With this recipe, homemade bechamel is foolproof!

Every housewife has her own recipe for the perfect béchamel, perfected over years and years of experience. This is ours, complete with tips for preparing a perfect sauce.

Scholars continue to quarrel about the origin of bechamel sauce, some argue that it was invented by the noble Louis Béchamel in the 17th century, while for others its inventor was the cook La Varenne in 1651. In any case, this sauce was immediately appreciated to the point of become famous all over the world . Today bechamel enriches many recipes, from first to second courses and can be used to create many amazing dishes!

The best part is that the preparation is really very simple and quick. So let’s see how to make bechamel, the perfect white sauce for baked pasta!

How to make bechamel

With these doses the béchamel will be enough for about 4 people or for a pan of lasagna.

1. Take a saucepan, preferably non-stick, and start melting the butter over low heat.

2. Add the sifted flour, sprinkling, in one go, stirring constantly with a whisk or a wooden spoon to prevent lumps from forming .
3. Cook until the mixture, called roux, becomes homogeneous and golden .

4. In a separate saucepan, heat the milk and add it slowly to the mixture and continue to cook until it takes on the characteristic thick consistency of béchamel. Season with salt and pepper and add a pinch of nutmeg and your homemade bechamel is ready!

Use it immediately or let it cool to room temperature (cover it with cling film to prevent the crust from forming) before storing it in the refrigerator for a couple of days or in the freezer for a month.

Being able to use your béchamel in dishes such as baked pasta or lasagna , but also to flavor and make more creamy than baked or boiled vegetables … in short: use your imagination!

Primo Chef’s advice for a perfect béchamel

• If lumps form during preparation, remove from heat and blend it with an immersion blender for a few moments. Then, resume cooking by adding milk as required.

• To avoid lumps, in general, the advice is to use ingredients that are all at the same temperature . Then take them out of the fridge about 20 minutes before starting the preparation.

• If you have obtained a very liquid sauce and you want a thicker béchamel, you will need to increase the amount of flour; while if you want it more liquid, add a little more milk.

• Do you want to try something lighter? Then don’t miss our light béchamel . But that’s not all: discover also how to prepare the bechamel without butter and the bechamel without gluten !

This is the classic one but how about discovering all our bechamel recipes ?

storage

Once cold, we recommend keeping the béchamel in the fridge for a maximum of 2-3 days in a container with an airtight lid. We do not recommend freezing in the freezer.