This homemade white sauce penne pasta recipe is rich, creamy, absolutely delicious, and loaded with vegetables. Made on the stovetop in under 30 minutes, it is perfect for a weeknight dinner or lunch box.
Pasta is one of the most loved dishes by most kids and adults. Unsurprisingly, it's on the menu at every eatery, from a little café to a fine-dining restaurant. My daughter Dhwani loves all varieties of pasta, including mac and cheese, white sauce pasta, creamy tomato pasta, and healthier versions like spinach pasta or butternut squash pasta.
Today, I am sharing homemade restaurant-style creamy white sauce penne, which, hands down, is my favorite.
Jump to:
What Is White Sauce Pasta?
White sauce pasta is a rich and creamy dish made with boiled pasta tossed in a luscious white sauce made from butter, maida, milk, and seasonings, along with veggies and peppers. For an extra indulgent touch, add cheese and enjoy!
Ingredients
- Pasta - I used semolina penne pasta. But feel free to use your favorite pasta of your choice, like chickpea pasta, quinoa pasta, spaghetti, linguine, macaroni, pasta shells, or any grain-free, gluten-free pasta. For a low-carb meal, you can use zoodles or spaghetti squash instead.
- Vegetables - I used bell peppers, carrots, boiled sweet corn, and broccoli. You can also add mushrooms, fresh green peas, baby corn, black olives, or any other veggies of your choice. Chop them into small cubes so that they cook faster.
- Garlic - Freshly minced garlic adds a great flavor to the dish, so don't skip it.
- Butter - Use either unsalted or salted butter to prepare the roux.
- Flour - I used all-purpose flour (aka maida). You can substitute it with whole wheat flour.
- Milk - Use full-fat whole milk or half and half.
- Heavy cream - It is optional. It adds a richer and more creamy flavor to the dish. It also helps to thicken the sauce.
- Cheese - I used mozzarella cheese. You can use Parmesan cheese or any processed cheese like Amul.
- Herbs & Spices – Oregano, red chili flakes, freshly ground black pepper, and salt are used to flavor the white sauce.
How to Make White Sauce Penne Pasta
Cooking Pasta
In a large pot, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Then stir in some salt.
Add 1 cup of dry penne pasta to the water, and stir a few times to prevent the pasta from sticking together.
Cook the pasta according to the package instructions (about 10-12 minutes), occasionally stirring, until al dente or softer according to your desired texture.
Once the pasta is cooked, reserve some starchy water for the sauce and drain the pasta in a colander over the sink. Set the cooked pasta aside.
Saute Veggies
Heat ½ tablespoon butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon minced garlic and saute until fragrant for about 30 seconds.
Then add mixed veggies like ¼ cup carrot, ¼ cup bell pepper, ¼ cup broccoli, ¼ cup sweet corn, and salt. Cook the veggies till they are tender but still crunchy, for around 2 minutes. Turn off the flame and keep it aside.
Make White Sauce (Béchamel Sauce)
Melt 1.5 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add 1.5 tablespoons all-purpose flour (maida), and stir continuously until well combined and smooth. Cook for a minute until the raw smell of the flour goes away. Do not over-roast the flour, and ensure the color of the flour doesn’t change.
Slowly add in 1.5 cups whole milk and stir continuously with a whisk until no lumps are left. Then add the remaining milk and whisk to combine.
Cook it for about 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the sauce boils and thickens.
Once the sauce is slightly thick, add 2 tablespoons heavy cream, 2-3 tablespoons cheese (mozzarella), ½ teaspoon dried oregano, ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes, black pepper, and salt. Continue stirring until the cheese has melted.
When the sauce coats the back of the spoon, then it is done. The sauce will thicken as it cools.
Make White Sauce Pasta
Add the sauteed veggies and the cooked penne pasta to the sauce. Toss well to coat the pasta with creamy white sauce.
(If needed, add 2-3 tablespoons of reserved pasta water, it will help to bind and thicken the sauce.)
Lastly, transfer it to a serving plate, sprinkle some cheese and red chili flakes, if desired, and serve it immediately Enjoy!
What to Serve with Bachemel Sauce Pasta?
- Serve this white sauce pasta with stuffed garlic bread, bruschetta, bread sticks, or dinner rolls on the side, and call it a meal.
- You can also serve some sides, such as roasted potatoes, roasted green beans, roasted asparagus, or creamy cucumber salad, with this pasta.
Storage Suggestions
- Make-Ahead: To make this dish ahead, boil the pasta, prepare the white sauce, and saute the vegetables separately. Store them separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days. When you are ready to serve, toss the pasta, roasted vegetables, and white sauce together on the stovetop over low heat until combined. Serve immediately.
- Storing: White sauce pasta is best served immediately. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.
- Reheat: Pasta thickens as it stands. Add some milk or veggie broth and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop on low heat until warm.
Tips to Make the Best White Sauce Pasta
- Al Dente Pasta: Cook the pasta al dente, so the texture of the pasta is firm, not mushy, when tossed with the creamy white sauce.
- Dont overroast the flour: Saute the flour with butter on low flame only. Make sure the color of the flour doesn’t change.
- Extra Creamy: Heavy cream, half and half, or a combination may be used in place of the milk to make extra creamy white sauce pasta.
- Extra Cheesy: If you want your white sauce pasta to be extra cheesy, add an extra ½ cup of your favorite shredded cheese.
- Consistency: The consistency of the white sauce should not be too thick while mixing up the boiled pasta, else, the pasta will turn dry when eaten later. You can add some reserved pasta water or milk to make it creamy.
Variations
- Pasta Variety: Use any kind of your favorite pasta like spaghetti, macaroni, shell, pasta shells, or rotini.
Try using whole wheat, lentils, or veggie pasta for kids to make it healthier. - Heavy Cream: You can add 2 tablespoons of heavy cream while making white sauce to make it extra rich and creamy.
- Cheese: You can use any variety of cheese like mozzarella, parmesan cheese, white cheddar, or Amul processed cheese, to make the creamy white sauce.
- Vegetables: You can also use veggies like mushrooms, asparagus, zucchini, green beans, black olives, and sun-dried tomatoes.
- Protein: Add a handful of chickpeas or edamame to add extra protein.
- Vegan: To make a vegan white sauce pasta, replace regular milk with almond milk, cashew milk, or soy milk. Also, substitute the butter with olive oil or vegan butter. Use vegan cheese or skip adding the cheese.
- Gluten-Free: To make the white sauce pasta gluten-free, use gluten-free pasta instead of pasta made with whole wheat pasta. Also, for the white sauce, substitute all-purpose flour, with rice flour, cornstarch, or any other gluten-free flour.
- Garlic: You can use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic.
- Herbs: Fresh or dried herbs like oregano, basil, parsley, or thyme adds great flavor and aroma to the dish. You can also use Italian seasoning mix.
Frequently Asked Questions
The white sauce, a French sauce also known as Bechamel sauce, is made of roux (equal parts of butter and flour) and milk (or cream), while Alfredo sauce is an Italian sauce made with heavy cream, butter, and grated parmesan cheese. There is no roux in the Alfredo sauce.
White sauce is known as Bechamel sauce.
The milk should be cold or at room temperature to make the roux. If hot milk is added to the roux when making a white sauce, the mixture may come to a boil and cause the sauces to lump.
White Sauce Pasta (Bechamel Sauce Pasta)
Ingredients
To Cook Pasta
- 1 cup penne pasta
- 3 cups water
- salt to taste
To Saute Veggies
- ½ tablespoon butter (or olive oil)
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- ¼ cup sweet corn
- ¼ cup broccoli
- ¼ cup bell pepper
- ¼ cup sweet corn
For the White Sauce
- 1.5 tablespoons butter
- 1.5 tablespoons flour
- 1.5 cups milk
- 2-3 tablespoons cheese grated
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream optional
- ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- black pepper to taste
- salt to taste
Instructions
Cooking Pasta
- In a large pot, bring the water to a boil. Then stir in the salt.
- Add the dry pasta to the water, and stir a few times to prevent the pasta from sticking together.
- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions (about 10-12 minutes), occasionally stirring, until al dente or softer according to your desired texture.
- Once the pasta is cooked, reserve some starchy water for the sauce and drain the pasta in a colander over the sink. Set the cooked pasta aside.
Saute Veggies
- Heat butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add minced garlic and saute until fragrant for about 30 seconds.
- Then add mixed veggies like carrot, bell pepper, broccoli, sweet corn, and salt. Cook the veggies till they are tender but still crunchy, for around 2 minutes. Turn off the flame and keep it aside.
Make White Sauce (Béchamel Sauce)
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add all-purpose flour, and stir continuously until well combined and smooth. Cook for a minute until the raw smell of the flour goes away. Do not over-roast the flour, and ensure the color of the flour doesn’t change.
- Slowly add in milk and stir continuously with a whisk until no lumps are left. Then add the remaining milk and whisk to combine. Cook it for about 4-5 minutes stirring constantly, until the sauce boils and thickens.
- Once the sauce is slightly thick, add the heavy cream, cheese, oregano, red chili flakes, black pepper, and salt. Continue stirring until the cheese has melted.When the sauce coats the back of the spoon, then it is done. The sauce will thicken as it cools.
Make White Sauce Pasta
- Add the sauteed veggies and the cooked penne pasta to the sauce. Toss well to coat the pasta with creamy white sauce. (If needed, add 2-3 tablespoons of reserved starchy pasta water, it will help to bind and thicken the sauce.)
- Lastly, transfer it to a serving plate and sprinkle some cheese and red chili flakes, if desired, and serve it immediately Enjoy!
Notes
Tips to Make the Best White Sauce Pasta
- Al Dente Pasta: Cook the pasta al dente, so the texture of the pasta is firm, not mushy when tossed with the creamy white sauce.
- Dont overroast the flour: Saute the flour with butter on low flame only. Make sure the color of the flour doesn’t change.
- Extra Creamy: Heavy cream, half and half, or a combination may be used in place of the milk to make extra creamy white sauce pasta.
- Extra Cheesy: If you want your white sauce pasta to be extra cheesy, add an extra ½ cup of your favorite shredded cheese.
- Consistency: The consistency of the white sauce should not be too thick while mixing up the boiled pasta, else, the pasta will turn dry when eaten later. You can add some reserved pasta water or milk to make it creamy.
Variations
- Pasta Variety: Use any kind of your favorite pasta like spaghetti, macaroni, shell, pasta shells, or rotini.
Try using whole wheat, lentils, or veggie pasta for kids to make it healthier. - Heavy Cream: You can add 2 tablespoons of heavy cream while making white sauce to make it extra rich and creamy.
- Cheese: You can use any variety of cheese like mozzarella, parmesan cheese, white cheddar, Amul processed cheese to make the creamy white sauce.
- Vegetables: You can also use veggies like mushrooms, asparagus, zucchini, green beans, black olives, and sun-dried tomatoes.
- Protein: Add a handful of chickpeas or edamame to add extra protein.
- Vegan: To make a vegan white sauce pasta, replace regular milk with almond milk, cashew milk, or soy milk. Also, substitute the butter with olive oil or vegan butter. Use vegan cheese or skip adding the cheese.
- Gluten-Free: To make the white sauce pasta gluten-free, Use gluten-free pasta instead of pasta made with whole wheat pasta. Also, for the white sauce, substitute all-purpose flour, with rice flour, cornstarch, or any other gluten-free flour.
- Garlic: You can use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic.
- Herbs: Fresh or dried herbs like oregano, basil, parsley, or thyme adds great flavor and aroma to the dish. You can also use Italian seasoning mix.
- Spice: Sprinkle some extra red chili flakes to add a little heat.
Nutrition
★ Like this recipe? FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Youtube for more quick & easy recipes.
Wasia Khan
Hi this white sauce pasta
( Beahamel sauce pasta
this recipe is so good and the white sauce is so thick and all the vegetables are so colourful and the pasta is so creamy 🥕🌽🥦🧄🫑🧈🧂🧀🧅🍄
Bhavana Patil
Thank you so much.
NM
Hello!
Does this pasta sauce leak when you pack it in lunchbots lunchbox?
Thank you!
- NM
Bhavana Patil
Hi Neha, If the sauce is very watery, yes it does leak in lunchbots..so i kind of make it little dry when packing to school..
Anonymous
Thank you Bhavana!
My son loves this recipe:)