A standby Béchamel Sauce
Let’s talk sauce!
Believe it or not, we were in the dark about white sauce for a long, long time. We've talked many times about eating dinner at our grandma’s on Sundays, but we don’t think we ever recall her making a white sauce. She was all about the red sauce – from spaghetti to stuffed shells and lasagna – and her from-scratch sauce was phenomenal. It wasn’t until we were much older (maybe high school?) that we had our first run-in with a bowl of fettuccine alfredo, and it was love at first bite. We've loved incorporating béchamel sauce into our pasta dishes, and finally found one that we adore. This would technically be considered a mornay since it includes cheese, but that just makes it infinitely better in our opinion.
As far as béchamel sauces go, this cannot be beat. It’s thick, rich, creamy and wonderfully cheesy. We used it in lasagna and our baked tortellini and we think it was definitely the key to making both of those dishes so incredibly fabulous. While we'll always love red tomato sauce, having a go-to béchamel sauce is now a necessity for us!
Tell us – are you team red sauce or white sauce?
One year ago: White Chicken Chili
Two years ago: Popovers
Four years ago: Chocolate Mint Brownies
Six years ago: Irish Soda Bread
Seven years ago: Brioche Raisin Snails
A standby Béchamel Sauce
Yield: 3 cups While technically a mornay sauce due to the cheese, this is our go-to béchamel sauce anytime we need a white sauce!- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup (31.25 g) all-purpose flour
- 2½ cups (610 ml) whole milk
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) ground nutmeg
- 1 cup (132 g) shredded provolone cheese
- ½ cup (50 g) grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- In a medium saucepan placed over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until the flour turns light brown and emits a nutty aroma.
- Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly. Once all of the milk has been incorporated, whisk in the nutmeg, and allow the mixture to come to a simmer. Once simmering, cook for 2 minutes, whisking constantly.
- Remove from the heat, and add the shredded provolone a handful at a time, stirring until it melts. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper.
Notes
Nutritional values are based on one serving
- Yield: 3 cups
- Prep: 5 minutes
- Cook: 15 minutes
- Total: 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup ( 31.25 g ) all-purpose flour
- 2½ cups ( 610 ml ) whole milk
- ¼ teaspoon ( 0.25 teaspoon ) ground nutmeg
- 1 cup ( 132 g ) shredded provolone cheese
- ½ cup ( 50 g ) grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Method
- In a medium saucepan placed over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until the flour turns light brown and emits a nutty aroma.
- Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly. Once all of the milk has been incorporated, whisk in the nutmeg, and allow the mixture to come to a simmer. Once simmering, cook for 2 minutes, whisking constantly.
- Remove from the heat, and add the shredded provolone a handful at a time, stirring until it melts. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper.
