A Béchamel or white sauce is a cooking basic that every student should know how to make! It is used for example to make lasagne or other pasta bakes and is the base for making a range of other different sauces; cheese sauce or spinach sauce to name just two of my favourites.
This béchamel sauce should be included in every student’s repertoire and is something you should learn to make before or when you are just starting university/college! It gives you such great opportunities for making different meals!
You could, for example, use it to make a yummy lasagne! Check out my Easy Student-Friendly Lasagne Recipe or my Roasted Mediterranean Vegetable Lasagne!
Check out my other student cooking basics posts:
- How To Cook Pasta (Properly) | Student Cooking Basics #2
- How To Cook Rice | Student Cooking Basics #3
- How To Make Bulgur | Student Cooking Basics #4
How to make Béchamel Sauce – A Step-by-Step Guide
Béchamel sauce is made with only 3 ingredients: butter, flour and milk! The ratios are equal amounts of butter and flour to about 15-20 times the milk (sounds a lot, I know, but you´ll see below that it isn´t).
You start by melting the butter in a saucepan, before adding in the flour. The paste created is known as a roux. Once you have cooked out the flour, you gradually add the milk until you have a nice smooth sauce. Then, you can season it to taste or start adding other ingredients like grated cheese or frozen spinach to make cheese or spinach sauce.
Check out my recipe for Pasta and Cheese Sauce with Crispy Bacon!
When making a béchamel sauce, the amounts you use vary on how many servings you want to create. Work on about 5-10 grams of butter and flour per serving. So, if you are making one serving, use 5g of butter and flour and about 150ml of milk. For two, use 10g of flour and butter and about 300ml of milk, and so on…
Béchamel sauce is perfect for meal preparation, as it keeps in the fridge for 1-2 days and can also be frozen for a few weeks. Simply store in a Tupperware and just defrost and reheat when you are ready to eat it!
More Student-Friendly Recipes
For more great student recipes, visit this section of my blog. Or give some of the following recipes a try:
- Vegan Mixed Bean Chilli
- Healthy Wrap Pizza
- Short-cut Baked Potato with Toppings
- Creamy Hummus Linguine
- Easy Student-friendly Lasagne
- Colourful Vegetable Stir-Fry
- Chicken, Sweet Potato and Spinach Curry
Béchamel Sauce/White Sauce – Student Cooking Basics
Recipe
Ingredients (serves 2):
- 10 g butter
- 10 g flour
- 150-200 ml of milk
- Seasoning (salt, pepper, ground nutmeg)
Method:
1. Gently melt the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat.
2. Once melted, add the flour and whisk until a thick paste (known as a roux) forms.
3. Continue cooking for 1-2 minutes, to cook out the flour taste.
4. Once you have cooked out the flour, slowly start adding the milk, whisking well between each addition. If you like (and have the time), you could gently warm the milk already in the microwave.
5. Continue adding the milk slowly, adding too much at once will make the sauce lumpy.
6. Once you have added all the milk, cook for a few minutes longer until the sauce starts to thicken.
7. Next, season to taste with some salt and pepper and ground nutmeg, if you like.
8. Use the béchamel sauce to pour over lasagne or a pasta bake, or add in some thawed frozen spinach or cheese to create a yummy pasta sauce.
If you enjoy this recipe, be sure to check out some of my other cooking or baking recipes!
You can find anything from simple, easy student meals, to more complicated and technically challenging baking recipes! Feel free to browse and try something new!
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