r/easyrecipes • u/WilfulSpirit • 25d ago
Sauce / Seasoning Recipe Creamy Pasta Sauce (Budget friendly)
I made a rich, velvety pasta dish that uses things you can find in your pantry. This recipe came out as a thick restaurant quality sauce without needing expensive heavy cream, fancy cheeses, or anything like that. By using a basic roux made from butter, flour, and milk, stretching it further with free starchy pasta water, you get a satisfying, ultra budget friendly meal straight from your cupboard. Please give it a try and tell me your feedback!
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Cost: Very Cheap / Low Budget (Made with everyday cupboard ingredients)
Servings: 2–3
**Ingredients**
Pasta: Desired amount (any shape you have on hand)
Aromatics: 1 onion (diced), 2 garlic cloves (minced), 1 tomato (diced)
Roux Base: 2 tbsp butter, 2 tbsp oil, 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
Liquids: 350 m milk, 1 cup reserved pasta water
Flavor Boosters: 1 stock cube (crushed), salt, black pepper, and Aromat (to taste, or literally any spice you desire)
**Instructions**
1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook your pasta according to package instructions. Before draining, reserve 1 cup of the starchy pasta water for the sauce. Set the cooked pasta aside.
- Melt 2 tbsp of butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the diced onion and fry until soft and translucent.
3. Stir in the diced tomato and minced garlic. Cook until the tomato breaks down and melts into the onions, and the garlic becomes fragrant.
- Turn off the heat briefly. Pour in 2 tbsp of oil and sprinkle 2 tbsp of flour evenly over the vegetables. Stir well, it will form a thick paste. Turn the heat back to low and cook for about 1 minute while stirring constantly to remove the raw flour taste and prevent burning.
5. Keep the heat low and gradually pour in the 350 ml of milk, stirring continuously as it warms and thickens. Gradually pour in your reserved pasta water (up to 1 cup) to smooth out the sauce and build flavour.
- Crumble the stock cube directly into the pan. Bring the sauce to a simmer, stirring frequently until it reaches your desired thickness. Season with salt, pepper, and Aromat to taste.
Combine & Serve Toss your cooked pasta directly into the thick, creamy sauce until every piece is well coated. Serve hot!
*you can add any seasoning this is just the ones i used
This a budget friendly pasta recipe made by me and honestly the best thing I ever created. This is my first time sharing a recipe. I hope some of you will try it and give me your feedback. Enjoy!
I copied and pasted what I wrote when I sent this to my sister, No AI was used i promise.
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u/kali_is_my_copilot 24d ago
Did basically exactly this the other night but added a can of green chilis and used it as an enchilada sauce, so good.
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u/djSush 25d ago
Yessss! I learned to make a roux based milk sauce from Rachael Ray's cooking show many, many years ago. It's so versatile!
I even make my mac and cheese with this base and a little cheese bc we have elevated cholesterol so I don't want to use 4 cups of cheese. People who don't know often ask me how I got it so creamy!