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    Home » Recipes » How To » Anything But Basic Béchamel

    Published: Feb 5, 2019 · Modified: May 5, 2020 by Lori Murphy·2 Comments

    Anything But Basic Béchamel

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    macaroni and cheese in two white bowls on a dark tray with a blue napkin and some parsley.
    macaroni and cheese in two white bowls on a dark tray with a blue napkin and some parsley.

    Part of my HowTUES-day series, making a basic béchamel or white sauce is the key to a luscious mac 'n cheese or baked potato soup. The technique of combining fat, thickeners, liquids and heat into a sauce is your gateway to something good.

    milk and flour container with whisk

    Why make bechamel?

    Walk into any grocery store and there are so many jarred sauces and soups. While many food manufacturers are making a big effort to include only ingredients on their labels that we, the consumers, recognize (which btw is the industry's definition of "clean labeling"), it really is easy to make a lot of sauces yourself. You likely have most of the ingredients in your pantry or fridge, I promise.

    And it's one of the reasons I started this blog.

    For the cost of a few ingredients like butter, flour, milk or chicken broth, you have the start of so much goodness.

    Think chicken pot pie, macaroni and cheese, and clam chowder.

    measuring cup , milk, flour, butter, whisk and red gingham napkins

    It starts with a roux

    Béchamel (pronounced "bay-sha-MEL" - you know - like the guy who owned the diner with Alice and Flo) is a white sauce that begins with a roux ("roo" - like Eeyore, Tigger Piglet and...). A roux is usually equal parts of fat and thickener - in this case, butter and flour. The roux is cooked over medium heat for a couple of minutes until the flour taste is cooked out and the roux starts to get all sun-tanny at which point, the liquid (milk) is added while being stirred to avoid lumps.

    pot of béchamel white sauce with cheese and a wooden spatula

    Once the milk starts to boil, the heat is lowered and the sauce is cooked until it all marries into a creamy, rich bath ready to coat whatever you plan to toss in it. Pasta (for the aforementioned mac 'n cheese), potatoes (au gratin)- whatever your endgame is- they take very kindly to bechamel and the beauty is it all can happen pretty quickly or even earlier in the day making dinner something special very quickly.

    Alternative milks to make a white sauce

    You can also make healthier versions of each of those using non-dairy milks or gluten-free thickeners while adding fresh greens and vegetables to give a nutrient boost for growing kiddos or to help manage a growing waistline.

    I've also done a little testing (and if you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you might have seen my story/highlights) on making a gluten/dairy-free white sauce. Made easy with any number of non-dairy milk alternatives (I used a pea protein milk by Ripple - this isn't sponsored just my opinion), I found combining the pea protein milk with a roux from olive oil + brown rice flour to be a really nice option. The white sauce came together very nicely and tasted like it would make a great canvas for any herbs, non-dairy cheeses or seasonings.

    Recipes that use a white sauce

    Last Meal Mac 'n Cheese

    Philly Cheesesteaks

     

    TIPS:

    For many: if using for a mac 'n cheese or au gratin recipe, a triple recipe will make enough for 1 lb of pasta.

    For a few: layer as one sauce component in your favorite lasagna recipe.

    milk and flour container with whisk.
    5 from 1 vote

    Basic Béchamel

    Print Recipe
    MAKING A BASIC BÉCHAMEL OR WHITE SAUCE IS THE KEY TO A LUSCIOUS MAC 'N CHEESE OR BAKED POTATO SOUP. ONCE YOU HAVE THIS TECHNIQUE IN YOUR BACK POCKET, YOU'VE UNLOCKED A TREASURE TROVE OF COMFORT.
    Prep Time:5 mins
    Cook Time:8 mins
    Total Time:13 mins
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    Ingredients
     

    • 2 TBSP butter, or any fat like olive oil, coconut oil or more
    • 2 TBSP flour, or cornstarch or brown rice flour
    • 1 ½ cups milk, can use alternative milks
    • ½ tsp salt
    • ½ tsp black or white pepper
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    Instructions

    • Over medium heat, start melting butter in medium saucepan. Add flour stirring with a whisk continuously until a thick paste forms. Continue cooking for about 2-3 minutes until lightly browned and flour taste is cooked off.
    • Carefully add milk while stirring with a whisk. Bring to a low boil and then lower heat to medium low.
    • Cook stirring often until sauce has thickened and coats the back of a metal spoon evenly.
    • Remove from heat to add cheeses if adding. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

    Notes

    • this recipe makes 1 ½ cups of béchamel.
    • easily doubled.
    Course: Sauces
    Author: Lori Murphy
    Did you make this recipe? Tag @josieandnina or tag #josieandnina!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Barbara A Barrows says

      February 11, 2019 at 10:20 am

      5 stars
      I had a package of gnocchi and made this sauce with sauteed butternut squash. It was so easy and delicious. If you saw how lazy a cook I am, you would see this as a step up in my culinary toolbox.

      Reply
      • Lori says

        February 11, 2019 at 2:46 pm

        So happy to hear that Barb! Glad you liked it- and I'm all for easy too. Life is too busy so dinner shouldn't have to be!?

        Reply

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