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.
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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Check Out More Tasty Pasta Recipes
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
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)
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Method
- 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!
Amber Myers says
Thank you! We just love having pasta for dinner.
Tasheena says
This would be perfect to make for dinner tonight.
Pam Wattenbarger says
This sounds so good. I bet it would be even more delicious with the addition of shrimp! I can't wait to try it.
Monica Simpson says
I want to dive in that pasta! It look so good. I would love to try it with some grilled salmon on the side or chicken. Shrimp and scallops would be good too!
Marysa says
That looks delicious! My kids don't like marinara, so this is a great option to make.
Lisa Martin says
This pasta looks amazing! I am going to have to make it! Thank you for sharing.
Terri Steffes says
That looks very good! We use this sauce for a white lasagne. It is delicious, too. It's a perfect dish to make when the basil is overflowing!
Kathy says
This looks like it would be so good. White sauce is one of my favorites. I use it a lot in recipes.
Catalina says
I am drooling over this pasta! I have everything I need for this pasta dish!
Ruth I says
This will make my niece excited for dinner!