Pasta in White Sauce
2014-10-09- Cuisine: Italian
- Course: One Dish Meal
- Skill Level: Beginner
- Yield : 600 gms
- Servings : 5
- Prep Time : 20m
- Cook Time : 15m
- Ready In : 35m
This recipe is my son, Aasim’s favourite, and it is given here details here so that he can cook it for himself and his friends. On days when I don’t have anything interesting to make, or I am pressed for time, Pasta in white sauce always came to my rescue. I usually add Chicken and Mushrooms to it when available, but when they are not, the Pasta in white sauce is still good to go.
Tips
- The trick to good pasta is very salty water to boil the pasta in.
- Retain the water in which pasta was boiled to thicken the sauce.
- Always add salt last, after you taste the pasta. Butter, cheese, pasta everything already has salt.
Ingredients
- Finely chopped Garlic - 1/2 Tbsp
- Milk 2 cups
- Cheese grated or crumbled 2-3 cubes
- Corn flour 1.5 tablespoon (more if you want sauce thicker)
- Oregano/ any seasoning
- Pepper powder and wee bit of salt
- Pasta (preferably Macroni) - 300 gms
- Butter or oil - 1 Tbsp
- Amul Cream - 100 ml
- Button Mushrooms (optional) - 8 -10 cut in thin slices.
- Chilli flakes - as required.
Method
Step 1
To boil pasta. Put water on the stove (this should be about 3 times more than pasta)
Step 2
Add salt (about 4 teaspoons) to the water and let it come to boil.
Step 3
When the water boils, add pasta and cook till andante.
Step 4
Drain the Pasta, pour cool water on it so that it stops cooking and keep aside. Do not throw away all the water. If you need to thin the pasta sauce you can use this water
Step 5
Put the pan on the stove and pour olive oil or butter. Stir in garlic but see to it that it does but burn. Stir for about 30 seconds (garlic should not change colour ) Add Mushrooms and stir till they are soft. This takes about two minutes.
Step 6
Add milk, then add pepper, oregano and cheese. Let the cheese melt. This process should be on medium / low heat
Step 7
In the meanwhile dissolve the cornflour in 1/4 cup cold water. Remember COLD WATER.
Step 8
Add the cornflour mix to the pan. Let it boil and thicken
Step 9
Taste for the salt and adjust the seasonings. Remember the pasta is already salted and butter and cheese both have salt, so you may not be required to put in additional salt, Be very careful.
Step 10
Add the pasta along with Amul cream and stir.
Step 11
if you find the sauce thick, use the water in which pasta was boiled. If you are worried about salt content (pasta water is salty), add more milk. Milk gets absorbed.
Step 12
Heat the pasta through, switch the stove off. Cover the pasta and let it sit in the sauce for about 5 mins.
Step 13
Remove the pasta in a serving bowl and tip in the chicken. Mix and serve.
Trivia
White sauce is also known as Béchamel sauce and it is used in french cuisine. Béchamel is traditionally made by melting a quantity of butter, and adding an equal part of flour in order to make a roux, which is cooked under gentle heat while stirring with a whisk. As it is a white sauce, care needs to be taken not to brown the roux. Then heated milk is gradually whisked in, and the sauce is cooked until thickened and smooth. The proportion of roux and milk determines the thickness of the sauce, typically one to three tablespoons each of flour and butter per cup of milk. One tablespoon each of butter and flour per cup of milk would result in a thin, easily pourable sauce. Two tablespoons of each would result in a medium thick sauce. Three tablespoons of each would be used for an extra thick sauce such as used to fill croquettes or as a soufflé base. Salt and white pepper are added and it is customary, in Italy, to add a pinch of nutmeg.[5] Optionally a whole or cut onion, studded with one or more whole cloves, and a bay leaf may be simmered with the milk and then strained before adding to the roux. Source: Wikipedia
Courn flour, Oregano, Amul Cream, thinly sliced mushrooms, Amul Butter, Crushed pepper, Garlic cloves (minced) Cheese cubes, Pasta.
Boil pasta in salted water till it is aldante.
Fry mushrooms with garlic and dry herbs till they are soft
Add milk to the herbs, cheese, mushroom mixture
posted by Tejas on August 17, 2023
The step by step instructions with photos are so helpful.
posted by Jeevan Singh Thakur on January 13, 2016
Very delicious and testy it is looking, But i will try at home some time i will get late from office. Nice thanks Swati Ji…….
posted by shehrebano on January 19, 2015
Heyy! I am a person who hates entering the kitchen unless I sniff something delicious being cooked by my mom! (Who cooks like a pro !!!)
I stumbled upon this article of yours and thought why not give it a shot! N I am so glad tht I did!!!
This recipe of yours turned out to be amazing!!! So alllll the credit rightfully goes to you!
N thankyou for making me leave my room n enter the kitchen! My mom is happy to say the least! Lol
kudos!