Pasta casserole with Bechamel sauce is a very original and unusual dish, which is prepared from very simple and affordable ingredients. The dish has an amazing and unique taste. To prepare pasta casserole with Bechamel sauce you will need a minimum of time. But you will definitely get the maximum taste experience. This dish doesn't have the standard mayonnaise or cheese like most casseroles. They are replaced by the most delicate Bechamel sauce. So let's start cooking.
Cooking steps
While our minced meat is stewing under the lid, we peel our tomatoes and cut them into medium cubes. We send it to the minced meat with onions. Salt, pepper and add finely chopped garlic.
You can add mushrooms to this recipe (also cut into small cubes and fry after our products).
Preparing Bechamel sauce
Pour in milk in a thin stream and bring our sauce to a homogeneous consistency. Stir vigorously to prevent the formation of lumps. Keep it on the fire until the sauce thickens to the consistency of sour cream. Let's add a little salt.
Cooking casserole
Place pre-boiled spaghetti or pasta in the pan.
Place our pasta casserole with Bechamel sauce in the oven, preheated to 180-200 degrees, and bake for 20-25 minutes. Before serving, the dish can be decorated with finely chopped herbs.
This is such a beautiful casserole we get cut into pieces.
Bon appetit!
Bechamel is a popular sauce in European cuisine. It has won recognition for its simple composition and delicate taste. To prepare it, first make a roux (a mixture of fried wheat flour and butter), then add milk and boil it to the required consistency. In addition to the basic ingredients, various spices, cheese, cream or broth are often added. Next, we’ll look at recipes for the most popular dishes with pasta and Bechamel sauce.
Classic Bechamel sauce recipe
White Bechamel is served with various dishes. For example for lasagna or pasta.
Cooking process
To begin, pour a couple of tablespoons of water into the pan. When it warms up, add the minced meat. Stir the mixture constantly to prevent it from sticking together. When the liquid has evaporated and the minced meat has changed color, transfer the meat base to a bowl.
Heat a little oil in a frying pan. Peel the onion and garlic and finely chop. Fry both ingredients until soft.
Tomatoes are peeled and cut into cubes. Add them to the onion and turn down the heat. Simmer for at least eight minutes until the liquid evaporates.
Melt the butter, add flour, fry, stirring, but not until brown. Then milk is introduced in a thin stream. After boiling, reduce the heat to low.
During the cooking process, the mixture for pasta with minced meat and bechamel sauce must be constantly stirred to prevent lumps from appearing. When the mass becomes thicker, remove it from the stove.
You may be interested in: How to cook pork schnitzels. Pasta is stuffed with minced meat and vegetables. The main thing is that the filling has cooled, otherwise the pasta may crack. Also, do not stuff them too tightly.
Place the pasta tightly in a baking dish and pour in the sauce. Cook for about twenty minutes at a temperature of 200 degrees. Then sprinkle with cheese and bake for another ten minutes.
The finished cannelloni can come together and are carefully divided into portions. You can serve minced pasta with bechamel sauce with fresh vegetables or herbs.
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Spaghetti with Bechamel sauce
The dish is prepared very simply and tastes just as good as its restaurant counterparts. All you have to do is prepare the sauce, boil the spaghetti, add fresh vegetables to the dish - and you’re ready for a delicious lunch for the whole family.
Ingredients:
- 400 g spaghetti;
- 0.3 liters of full-fat milk;
- 3 tbsp. oils;
- 1-2 tbsp. regular flour;
- a little salt and nutmeg.
Cooking time: 40 minutes.
Calorie content per 100 grams: 171.1 kcal.
- Place a piece of butter in a thick-walled bowl. Beat it with flour to get the consistency of wet sand.
- Then pour in hot milk in portions, without ceasing to work with the mixer. Place the saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes.
- As soon as the contents begin to boil, add spices.
- In another container, boil water with salt and, following the instructions on the package, boil the products. Drain them through a colander to drain all the liquid.
- Place a portion of hot pasta on a plate, pour over the sauce, and serve.
Bechamel sauce: how to prepare and what to replace it with
Bechamel sauce has been around since early childhood. In old Soviet books “On Tasty and Healthy Food,” among other sauces, bechamel is number one. In those days, all the girls who wanted to surprise their family with a tasty, healthy or even sweet dish began by preparing Bechamel sauce.
Historical sketch
Bechamel sauce has been known for quite some time. The first mention of a similar dish was five hundred years ago, and it was prepared by Italians. And Catherine de Medici brought the recipe for béchamel sauce to France.
Since ancient times in Italy, bechamel had a different name and consisted mostly of white bread, water and spicy spices.
In the 16th century, at the court of Louis XIV, the smooth white sauce began to be called “bechamel.”
The credit for the worldwide spread of the sauce goes to the court chamberlain Marquis de Bechamel, who slightly changed the composition, adding milk and sautéed shallots instead of water. But the thickness of the sauce (by frying the flour) was added by the king’s famous chef, de la Varenne. Since then, Bechamel sauce has been named after the Marquise, and in its original form it is prepared in Varennese style.
For a very long time it was believed that bechamel was a sauce available only to a privileged society. Therefore, it was used only in noble houses of Europe.
Bechamel also took root in Tsarist Russia in the eighteenth century, when it was fashionable to speak, dress and cook in the French manner. Yes, and in order to earn extra money, numerous French chefs turned to Russian bread.
It was then that classic bechamel finally began to be used as a sauce and established itself as the basis for variations of completely different sauces.
What is bechamel
This is a brilliantly simple and versatile sauce consisting of four main ingredients:
- flour, fried until golden brown;
- oils;
- milk;
- spices
It is even included in the culinary collection for the dietary menu of hospitals and is served as a gravy for cutlets, baked fish and pasta (spaghetti).
A huge number of fantasies on the topic of bechamel allows you to get the maximum number of new original compositions. You don't have to know all the intricacies of culinary science to understand how to make bechamel sauce.
There is only one “BUT” - this sauce cannot be prepared without flour (it is the main thickener). In addition, you need to strictly follow the technology, but experiments with additives are welcome. What if you end up with a new masterpiece?
Well, let's try to make the famous Bechamel sauce ourselves.
Bechamel sauce recipe
Initially, we will try to prepare the sauce in the classic way, so that we have an idea of how to prepare bechamel sauce according to the rules and catch all the features. The calorie content of the dish is high, but how delicious it turns out!
To create bechamel at home, you need to prepare the following products:
- flour - 2 heaped tablespoons (flour must be of the highest grade);
- butter - a small piece of about 40-50 grams;
- drinking pasteurized milk - 0.5 liters (fat content not less than 3.2%);
- salt - at the end of the knife;
- ground black pepper - at your discretion.
Let's prepare a simple Bechamel sauce:
- Pour flour into a dry frying pan, stirring over low heat, heat until golden brown. The color of flour plays an important role in the taste of the dish. The more it burns, the darker the color and “nutty” taste of the product will become. But moderation is needed everywhere, don’t spoil the food! Let the prepared flour cool.
- Pour milk into a stainless or aluminum pan. It doesn’t matter what temperature it is, from the refrigerator or room temperature, the main thing is that it’s fresh, otherwise it will curdle when cooked. Pour the cooled flour into it. Beat the ingredients thoroughly until the mixture is free of lumps. Uniform consistency is the key to success! Here it is better to do without hand tools (whisk) - take a blender or mixer.
- Place the pan over low heat and cook, stirring constantly for seven to ten minutes.
- Cut the butter into four parts and add it one by one to the boiling mass, stirring it thoroughly. This procedure will take another two minutes.
- Remove the finished sauce from the stove, sprinkle with pepper and add salt. Stir again. The sauce should acquire a pleasant baked milk color and medium thickness. Served warm.
As you understand, you can thicken the composition by controlling the amount of flour added.
The homemade product can be stored for no more than a day in a tightly closed container (in the refrigerator).
You can eat literally anything with this sauce: Italian pasta, lasagna, Turkish moussaka, fish and meat delicacies, sandwiches and oven-cooked vegetables.
Bechamel sauce with mushrooms
In this version, be careful when choosing mushrooms. Champignons are considered the most suitable, with boletus mushrooms in second place. Frozen mushrooms are also suitable for this dish, but wild mushrooms, freshly picked, are more aromatic.
Ingredients:
- chicken eggs - 2 pieces;
- mushrooms - 100-150 gr.;
- butter - ¼ pack;
- wheat flour - 2-3 tbsp. spoons;
- mushroom broth - 1 cup (add a good cube);
- milk – 300 ml;
- dill – 2-4 sprigs;
- salt, pepper - to taste.
We will prepare it like this:
- We will carefully examine the mushrooms, clean and wash them if necessary. Boil in salted water for forty minutes (minimum). Then put them in a colander and rinse under running water. Let cool and chop finely.
- Wash the dill and chop finely.
- Fry the flour in a dry frying pan until it becomes beige. Be careful not to burn! Let's cool.
- Pour the milk into a saucepan and, having separated the whites from the yolks, use a mixer to beat the milk-yolk mixture. Pour in the prepared flour and beat again.
- Add broth. Mix everything and cook over low heat for about fifteen minutes. The mass should be homogeneous and of medium thickness.
- A minute before removing from the stove, add mushrooms, butter, salt, dill and pepper. Mix thoroughly.
It turns out very tasty if you serve bechamel sauce with mushrooms for cannelloni.
Bechamel with sour cream
Sauce with sour cream will complement stewed liver, chicken julienne and lasagne.
We need:
- 100 gr. sour cream (20-26%);
- 100 ml vegetable broth;
- 100 ml milk;
- 1 tbsp. l. oils;
- 3 tbsp. l. flour;
- salt - optional.
We follow the cooking order:
- We immediately deal with flour (calcinate it, as indicated above).
- When we get a golden hue, add oil to the frying pan. Stirring constantly, we get a thick mass.
- Then add sour cream and mix everything again, the mass becomes like cream, and it should be without lumps.
- Pour the milk and broth together, pour into the frying pan, quickly mix the cream and liquid (as if diluting). Let it simmer for five to six minutes, add some salt. Ready!
Sometimes the question arises, what to replace the broth with? You can just use water, or you can use only milk. It all depends on your preferences.
Bechamel with cheese
Prepare:
- hard cheese - 50 grams;
- flour - 2 tablespoons;
- milk - 300 milliliters (at least 1.5% fat);
- butter - 40 grams;
- onion - 1 head;
- ground pepper and salt - on the edge of a knife.
We conjure:
- Grate the cheese on a fine grater.
- Fry the flour using the same method, calcining it without oil. Leave until cool.
- Peel and wash the onion. Let's cut it very finely.
- Place a frying pan on low heat, add the oil and onion, then fry them. The onion will be ready when a specific pleasant smell appears and it turns yellow.
- Stir the flour in the milk and pour it into the fried onions. Cook for ten minutes until it thickens.
- Pour the grated cheese into the frying pan and move the contents around. When the cheese has dissolved, add salt and pepper.
Bechamel with cheese will become your favorite delicacy in combination with pasta, fish, especially low-fat fish, as well as meat and vegetable casseroles.
Bechamel for vegans and vegetarians
There are people who don't eat dairy products. We will try to offer a recipe for them, because it is also delicious without milk. It is not always cheap to replace certain products, and in this case you will have to spend some money.
So, we will need:
- 250 gr. cashews (very tasty sweetish nuts of interesting shape);
- 0.5 liters of boiled water;
- 1.5 tbsp. wheat flour;
- 2 tbsp. vegetable oil (refined sunflower or olive);
- a pinch of ground nutmeg and salt.
Cooking steps:
- Let’s “create” nut “milk”:
- Place the cashews in a separate container and soak for five to six minutes in boiling water;
- add hot water and place the nuts in the blender bowl. Pour the drained water here and pass the contents through a blender in two steps, bringing the liquid to its optimal state.
- In a non-stick pan, fry the flour in oil.
- Stirring thoroughly, pour in the “milk” and cook over low heat until the desired thickness. Before removing from the stove, add salt, nutmeg and pepper.
Bechamel sauce with tomato paste
This option differs not only in the addition of tomatoes, but also in the replacement of milk with cream. You will like this extraordinary dish with its pink color and pleasant sourness. Serve with pasta, grilled vegetables, meat and fish.
What you need to prepare:
- 300 ml cream;
- 2 tbsp. heaped spoons of flour;
- 1 medium onion;
- 2 tbsp. spoons of tomato paste;
- 1 tbsp. spoons of butter;
- 2 sprigs of dill;
- 1-2 cloves of garlic;
- salt and pepper - a little bit at a time.
We create:
- We prepare the flour using the dry method (frying without oil).
- Peel, wash and cut the onion and garlic into small cubes.
- Place oil, onion, garlic and tomato paste in a hot frying pan. Fry everything over low heat for ten minutes.
- Mix the cooled flour and cream, then pour this liquid into the pan, stirring. Cook until a thick mass is obtained.
- While the mixture is cooking, finely chop the dill.
- Sprinkle the finished dish with herbs.
Bechamel cake cream
Bechamel is not only a dressing for main courses, but also a sweet and delicate cream suitable for almost any cake. It goes great with puff pastry or shortbread pastries.
For the cream we take:
- egg - 2 pcs.;
- granulated sugar - 1.5 cups;
- butter - 200 g;
- milk - 350 g (it is better to take more fat content);
- premium wheat flour - 2 tbsp. spoons;
- vanillin - 1 sachet.
Preparation steps:
- Leave the butter to soften for an hour.
- Stir cold milk and flour in a saucepan and cook over low heat.
- While stirring, add half of the butter, cut into cubes, into the cream.
- When it becomes thick, let it cool.
- Separate the whites from the yolks.
- Beat the egg yolks with a mixer into a white foam with sugar. Add the remaining oil and beat everything again.
- Combine the milk and sweet ingredients using the same mixer. Let's flavor it with vanilla. Let's put it in the refrigerator.
Use the cream as a layer between the cakes. Store only in a closed container for no more than 72 hours in the refrigerator.
Source: https://sousec.ru/dlya-makaron/beshamel-klassicheskij-recept.html
Vermicelli with minced meat
Pasta with minced meat is a completely ordinary dish, but if you complement it with French Bechamel sauce, you get an exquisite, hearty dinner.
Ingredients:
- 0.45 kg vermicelli;
- 2 onions;
- 0.25 kg minced meat;
- 1 carrot;
- 45 g flour;
- 1 laurel;
- 2 tbsp. sunflower oil;
- 1-2 pinches of salt;
- 45 g butter;
- 250 ml milk.
Cooking time: half an hour.
Calorie content: 119 kcal.
- Peel and chop the carrots and one onion. Sauté vegetables in vegetable oil until soft. Place the minced meat in a frying pan, stir, fry until done for 5-10 minutes. While frying, season the meat with salt and pepper.
- In another saucepan, boil the vermicelli, place in a colander, and strain off excess liquid. Transfer the vermicelli to the pan, add the minced meat and vegetables, and mix.
- For the base of the white sauce, bring the milk to a boil, adding bay leaves and one whole peeled onion. Set the boiling milk aside and leave for 10 minutes. Then we take out the onion with a bay leaf.
- Heat the oil in a saucepan, add flour, stir and heat the mixture for several minutes, stirring all the time.
- Reduce heat, pour milk into the saucepan in a thin stream, stirring constantly. As soon as the sauce begins to boil down, add spices, stir and set aside.
- Pasta can be served in a common dish, poured thickly with sauce. Or you can divide it into portioned plates and serve the warm sauce separately.
Cooking process
To begin, pour a couple of tablespoons of water into the pan. When it warms up, add the minced meat. Stir the mixture constantly to prevent it from sticking together. When the liquid has evaporated and the minced meat has changed color, transfer the meat base to a bowl.
Heat a little oil in a frying pan. Peel the onion and garlic and finely chop. Fry both ingredients until soft.
Tomatoes are peeled and cut into cubes. Add them to the onion and turn down the heat. Simmer for at least eight minutes until the liquid evaporates.
Melt the butter, add flour, fry, stirring, but not until brown. Then milk is introduced in a thin stream. After boiling, reduce the heat to low.
During the cooking process, the mixture for pasta with minced meat and bechamel sauce must be constantly stirred to prevent lumps from appearing. When the mass becomes thicker, remove it from the stove.
Pasta is stuffed with minced meat and vegetables. The main thing is that the filling has cooled, otherwise the pasta may crack. Also, do not stuff them too tightly.
Place the pasta tightly in a baking dish and pour in the sauce. Cook for about twenty minutes at a temperature of 200 degrees. Then sprinkle with cheese and bake for another ten minutes.
The finished cannelloni can come together and are carefully divided into portions. You can serve minced pasta with bechamel sauce with fresh vegetables or herbs.
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Unusual stuffed pasta
An original and at the same time simple dish will captivate guests with its unusual presentation and delicate taste.
Ingredients:
- 250 g large hollow pasta (cannelloni, shells, feathers);
- 400 g minced meat;
- 1 carrot;
- 300 ml heavy cream;
- 1 onion;
- 10 g nutmeg;
- 2 tbsp. wheat flour;
- 30 g butter;
- a pinch of black pepper and salt.
Calorie content: 228 kcal.
- First, place a saucepan with some water on the burner, add a pinch of salt, and wait until it boils. Place the pasta in boiling water and cook it a little until it is al dente. Place in a colander, be sure to rinse with cold water and let cool.
- Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Peel and chop the vegetables. We send them to fry in butter for about five minutes. To avoid burning, stir the fry constantly.
- Add minced meat and spices to taste to the prepared vegetables. Having mixed everything, we continue cooking for another quarter of an hour until the meat is cooked and all the juices have evaporated.
- Take the pasta and loosely fill it with the filling. Place the stuffed pasta in a fireproof dish.
- Now all that remains is to prepare the Bechamel in which the pasta will be baked. Add flour to a frying pan with melted butter. Mix everything vigorously, brew the flour until slightly golden brown. Now pour in the warm cream, stirring the mixture thoroughly with a whisk.
- Add the spices, mix, and cook the sauce for a couple more minutes. Remove the thickened sauce from the stove and pour it into the stuffed pasta in the mold.
- Place the dish in the oven for 25 minutes, bake at 170 degrees. When the top is browned and a pleasant smell appears, the dish is ready. We decorate it with herbs and serve it hot.
Pasta casserole with meat and tomatoes
Ingredients:
- 500 g spaghetti;
- 3-4 tomatoes;
- 500 g minced meat;
- 0.8 liters of fresh milk;
- 1-2 onions;
- 2 sprigs of fresh herbs;
- 1-2 garlic cloves;
- 50 g butter;
- 80 g flour;
- a little salt, black pepper and sunflower oil.
Cooking time: 1 hour.
Calorie content: 168 kcal.
- Peel the onions, rinse, fry a little in sunflower oil. Add the minced meat to the fry, divide it with a spatula into small fragments, and mix. Simmer everything for 7-10 minutes under the lid.
- In the meantime, wash the tomatoes, put them in boiling water and then immediately into ice water, after making cuts on the skin. Remove the peel, cut the pulp into bars and add to the meat. Season the meat to taste with spices and chopped garlic.
- Boil the pasta until almost done. We drain them through a colander, but do not rinse them.
- To prepare the sauce, melt the butter over low heat. Add sifted flour to liquid boiling oil. Stir vigorously until the roux is completely brewed and stops emitting the characteristic “raw” smell.
- Now slowly pour in the heated milk, using a whisk to achieve a uniform consistency. Reduce the sauce, add salt to taste and set aside.
- Grease a refractory dish with oil, lay out the spaghetti, soak it with half of the Bechamel sauce. Spread the meat filling on top in an even layer and fill it with the rest of the sauce.
- Bake the dish at 180-200 degrees for 25 minutes until the top is golden. Before serving, sprinkle the casserole with chopped herbs and cut into portions. Bon appetit everyone!
- If the sauce is not as thick as you would like, you can add a little flour and cook for another minute. If, on the contrary, Bechamel is thicker than necessary, then you can dilute it with hot milk or cream.
- To prevent a thick film from forming on the sauce after cooling, it is necessary to place cling film directly on the surface.
- Bechamel can be stored in the refrigerator for several days. To do this, pour the remaining sauce with a small amount of dissolved butter. It forms a film on the surface, preventing it from drying out and weathering.
The video shows how to prepare a delicious pasta casserole with meat:
Pasta with bechamel sauce is a win-win option for a quick and satisfying meal, a home party or a cozy date. This Italian delicacy is easy to prepare and goes harmoniously with a variety of ingredients and savory spices.
Restaurant delights. Spaghetti with mild dressing
Silky and creamy, this French dish is made with delicious pasta, creamy sauce and roasted chicken. The delicious treat is topped with melted mozzarella.
Products used:
- 290 g spaghetti;
- 150 g chicken fillet;
- 90 g mozzarella;
- 2 tablespoons flour;
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg;
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder;
- 220 ml milk;
- black pepper, basil.
Cooking process:
- For pasta with béchamel sauce, boil water, season with salt and pepper, and cook spaghetti according to package instructions.
- Cut the chicken fillet into neat slices, fry in olive oil with spices.
- Cook the tender fillet for 3-4 minutes on each side, set the aromatic component aside.
- Using the same pan you cooked the meat in, add the butter and melt it over medium heat.
- Once the butter is melted, add the flour and beat for 30 seconds.
- Heat the milk in a small saucepan or gradually pour it into the pan.
- Season with nutmeg, beat the fragrant mixture for 1-2 minutes until the cream thickens.
Season the finished pasta with bechamel sauce, add delicious pieces of fried chicken and chopped mozzarella. If desired, use seafood (shrimp, tuna, salmon) instead of chicken. Decorate with remaining spices, ripe tomatoes, and fresh lettuce leaves.
The nuances of French cooking. How to prepare bechamel?
Even novice cooks and inexperienced gourmets can cope with a simple recipe for an exquisite addition to dishes. All you need is a minimum of ingredients and gastronomic inspiration.
Products used:
- 2 tablespoons butter;
- 1.5 tbsp. l. flour;
- 230 ml warm milk;
- chopped garlic, oregano;
- thyme, marjoram.
Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour and spices. Cook for 2-3 minutes, constantly whisking the mixture. Gradually pour in the milk and simmer over low heat for 1-4 minutes.
Simple and delicious! Pasta recipe with bechamel sauce
Vary the classic dressing with a tomato component. A harmonious combination of two ingredients will provide an appetizing companion to pasta. The delicacy is additionally baked in the oven.
Products used:
- 190 g spaghetti;
- 110 g chicken fillet;
- 85 g grated cheese;
- 200 ml tomato sauce;
- nutmeg.
Cooking process:
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
- Cook the pasta and prepare the bechamel sauce in a separate container.
- Mix tomato paste with creamy dressing.
- Slice the chicken fillet and fry in a frying pan until crispy.
- Carefully place the pasta into the baking dish.
Spread bechamel sauce and chicken evenly over pasta. Top with a scattering of grated cheese and additionally season with nutmeg. Bake the treat for 8-13 minutes.
This true “Frenchman” has his own cooking secrets. Only by following them can you prepare real bechamel, which became popular back in the 17th century. It perfectly complements the overall taste of dishes made from meat, fish, vegetables and eggs. Bechamel sauce can be recreated at home - we offer recipes for different situations.
Cooking process
To begin, pour a couple of tablespoons of water into the pan. When it warms up, add the minced meat. Stir the mixture constantly to prevent it from sticking together. When the liquid has evaporated and the minced meat has changed color, transfer the meat base to a bowl.
Heat a little oil in a frying pan. Peel the onion and garlic and finely chop. Fry both ingredients until soft.
Tomatoes are peeled and cut into cubes. Add them to the onion and turn down the heat. Simmer for at least eight minutes until the liquid evaporates.
Melt the butter, add flour, fry, stirring, but not until brown. Then milk is introduced in a thin stream. After boiling, reduce the heat to low.
During the cooking process, the mixture for pasta with minced meat and bechamel sauce must be constantly stirred to prevent lumps from appearing. When the mass becomes thicker, remove it from the stove.
Pasta is stuffed with minced meat and vegetables. The main thing is that the filling has cooled, otherwise the pasta may crack. Also, do not stuff them too tightly.
Place the pasta tightly in a baking dish and pour in the sauce. Cook for about twenty minutes at a temperature of 200 degrees. Then sprinkle with cheese and bake for another ten minutes.
The finished cannelloni can come together and are carefully divided into portions. You can serve minced pasta with bechamel sauce with fresh vegetables or herbs.
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Who gave the world the classic dressing?
It is still not known exactly who came up with the original dressing for the dishes. The discovery of the delicate sauce is most often attributed to Louis de Béchamel, manager of the kitchen of Louis XIV. However, there is no evidence that the main financier of His Majesty’s court dabbled in culinary delights and experiments. It is possible that the sauce was prepared by a chef who combined cream and veloute sauce from tender veal to enrich the dried cod dish. And later he named his culinary discovery in honor of Louis de Bechamel as a token of gratitude for the service rendered by the latter.
Be that as it may, today bechamel sauce is an ideal addition to meat and fish main courses and the best basis for preparing popular white sauces: mornay (with Parmesan), nantois (custard cream with delicate crab butter); soubise (cream and onion), etc. In addition, the classic French sauce is served with vegetables and lasagne. But it should not be considered an absolutely universal dressing and should not be used instead of mayonnaise and sour cream in salads.
True French bechamel is easy to prepare at home. All you need is to follow the correct proportions of ingredients and technology.
Pasta casserole with bechamel sauce and cheese in the oven
Casserole is a pasta dish with creamy sauce and cheese that is perfect for a home-cooked lunch or dinner. Macaroni goes well with bechamel sauce and cheese.
This dish is quite high in calories and filling. It is prepared simply and from the simplest ingredients. Both adults and children will like this casserole; children eat it with pleasure. This dish is self-sufficient; I think it is unnecessary to serve meat or fish with it. The only thing I would recommend for this casserole is a light vegetable salad. It will perfectly complement pasta and sauce.
Homemade béchamel sauce: recipe from Auguste Escoffier
The famous French chef, creator of the Culinary Guide, assures that real bechamel can only be prepared using milk.
Ingredients:
- 150 g flour;
- 150 g butter;
- 2.5 liters of boiled cold milk;
- 150 g veal;
- 2 small onions;
- sprig of thyme;
- a pinch of nutmeg;
- pepper, salt.
Preparation:
- Place the boiled milk on the stove to heat.
- Meanwhile, prepare the flour gravy. Melt the butter in a frying pan, add flour and fry with continuous stirring. Be careful not to burn it. For high-quality results, use only a natural product made from whole milk, without animal fat substitutes.
- It is better to stew the veal with onions in advance, and then add to the rest of the ingredients. Cut the meat into small cubes and place in a frying pan in hot oil. Fry over high heat until browned, add separately fried onion. Pour in a little water so that it reaches half of the meat pieces, add a sprig of thyme, salt and pepper and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes with the lid closed.
- Add flour fried in butter to hot milk. Wait for the sauce to boil (while stirring everything vigorously), add the stew with spices and simmer on the lowest heat for exactly 1 hour. 10 minutes before the end of cooking, add nutmeg to the semi-finished sauce.
Bechamel sauce: recipe for lasagna
The traditional Italian dish goes perfectly with white bechamel sauce, the classic recipe of which can be slightly modified by adding additional ingredients.
Ingredients:
- 75 g butter;
- 1 small onion;
- 3 tbsp. l. flour;
- 400 ml milk;
- salt, allspice, black;
- garlic, herbs optional;
- a pinch of nutmeg.
Preparation:
- Finely chop the onion and fry until transparent.
- Add the flour little by little into the melted butter in the frying pan. Stir the mixture constantly to ensure that the lumps are completely dissolved. Then add the onion.
- Heat the mixture over low heat until it turns golden. Don't forget to mix the ingredients.
- Pour hot milk into the fried mass in a thin stream and stir constantly.
- Add seasonings, reduce to desired consistency and remove sauce pan from heat.
Bechamel sauce for pasta: recipe with photo
If you plan to serve pasta with veal or white meat, be sure to prepare bechamel with sour cream.
Ingredients:
- 80 g flour;
- 5 tbsp. l. sour cream;
- 1 tbsp. vegetable broth;
- 50 g butter;
- salt, spices.
Preparation:
- Melt the butter in a frying pan and gently stir in the flour. Fry over low heat, stirring constantly.
- When the mass becomes homogeneous and there are no lumps left, add sour cream, salt, your favorite seasonings and broth.
- Keep the sauce on the stove until it reaches the consistency you want. The longer the dressing warms up, the thicker it becomes.
- If desired, you can add fried champignons, finely chopped dill or fried sweet salad onions to the sauce.
Bechamel sauce is considered not only an almost universal dressing for dishes, but also the basis for many original white sauces. Don't be afraid to experiment and create your own recipes, adding additional ingredients, changing the consistency and cooking technology. Who knows, maybe your name will go down in culinary history just like the name of Louis de Bechamel.