Pasta with Herbed Bechamel

I don't know why, but cold weather makes me want comfort food. What better comfort food is there than pasta? And pasta with a creamy yummy sauce? Mmm.

For those who don't know, bechamel is a white sauce that is extremely basic. It's basically butter, flour, and cream. It's a great foundation for a million other sauces, including alfredo, and almost any cream sauce...ever. Haha. But you can also make it basic, and keep it simple. I made an herbed bechamel for this pasta, and it was pretty tasty. I got the hubby approval, so that's always good. Haha. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:
-pasta (any kind will do...I used rotini), enough to feed everyone
-3 tablespoons butter
-2 tablespoons flour
-1/2 cup heavy cream
-1 cup milk (I used 2%)
-1 tablespoon garlic powder
-1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente (tender but still firm...no mushy noodles!). Drain and set aside.

While pasta is cooking, heat a saucepan over medium low heat. Add the butter and let it melt. Add the flour and whisk to combine.

This is the roux. Let the roux cook for another couple minutes, whisking frequently. Add the cream and whisk to incorporate. The roux will thicken the sauce after a couple minutes. Keep whisking to keep it smooth.

Once the sauce has thickened a good bit, add in the milk. Whisk to incorporate. Let the sauce thicken slightly again, stirring frequently. Add the garlic powder and Italian seasoning. Stir to incorporate.

Reduce the heat to low and continue stirring frequently for another couple minutes. When the sauce is thick but still pourable, it's done. If it gets too thick, just add a smidge more milk, no more than a couple tablespoons at a time, until it reaches desired consistency.

Pour the sauce over the cooked pasta and enjoy!

Yum!

Soup!

It's November, and that means cooler weather, which means...I want hot food. Haha. Soup is one of those things that I often crave when it gets cold, so in honor of colder weather, I'm re-posting some soup recipes for you all to re-peruse. :) Enjoy!

For a quick way to view all the soups I've posted, click here.

Here are some of my favorites:
Chicken Corn Chowder
Chicken and Dumplin's
Chicken Tortellini Soup
Cream Cheese Chicken Soup
Italian Wedding Soup
Baked Potato Soup