If using this bechamel sauce in a pasta bake, add everything as normal to your baking dish and then the bechamel sauce should be spread evenly over the top layer of your bake and oven cooked as normal.

Help! My sauce is lumpy!

The key to getting a smooth bechamel sauce is to keep stirring. Take your eyes off this sauce for a few seconds and you can end up with lumps, so during the cooking process, just stir, stir, stir! It only takes a few minutes to make so it's not a hard recipe.

What's the difference between white sauce and bechamel sauce?

There is no difference between Bechamel and white sauce. The sauce is a basic roux sauce, made up of just a few ingredients, butter, flour, milk and an egg.

What is the difference between bechamel and Alfredo?

Bechamel is a French white sauce, using milk as the liquid. Alfredo sauce uses heavy cream, and usually Parmesan cheese as a flavoring.

Ingredients

1 & ½ oz or 40g butter
1 & ½ oz or 40g plain flour
1 & ¼ cups or 300ml milk
1 medium egg, beaten
1 /2 cup or 50g Cheddar cheese, grated (optional)

• In a saucepan, add the butter, and over low heat, let it melt.

• Then add the flour. Stir for about 1 minute.

• The sauce will come together in a dough type of ball.

• Add a couple of tablespoons of milk, and stir until it loosens.

• Once loosened, add a few more tablespoons and stir. Keep stirring to avoid lumps!
  Continue to keep adding the milk in small amounts and stirring until all the milk is used up.

• Keep stirring and bring the sauce to a simmer and then remove from the heat. Add the beaten egg and give it a good stir right away to avoid scrambling the egg.

• Add the grated cheese (if using) and stir.

And there you have it! Your bechamel sauce is ready to use!

Notes

Do you have to add cheese to a bechamel sauce?

Adding cheese to a bechamel sauce gives it flavor, so if you're making a casserole type of dish, for example, a pasta bake, you can use this sauce with cheese. Without adding cheese or herbs or any other flavorings, the sauce is quite bland, given the ingredients to make it. Use this sauce recipe as a vehicle to carry the flavors you want in your dish.

Adding ½ teaspoon of nutmeg will elevate the sauce flavor, fresh or dried herbs such as thyme, tarragon, parsley will change the flavor and add a little color to the sauce.

Can you make bechamel sauce the day before?

Yes you can! Keep the sauce covered in plastic wrap and refigerated. When you're ready to use it, give it a stir, and if it seems too thick, add a drop of milk to loosen it and then reheat as normal.

Freezing

We wouldn't suggest freezing this sauce as it contains milk which may split during freezing.

What to serve with bechamel sauce or what to use it in

• Mossaka
• Chicken lasagna
• Stuffed Peppers with a Creamy Cheese Sauce topping
• Bacon and Crab Macaroni Cheese
• Use it to pour over some oven-roasted vegetables and sprinkle some cheese over the top and place under the broiler/grill to go golden brown.
• If you enjoy making sauces, try our delicious lemon and garlic butter sauce. It's great drizzled over fish and seafood!

Why not make our delicious Moussaka recipe which uses a creamy bechamel sauce for the topping! It's delicious!