White Sauce Pasta
This White Sauce Pasta is an easy weeknight meal that’s ready under 30 minutes. You will love this rich, creamy & saucy White Pasta, perfectly seasoned with Italian herbs & topped with red chili flakes. It is lighter and not heavy and is a satisfying vegetarian comfort food. You can make this plain or with mixed vegetables, chicken or shrimp according to your preference.
White Sauce Pasta is simply cooked pasta mixed with a silky smooth & decadent white sauce made of milk, butter and flour. It is also known as Bechamel Sauce has its origin from the Italian & French Cuisines. In classic culinary terms, this is what is known as a mother sauce. It is the base for many other sauces and it offers a great deal of flexibility to your repertoire of recipes.
Once you have learned how to make it well, the options are really endless. Whether you are using it for pasta or as a base for macaroni and cheese, the end is always a delightfully rich, smooth consistency that you coaxed out of a simple sauce of flour, butter and milk.
About White Sauce Pasta
One of the many amazing ways to incorporate white sauce into a really delicious meal is to make White Sauce Pasta. This dish offers a well-rounded meal that is satisfying and a great way to incorporate vegetables into a pasta that will please your family. It is customizable by changing the vegetables or even the pasta used.
The backbone of this recipe is the sauce, so getting it right is really the key. It is thickened with a mixture of butter and flour in equal amounts which is called roux, in French. The method is rather simple, but must be followed properly for a smooth, creamy and velvety sauce.
The flexibility that bechamel sauce offers makes it a perfect candidate for adjusting it to your liking. It really is a blank slate for a wide range of seasonings. Fresh or dried herbs like thyme, oregano and basil bring a not just fresh flavor, but also a fantastic aroma.
Use a variety of veggies like carrots, broccoli, peas, corn, bell peppers to enhance the nutrition & for a beautiful color. or Serve it plain with a side of roasted veggies, meat or sea food. It goes perfectly well with anything!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (100 grams) pasta (penne or macaroni)
- 1½ cup milk (full fat or plant milk)
- 2 tablespoons butter + ½ tablespoon oil or butter (to sauté veggies)
- ¼ cup heavy cream or 2 to 3 tablespoons cheese (optional, parmesan, cream cheese, mozzarella or cheddar)
- 1½ tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper (crushed or ground, adjust to taste)
- 2 garlic cloves grated (optional, can use 1 teaspoon to tablespoon as per preference)
- ½ teaspoon oregano (or dried mix Italian herbs)
- salt as needed
- ½ teaspoon red chili flakes (optional, adjust to taste)
I also use 1 to 1¼ cup mixed vegetables. You are free to use what you want or simply leave them out. I use ¼ cup each of carrots, broccoli or peas, sweet corn and bell peppers (a mix of green and red bell peppers).