The history of the origin of Bechamel sauce is not clear and there are three main versions. In the first version, chef François Pierre de La Varenne named his sauce after Louis de Béchamel. Who was chamberlain at the court of Louis XIV. And de La Varenne was a cook at the royal court under Louis.
According to the second version, Bechamel himself invented the sauce and named it in his honor. And in the third version, the legend, the sauce came from Italy, where from ancient times they prepared Balsamella sauce, similar in consonance and ingredients.
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Classic recipe
The preparation of béchamel sauce is based on Roux sauce. From which we will begin to make bechamel. Let’s say right away that add the milk gradually and if the sauce seems too thick, add more.
The classic sauce recipe is suitable for pasta, meatballs and even for julienne. Bechamel sauce with chicken and spaghetti is especially good. But of course its main purpose is to be a sauce for lasagna.
Cook the bechamel over low heat and try not to leave the stove, it may burn!
Composition:
- Flour – 100 gr.
- Butter more than 72% – 100 gr.
- Milk – 1 l.
- Salt – a pinch
- Ground black pepper – a pinch
- Nutmeg – a pinch
Recipe for 1 liter of milk:
- Heat the oil in a frying pan or saucepan over low heat.
- Add flour to the melted butter and start mixing with a spoon until smooth (this is Roux sauce).
- Stirring all the time (now it’s better to use a whisk instead of a spoon), pour in the milk.
- Stir until the sauce becomes thick or to the consistency you want, at this time add spices.
- Bechamel sauce with milk and nutmeg is ready!
By the way, in the classic recipe for bechamel sauce from Yulia Vysotskaya, she does not cook without nutmeg!
In this recipe, the ingredients are taken for the sauce for 1 liter of milk. But in principle, milk is poured by eye, to the desired thickness, but take flour and butter in approximately the same proportions.
The more you fry the flour and butter for the bechamel sauce, the more nutty it will taste. And also, with the degree of frying of the flour, the color of the sauce will change. To make white bechamel sauce, you just need to heat the flour.
Bechamel with mushrooms
Mushroom bechamel sauce is an excellent sauce for spaghetti, pasta and pasta in general. It’s very tasty to pour this sauce over porridge. And if you prepare the sauce with mushrooms and chicken, then with mashed potatoes you will have a complete meal.
Also try making julienne sauce with chicken and mushrooms. We will prepare bechamel sauce using cream and butter with a fat content of 82.5%. It will be much tastier this way!
We will need:
- Champignons – 200 gr.
- Garlic – 1 clove
- Flour – 50 gr.
- Butter 82.5% – 50 gr.
- Cream – 0.5 l.
- Salt – a pinch
- Ground black pepper – a pinch
Sauce recipe:
- As usual, we start by frying the flour in oil and then pouring in the cream.
- Don’t forget to stir thoroughly and bring to a boil.
- Then add chopped mushrooms and garlic, simmer for another 10-15 minutes.
- Salt, pepper, bring to the desired thickness.
- Creamy béchamel sauce with champignons is ready!
The recipe with mushrooms differs from the classic one only in the addition of mushrooms and garlic. But this is a ready-made gravy for side dishes or just boiled chicken.
And the bechamel with cream recipe is just the bomb! Also try making bechamel sauce with sour cream, then you can use less fatty oil. We also recommend preparing bechamel with wild mushrooms.
Recipe with cheese
Macaroni and cheese is a classic and a childhood favorite. And cheese béchamel will make pasta unforgettable. The macaroni cheese sauce uses simple ingredients to create a restaurant-quality dish.
We will need:
- Hard cheese – 100 gr.
- Flour – 50 gr.
- Butter 72.5% – 50 gr.
- Milk – 0.5 l.
- Salt – a pinch
- Ground black pepper – a pinch
How to cook:
- Make a base roux sauce (read above if you missed it).
- Pour half the milk and add pepper, stirring all the time with a whisk.
- We begin to introduce the finely grated cheese and wait until it melts.
- Adjust the consistency of the sauce by adding milk and adding salt if necessary.
- Bechamel sauce for macaroni and cheese is ready!
You can prepare béchamel sauce with cheese, or simply as a dip for serving with snacks. It’s delicious to dip garlic croutons or grilled sausages in.
Cheese béchamel is very good as sauce for country-style potatoes or french fries . Well, words can’t describe spaghetti sauce, the kids eat it with a bang.
Bechamel for moussaka
Moussaka is a layered casserole of meat and vegetables, always eggplant, and all served with bechamel sauce. We offer you a variant that is not classic, but more interesting and, in our opinion, tastier. If you want a classic recipe for moussaka, then see the first recipe.
Composition:
- Hard cheese – 60 gr.
- Feta or fetax cheese – 50 gr.
- Flour – 50 gr.
- Butter 72.5% – 50 gr.
- Milk – 0.5 l.
- Nutmeg – 0.3 tsp.
- Ground black pepper – a pinch
- Salt to taste
Step by step recipe:
- We make classic béchamel sauce with milk (see first recipe).
- Grate the hard cheese on a fine grater and slowly add it to the sauce.
- Add nutmeg and pepper, stir and remove from heat.
- Crumble the feta, you can simply break it casually and mix it with the sauce.
- All you have to do is pour in the moussaka and you’re done!
We hope you liked our version of sauce for Greek moussaka. In fact, this is another recipe for making bechamel sauce with cheese.
Bechamel combined with minced meat
In classic recipes for lasagna, cannelloni, and even with pasta or in nests, minced meat is often present. And all this is baked with bechamel sauce. Later in the recipe we will tell you how bechamel is combined with minced meat.
We will prepare cannelloni, the amount of minced meat is designed for 12 pieces.
We will need:
- Onion – 1 pc.
- Garlic – 2 cloves
- Minced meat – 400 gr.
- Tomato juice – 1 glass
- Italian herbs – 2 pinches
- Vegetable oil – 2 tbsp. l.
- Salt, pepper to taste
- Bechamel sauce
Recipe:
- Finely chop the onion and garlic, then fry in oil until golden.
- Then we add the minced meat and fry, stirring constantly until the meat turns pale.
- Then add juice, spices, salt and simmer for 10 minutes, then wait until everything cools down.
- At this time, prepare the bechamel, you need to get about 800 ml.
- Once the minced meat has cooled a little, fill the cannelloni tubes with it.
- Place everything in a mold, pour in Bechamel sauce and grate cheese for a tasty crust.
- Place in the oven at 180 degrees for 30 minutes.
For pasta, you can simply fry the onion with minced meat and mix with Bechamel sauce. Then pour it over pasta or any pasta and grate cheese on top. This can also be prepared with Bechamel cheese sauce.
Lenten béchamel
This recipe is not only lean, but also bechamel sauce. We will cook without milk and flour, or rather, we will replace them with something else. Namely, it will be a sauce with rice flour and coconut milk.
Thus, we will reduce the calorie content of the sauce and make it possible to eat it during Lent, because this recipe does not contain butter.
Ingredients:
- Rice flour – 50 gr. or 2 tbsp. l.
- Coconut milk – 500 ml.
- Olive oil – 2 tbsp. l.
- Bay leaf – 1 pc.
- Nutmeg – 0.5 tsp.
- Salt, pepper – to taste
Diet sauce recipe:
- Pour the oil into a saucepan and start heating.
- Add flour to it and fry until the flour darkens slightly.
- Pour in the milk in a stream and stir thoroughly to ensure there are no lumps.
- Add laurel, nutmeg, pepper, salt and let it simmer for 5-10 minutes over low heat.
- Sauce “A la Bechamel” ready!
Soy milk
Of course, you can prepare this sauce without butter and milk, for example, with vegetable broth or water. But of course it tastes more delicious with milk, and by the way, you can use soy milk. This bechamel recipe is also vegan.
You can also use bechamel for fish. If you bake fish with bechamel sauce, you can add a raw egg to the sauce. Stir it into the milk before adding it to the buttered flour.
If the sauce doesn’t thicken
If you end up with a thin sauce that is not the right consistency for your dish, just add flour. Do this very carefully and in small portions. Also keep in mind that the sauce will thicken even more after it cools.
