Béchamel Sauce

  • Prep 5 min
  • Total 10 min
  • Servings 2

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup butter or margarine
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Steps

  • 1
    Heat margarine in 1 1/2-quart saucepan over medium heat until melted and bubbly. Shake milk, flour, salt and pepper in tightly covered container. Gradually stir into margarine. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Serve immediately.

  • For a Reduced-Fat Béchamel Sauce, decrease margarine to 2 tablespoons and use skim milk. Stir in 2 teaspoons butter-flavored sprinkles before serving.
  • Béchamel is a basic white sauce that can be used as a base for many other sauces. For a cheesy sauce, substitute 1 cup half-and-half and 1 cup chicken broth for the milk. After boiling and stirring 1 minute, stir in 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne) and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or shredded Swiss cheese.
  • Pasta Pairings with Béchamel Sauce: Flat, narrow and thin pastas are ideal for this rich and creamy sauce because they won't trap too much of the sauce. Try fettuccine, linguine, spaghetti or vermicelli. You also can use this sauce in place of Alfredo sauce in recipes such as Capellini with Lobster (#38503--V) and Swiss Capellini Tart (#38525--V).

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Serving
Calories
190
Calories from Fat
130
Total Fat
14g
Saturated Fat
4g
Cholesterol
10mg
Sodium
500mg
Total Carbohydrate
12g
Dietary Fiber
0g
Protein
4g
% Daily Value*:
Exchanges:
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
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