Recipe card
Best penne pasta recipe
This creamy pasta is light and delicious, perfectly seasoned. The addition of veggies adds delicious flavor and crunch. Pasta is one of my family’s favorite comfort foods, and I am sure it’s yours, too. Whether I am hungry after a long day at work, need to prepare a late-night snack, or pack a lunch box for my family during the morning rush - pasta is generally my go-to dish. This creamy white sauce penne pasta is a simple dish where the cooked pasta and veggies are tossed in white sauce, popularly known as French bechamel sauce, made with milk, flour, and olive oil (butter). This sauce is also called mother sauce in French cuisine. The trick is to use a medium-low flame to cook the flour with butter or olive oil until lightly golden and aromatic, called roux, and to keep stirring the sauce as it cooks and thickens to the desired consistency. Once the sauce is cooked, you can take it to a whole different level by adding some freshly grated nutmeg and your choice of cheeses, and cook and stir it further till the cheese melts. It is really hard to mess up with this kind of sauce!!
Ingredients
Pasta: I have used simple penne. Fusilli, macaroni will also work for this recipe. It is good to use pastas that have surface area so that you can enjoy the sauce even better. Veggies: You can use any veggies available in your pantry to make this pasta. Some veggies that goes very well with pasta are mushroom, peppers, zucchini, carrots, green peas, sweet corn, broccoli, etc. Milk: Use whole milk for best results. Fat: Traditional bechemel sauce is made using butter. You can use oil or butter or combine the two. Seasoning: Use Italian seasoning or dried herbs, oregano, pepper, pepper flakes, etc. Check out the recipe card for the full list of the ingredients.
Step-by-step instructions
Cook the pasta
Boil the pasta according to the package instructions and drain. Keep this aside. I used simple penne for this recipe. Never overcook the pasta; we want it al dente. Also, note that you don’t have to use all the cooked pasta. Depending on how much saucy you like the pasta, toss it.
Preparation
Heat oil in a pan. Add the chopped onion, garlic cloves, and pinch of salt and saute till the onion becomes translucent. Add the mushroom and saute till it develops some color. Add the capsicum, Italian seasoning, and chili flakes and saute for another 2 minutes. Transfer this to a plate. Keep this aside.
How to make Béchamel Sauce or White Pasta sauce?
Add butter and all-purpose flour and saute on medium-low heat for 2 minutes until the paste cooks and becomes smooth and light golden in color. Do not allow it to brown. This is called a roux. Add the milk slowly and whisk continuously until the mixture bubbles and the sauce thickens. Add nutmeg, black pepper powder, salt, and cheese and cook, stirring for another 2 to 3 minutes. The white sauce is ready.
White sauce pasta
Add the sauteed ingredients, cooked pasta, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes to the sauce and mix until combined. Garnish with some more olives, sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan, and fresh herbs if desired. Serve hot with bread, and enjoy.
Tips
I started with 1 ¼ cups of milk and added an additional ¼ cup for the desired consistency. You can add more milk depending on the desired consistency. If you like it cheesy, increase the amount of cheese in the recipe. Any cheese like mozzarella, cheddar, swiss, fontina will work. If you like it spicy, add a pinch of cayenne powder and even a slit of jalapeno or green chile. Vary the ingredient amount as per your taste. Feel free to add veggies like zucchini, green peas, sweet corn, broccoli etc. Great way to add veggies for kids or even picky eaters. You can add ¼ cup of heavy cream along with milk if desired. Cheese and cream are optional while making bechamel sauce or white sauce. Adding it will make your pasta creamy and cheesy. You make the sauce, cook the pasta, and do all the preparation ahead of time. But combine everything just before you are ready to serve, as it tastes best when served immediately. Any leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator. Reheat in a pan with a splash of water or in the microwave until heated through. Instead of Italian seasoning, you can even use any combination of dried oregano, dried basil, and parsley. Stir the warm milk into the flour-fat mixture (roux) to avoid splitters.
More recipes with white sauces
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