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This white sauce pasta has a flavor-packed basic cream sauce that everyone will love! Enjoy as is or add veggies, shrimp, or chicken for a filling meal.

You never need to make box mac and cheese again—just make this creamy white sauce pasta! This is a staple recipe in our house. The basic cream sauce is luscious and full of flavor, and get this: it doesn’t even use heavy cream. All you need is a handful of ingredients you may already have on hand.
It takes just 10 minutes to whip up the sauce while you cook the pasta. Eat it straight up, as a pasta side dish, or add cooked veggies or protein to the sauce. It’s an easy dinner idea made in minutes!
Ingredients for white sauce pasta
What you need for this white sauce pasta might already be on hand in your pantry and fridge. You’ll be amazed at the big flavor that comes from a few simple ingredients! It’s so much better than buying boxed mac and cheese. The basic cream sauce uses 2% milk, not heavy cream, and makes the most luscious white sauce you’ll have. Here’s what you need:
- Pasta of any shape
- Salted butter
- Garlic
- Flour
- Milk
- Salt
- Parmesan cheese

Tips for making a cream sauce
Making a basic cream sauce is a technique that all home cooks should know. You’ll start by making a roux (pronounced “roo”), a combination of flour and butter cooked together that’s used to thicken sauces. Here are a few tips for this process:
- Measure out all the ingredients first, and don’t leave the stove. The cooking process goes quickly, so you don’t want to have to stop to measure an ingredient. Measuring everything out before you cook, called mise en place in French, is essential.
- Sauté the garlic only 30 seconds. Be careful not to overcook: it should turn golden and fragrant, but not brown.
- Add the flour and whisk constantly. The flour can overcook in an instant, turning a brown color, so cook just until it’s golden.
- Whisk in the milk gradually. Add just a little milk first and whisk it in. Continue adding gradually until the sauce is smooth, then cook about 5 minutes until thickened and add the Parmesan and salt.
Pasta shapes that work well
You can use any pasta shape for this white sauce pasta, including short or long pasta. We have a few recommendations for what we like best. Here are our top choices for pasta:
- Bucatini: Bucatini are like hollow spaghetti noodles and our favorite long noodle.
- Spaghetti or fettucine: These long noodles also work well in a creamy sauce.
- Rigatoni: For a short noodle, we love the texture and look of rigatoni.
- Penne: Penne is another shape that works well with a creamy white sauce.
- Cavatappi: Cavatappi is a fun corkscrew shape that works well here.

Variations: add-ins for white sauce pasta
Here’s the fun part: you can make this white sauce pasta your own! Since it’s just carbs and dairy, you may to want to add some colorful veggies or more protein. Here are some ideas for add-ins:
- Tomatoes: Add sliced cherry tomatoes or chopped ripe tomatoes.
- Zucchini: Thinly slice it and add it raw, or use a half batch of this sauteed zucchini.
- Mushrooms: Add herby sauteed mushrooms.
- Spinach or kale: Wilt it down in a pan for a few minutes, then stir it into the pasta. Or, place the leaves in a colander and drain the pasta water on top of it: it cooks instantly!
- Broccoli: Make sauteed broccoli or pan fried broccoli.
- Bell peppers: Make sauteed peppers and throw them in.
- Herbs: Add chopped fresh herbs like basil, thyme, oregano, or dill.
- Shrimp or chicken: Add sauteed shrimp or chopped pan seared chicken breast for a flavorful main dish.
More sauce variations? Try this white wine sauce, made with white wine and cream! Or go vegan with vegan alfredo sauce.
Side dishes to make it a meal
Want to add nutrients to this white sauce pasta in a side dish? Here are a few quick side dishes to add:
- White beans: Add plant-based protein with these 5-minute cannellini beans or white beans.
- Sauteed veggies: Try sauteed broccoli, sauteed carrots, peas with lemon, sauteed green beans or steamed green beans.
- Leafy greens: Try sauteed kale, sauteed spinach, or sauteed rainbow chard.
- Salad: Try arugula salad, chopped salad, kale salad, or cabbage salad.
Dietary notes
This white sauce pasta recipe is vegetarian. For vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free, go to Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo.
Creamy White Sauce Pasta
This white sauce pasta has a flavor-packed basic cream sauce that everyone will love! Enjoy as is or add veggies, shrimp, or chicken for a filling meal.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 to 8 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta noodles of any shape: spaghetti, bucatini, penne, riagotni, cavatappi, etc.
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 cups 2% milk
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Start a pot of well salted water to a boil. Boil the pasta until it is just al dente (start tasting a few minutes before the package recommends: you want it to be tender but still a little firm on the inside; usually around 7 to 8 minutes). Drain.
- Meanwhile, measure out all ingredients in advance; the cooking process happens fast!
- Right after you add the pasta to the pot, start the sauce: In a small or medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the grated garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant but not browned.
- Add the flour and whisk constantly for 1 minute to 90 seconds, until bubbly and golden. Do not overcook it: the flour can turn brown within a few seconds. Keep an eye on it!
- Add a splash of milk and whisk it in: the sauce will instantly turn chunky. Constantly whisking, continue to add splashes of milk and whisk them in until the entire quantity is incorporated and the sauce is smooth.
- Reduce the heat and whisk until the sauce thickens and no longer tastes like raw flour, about 5 minutes. Add the salt and Parmesan cheese. Taste and add a pinch or two more salt if desired.
- Drain the pasta, then add the sauce. Add a splash or two of milk to loosen the sauce and stir until you have the right consistency. Taste and a few more pinches of salt, if necessary. (The sauce is best freshly made, so we don’t recommend making it in advance). Serve with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.
More easy pasta recipes
Love this white sauce pasta? Here a few more easy pasta recipes you might enjoy:
- This cheese tortellini served in a creamy marinara is the best quick dinner recipe!
- Try roasted red pepper pasta, angel hair pasta, or lemon ricotta pasta for simple weeknight meals.
- This mushroom pasta and goat cheese pasta are fan favorites.
- This pasta marinara features a homemade sauce and comes together in minutes!
- Our baked rigatoni pasta is all about crowd pleasing flavor.
Made this with fettuccine & steam broccoli. Served with a Cajun spiced baked shrimp. The creamy garlic sauce went well to soften the spicy shrimp.
This will be a keeper.
How are we supposed to thicken 2 cups of milk within 5 minutes?!
The sauce is thickened with a roux, a combination of butter and flour used to thicken sauces. We’ve made this many times and it works every time! Let us know if you have a chance to try it out.
I love cooking and you guys are going to improve my cooking skills
I substituted the regular flour with a mix of almond and sweet rice flour, came out fab!
I made this and it was absolutely delicious, I recommend adding some black pepper as a bonus flavor!