook it until golden, not browned.
    • How to make pasta healthier. If you want to make this pasta healthier, add veggies. Blanched or sautéed red peppers, zucchini, asparagus, mushrooms, broccoli, peas will make this pasta healthy, tasty, and colorful.
    White Sauce Pasta

    Storage

    Discard any leftover pasta that has been left out for more than 2 hours at room temperature or 1 hour when the temperature is above 90°F. You can learn more here.

    • Let the hot pasta cool to room temperature before refrigerating.
    • Transfer the leftovers to an airtight container.
    • Properly stored, the leftover can last 3-5 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer.
    White Sauce Pasta

    How to Reheat Pasta

    You can reheat this white sauce pasta in the microwave or on the stove.

    Option 1. In the microwave

    • Place the pasta in a microwave-safe bowl.
    • Drizzle the pasta with a small amount of water or broth.
    • Cover the dish with a microwave-safe lid.
    • Cook for 30 seconds at medium heat.
    • Open the microwave door, stir it, and cook it again in 15-second increments until completely heated.

    Option 2. In the skillet

    • Place the white sauce pasta in a skillet.
    • Drizzle the pasta with a small amount of water or broth and stir.
    • Reheat the pasta over medium-low heat for a few minutes until hot.
    Bechamel Sauce Pasta

    Check Out More Tasty Pasta Recipes

    • Mushroom Pasta
    • Bratwurst Pasta
    • Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta
    • Easy Lemon Pasta
    • Canned Tuna Pasta

    I hope you'll enjoy this recipe and share it with friends! If you try it and don’t mind, please leave me a comment and/or give this recipe a rating. Be sure to subscribe to receive weekly recipes and follow me on Pinterest.

    📖 Recipe

    White Sauce Pasta
    4.67 from 18 votes

    White Sauce Pasta

    Rika
    Creamy and garlicky and so delicious! This white sauce pasta is the ultimate weeknight dinner for the whole family. It’s a quick one-pot meal that tastes amazing and is very easy to make
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Go to Collections
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 15 minutes mins
    Course Main Dish
    Cuisine American, French, Italian
    Servings 6
    Calories 417 kcal

    Ingredients
     

    • 12 oz dried pasta , (such as Fusilli, Penne, Rotelle, Gemelli, Torchio, Rotini)
    • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
    • 1 head of garlic, (minced)
    • 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
    • 1 cup chicken broth
    • 1 cup heavy cream or milk
    • a pinch of nutmeg, (add more according to your liking)
    • a pinch of cayenne pepper
    • ½ teaspoon dried basil , (add more according to your liking)
    • ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning , (add more according to your liking)
    • ½ teaspoon salt , (add more according to your liking)
    • ⅓ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, (lightly packed)

    Optional Toppings:

    • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

    Instructions
     

    • Cook the pasta until al dente.
    • Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and stir until fragrant for about 30 seconds. Do not burn.
    • Add all-purpose flour, cook, stirring constantly, until well combined and smooth.
    • Add chicken broth, heavy cream, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, basil, Italian seasoning, and salt. 
      Cook and stir constantly for 2 minutes or until thickened and enough sauce to cover the pasta. Taste and adjust seasoning with extra spices if needed.
    • Turn off the heat then add pasta, stir to coat.
    • Stir in the parmesan cheese until melted. Adjust seasoning with extra salt or cheese if needed.
    • Serve with freshly chopped parsley and enjoy!

    Video

    Notes

    Heavy Cream: You may substitute an equal amount of heavy cream for half-and-half or whole milk with extra butter.  Heavy creams contain more fat than half-and-half-creams and also more resistant to curdling, so they are a better choice in soups and sauces. 
    If you are going to use milk or half n half, don't let it boil! Be sure to cook over medium-low heat to prevent curdling. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 417kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 11gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 69mgSodium: 442mgPotassium: 194mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 804IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 104mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword Bechamel Sauce Pasta, Creamy Garlic Pasta, White Sauce Pasta
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Did you like this recipe? Leave a star rating! I'd appreciate it! Cancel reply

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      Recipe Rating




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    1. Rika

      March 26, 2020 at 3:39 pm

      You're welcome, Amber!

      Reply
    2. Swathi

      April 06, 2020 at 10:40 pm

      5 stars
      I like white pasta sauce than red sauce. your recipe is so creamy and rich love it.

      Reply
      • Rika

        April 07, 2020 at 3:35 pm

        Thanks, Swathi! I am glad that you liked it.

        Reply
    3. Ann

      August 08, 2022 at 6:45 pm

      4 stars
      Tried the recipe this evening, I used shell pasta, I didn’t use enough garlic but it was still good. I made Chicken Piccata

      Reply
    4. Ann

      August 08, 2022 at 6:50 pm

      4 stars
      Tried the recipe this evening, I used shell pasta, I didn’t use enough garlic but it was still good. I will be making it again & make extra sauce. I made Chicken Piccata

      Reply
      • Rika

        August 08, 2022 at 8:19 pm

        Hi Ann,

        Thanks for trying and taking the time to share your feedback. I am glad that this recipe turned out well for you.

        Best,

        Rika

        Reply
    5. Eva

      June 13, 2023 at 1:23 pm

      4 stars
      Flavors r there. Did enjoy the sauce. Next time alittle bit more flour and it takes more than 2 mins to thicken. It taste great! Will do this recipe again. Ty.

      Reply
      • Rika

        June 16, 2023 at 11:36 pm

        Hi Eva,

        I'm glad you enjoyed the flavors and sauce in the white sauce pasta recipe. And, thank you for suggesting the addition of more flour to help with thickening. I appreciate your insight, as various factors in the kitchen can indeed influence cooking times.

        Best,

        Rika

        Reply
    6. Arctic

      October 03, 2023 at 4:42 pm

      4 stars
      Good sauce overall but I question if the author meant a CLOVE of garlic. Start with a couple cloves of garlic and see how you feel before you go all in with a full head. Doubling the recipe for a work event and 2.5 tbs of minced garlic is plenty. Google says a head of garlic = 4 tbs.

      Reply
      • Rika

        October 06, 2023 at 5:04 pm

        Hi Arctic,

        Thank you for trying out the recipe and for your feedback! You raise a valid point about the garlic. The recipe does indeed call for a full clove of garlic, but personal taste can vary, and it's always a good idea to adjust to your preference.

        Best,

        Rika

        Reply
    « Older Comments

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