White Sauce Pasta Recipe (White Pasta) (2024)

White Sauce Pasta (also referred to as White Pasta) is one of the most popular and easiest pasta recipes that you can make at home. In this White Sauce Pasta Recipe, I am sharing an easy way to make a restaurant style white sauce (or béchamel sauce) in which cooked penne pasta is tossed. The recipe comes together in 30 minutes and makes for a comforting brunch or lunch.

About White Sauce Pasta Recipe

White Sauce Pasta recipe is an easy-to-make dish of cooked penne pasta in a smooth, creamy and delicious white sauce a.k.a Béchamel sauce.

Here, you just have to prepare the white sauce, which is a mixture of all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour, butter, milk and spices, pour it over the penne and toss well.

This popular White Sauce Pasta Recipe is a vegetarian version and can be served as a snack or light dinner. You can make it more wholesome and hearty by adding some mixed vegetables.

Adding mixed veggies to this pasta dish is a great way to get your family to consume more nutrition along with flavors. These vegetables can be steamed, cooked, sautéed or roasted.

When preparing pasta recipes, whole wheat pasta is always a healthier choice. Hence, I too have used whole wheat penne in this recipe. However, you can use any pasta you prefer, including different varieties like macaroni, rigatoni or farfalle.

Some vegetables that go great in this White Sauce Pasta are carrots, green peas, beans, cauliflower, peppers (capsicum), sweet corn, broccoli, zucchini and baby corn.

The white sauce in this penne pasta dish is flavored with some black pepper and nutmeg. You can chose to skip the spice too. Some cheddar cheese or vegetarian parmesan can also be added to the sauce to make it all the more delish.

If you like white sauce and would like to prep it for your pasta nights or for any other recipe, check this detailed know-how on making the classic Homemade Béchamel Sauce.

Step-by-Step Guide

How to make White Sauce Pasta

Make White Sauce

1. Heat a saucepan. Keep the heat to low and add 2 tablespoons butter. You can use salted or unsalted butter.

2. When the butter melts and starts to bubble, add 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour (atta) or choose to swap 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (maida) with the whole wheat flour.

3. Using a wired whisk, stir the flour quickly as soon as you add it. Keep stirring so that no lumps are formed. The frequent stirring helps the flour to cook evenly.

You will see the flour frothing and bubbling up while stirring. Sauté until you get a nice cooked aroma and the flour is a pale golden color. Don’t brown the flour.

4. Keep heat on low and pour 1 cup cold or chilled milk in a gentle stream with one hand and stir the sauce mixture with the other.

The milk has to be cold or chilled, so that lumps do not form.

5. Stir frequently, while the milk heats up.

6. On low heat, simmer the sauce till it thickens. When the sauce has thickened well and coats the back of a spoon, turn off the heat.

7. Remove the saucepan from the heat and place on the kitchen countertop.

Add the seasonings – ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder, a generous pinch of nutmeg powder or grated nutmeg and salt as required.

For a cheese sauce, you can add 2 tablespoons of grated/shredded cheddar cheese or 1 to 2 tablespoons of grated vegetarian parmesan cheese.

8. Mix very well and set aside.Keep in mind that the sauce will thicken as it cools, so keep the consistency accordingly.

Cook Penne Pasta

9. Boil 4 cups water with ½ teaspoon salt in a pan.

10. When the water comes to a boil, add 1 cup penne pasta.

11. Cook the pasta on a medium to high heat.

12. When the pasta gets done to an al dente texture, turn off the heat. For a more softer texture, cook the pasta a little longer. Strain the pasta with a large strainer spoon.

Make White Sauce Pasta

13. Then, add the cooked penne pasta to the prepared white sauce.

14. Add ¼ teaspoon each of dried oregano, dried basil and dried thyme. Or add your choice of herbs.

At this step, you can add some steamed, cooked, sautéed or roasted vegetables too, if you like.

15. Mix very well.

16. Serve White Sauce Pasta garnished with some fresh herbs like parsley, cilantro, basil, chives or dill. You can also garnish with some grated cheddar cheese.

Expert Tips

1. Stirring and mixing flour: After you add the flour, you need to stir often, so that lumps are not formed. Frequently stirring the flour also cooks the flour evenly. You will notice the flour frothing and bubbling, when you sauté it. Make sure to sauté the flour until you get a nice nutty aroma and the flour turns a pale golden color.
2. White sauce free of lumps: To make a lump-free sauce, use cold milk. Hot, warm or milk at room temperature may form lumps in the sauce.
3. Checking doneness of white sauce: When you see the sauce coating the back of the spoon, it has thickened well and is done.
4. For a cheese sauce: Add 2 tablespoons of freshly grated cheddar cheese for a cheesy white sauce. You can also opt to add 1 to 2 tablespoons of grated vegetarian parmesan cheese.
5. Herbs and vegetables: You can add both fresh herbs and dried herbs of your choice. When you add the herbs, you can also add steamed, roasted or sautéed vegetables. Mostly the conversion for the herbs is 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs = 1 teaspoon of dried herbs.
6. Gluten-free option: Make the same recipe with a gluten-free pasta and use rice flour or a gluten-free flour for the béchamel sauce.
7. Vegan option: Almond milk works very nicely in this recipe. Just cook almond milk on a low heat so that it does not split or become grainy.
8. Scaling: You can make a large batch of the pasta or halve the recipe easily.

Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter.

This White Sauce Pasta recipe from the archives was first published in February 2017. It has been updated and republished on February 2023.