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bechamel sauce recipe from Italy

Bechamel sauce recipe for lasagna, pasta, and other Italian delights.  The Italian bechamel recipe that will turn your kitchen in an Italian “cucina”!

bechamel sauce recipe from Italy
bechamel sauce recipe

bechamel sauce: what, where, how?

Bechamel. “besciamella” in Italian, is a basic sauce recipe. The main bechamel sauce uses are to make lasagna, to season pasta, to stuff crepes, quiches, and pot pies, and to enrich vegetables au gratin. This creamy,  dense sauce is perfect to bind flavors into nutritious, saucy dishes.

The bechamel sauce ingredients are milk, butter, flour and nutmeg. It is made by adding milk and nutmeg to a roux, which is a paste made by cooking butter and flour in a pan. Depending on how and how long you cook bechamel it will be more or less thick.

The bechamel sauce origins are Italian, Tuscan to be exact, but it was exported to France by Caterina de Medici, when, in 1547, she became queen of France and took her entourage with her.

 

tips

  • You can make bechamel in advance and store it in the refrigerator up to 2-3 days. To avoid it to form a film, cover it with plastic, in contact with the surface.
  • You can also freeze it in a glass jar or plastic container for up to 3 months. When you defrost it (best if you place it in the refrigerator overnight), it might split, but you can solve the issue by heating it in a small saucepan and whipping it continuously.

Let’s see how to make the Italian bechamel sauce…

bechamel sauce recipe ingredients
bechamel sauce recipe in a pan

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bechamel sauce recipe step by step
bechamel sauce recipe for lasagna
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how to make bechamel sauce

Cuisine Italian
Servings 4
Author Claudia Rinaldi

Ingredients

  • 1.7 oz butter 50 gr
  • 1.7 oz 00 flour 50 gr or 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon
  • 17 oz cow milk 500 ml or 2 cups
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • a few grinds of white or black pepper 1/4 teaspoon
  • 1/8 teaspoon of grated nutmeg - more or less as per your taste

Instructions

  1. Cut the butter into pieces (all the same size for them to cook uniformly) and place them in a medium pan. Melt over medium heat.

  2. Add all the flour and stir energetically with a wooden spoon until completely amalgamated.

  3. Remove from heat and let the temperature decrease for a couple of minutes.

  4. Add the milk, return to the stovetop and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring continuously.

  5. Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg and mix.

  6. Cover and cook on the lowest heat for 15-20 minutes (if you see sides browning, remove immediately).

Recipe Notes

  • Don't worry if you get lumps: use a whisk and mix quickly to remove them. If they're really a lot, use a hand blender to smooth the cream.
  • If you want a thicker béchamel sauce, cook it uncovered, a few minutes more, until you get your desired consistency.
  • Depending on how intense you want the taste of your bechamel sauce to be:
    • just melt the butter (mild),
    • lightly brown it (medium flavor)
    • or brown it being careful not to burn it (intense).

enjoy your bechamel sauce recipe and all the goodies you’ll cook with it!

Claudia