The Béchamel Sauce is one of the basic sauces in cooking. It is used for baked pasta preparations like lasagna, cannelloni, timbales, or on vegetables for gratin. I call it a magic wand capable of giving that extra touch to a bland dish, but it’s important to make it well! You can flavor it as you like with particular tastes like nutmeg or turmeric, which will also give a nice color. Follow the steps to achieve a Creamy Béchamel Sauce.
Other recipes
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 375.50 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 26.87 (g) of which sugars 12.17 (g)
- Proteins 10.33 (g)
- Fat 26.07 (g) of which saturated 16.60 (g)of which unsaturated 9.45 (g)
- Fibers 2.62 (g)
- Sodium 777.16 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 262 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 4 1/4 cups whole milk
- 5 1/2 tbsp butter
- 2/3 cup flour
- 1 1/2 tsp fine salt
- 1 pinch nutmeg
Tools
- Food scale
- Small saucepan
- Pot
- Whisk
Steps
Pour the milk into a pot and bring it close to boiling. Meanwhile, melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan, and as soon as it melts and foams (this allows the water it contains to evaporate), remove it from the heat and add the flour all at once, stirring quickly with the whisk to avoid lumps. Put it back on the heat and continue to cook until the roux is golden. Pour the roux into the boiling milk, stirring constantly with the whisk until the sauce thickens and starts to boil. Keep on the heat for 5 minutes, always stirring. Salt, grate nutmeg to taste, and if not used immediately, cover with plastic wrap. Use the Béchamel Sauce for lasagna, gratin pasta or on vegetables.
Notes
The dosage for a thicker sauce is: 4 1/4 cups of milk + 3/4 cup of flour + 3/4 cup of butter.
The amounts of flour and butter are reduced equally for a more fluid and lighter sauce. For example, for preparing lasagna, it’s better to have it less thick; I use 4 1/4 cups of milk + 5 1/2 tbsp of butter + 2/3 cup of flour
The dosage for a thicker sauce is: 4 1/4 cups of milk + 3/4 cup of flour + 3/4 cup of butter.
The amounts of flour and butter are reduced equally for a more fluid and lighter sauce. For example, for preparing lasagna, it’s better to have it less thick; I use 4 1/4 cups of milk + 5 1/2 tbsp of butter + 2/3 cup of flour
Can Béchamel Sauce only be made with whole milk?
No, you can use various types of milk like lactose-free, soy, or you can use just water or even vegetable broth.
