Italian bechamel sauce (besciamella) is a smooth and creamy Italian white sauce made from butter, flour, nutmeg and a little Parmesan cheese. This creamy Italian sauce is so easy to make and our favorite way to use it is to make a traditional lasagne al forno or rigatoni al forno.
Italian bechamel sauce, originally called salsa colla (or glue sauce, is what Italians use to hold sheets of pasta together, and to make a traditional Italian lasagna. It is also used for macaroni and cheese, as a sauce to pour over cooked vegetables or for cannelloni, another classic Italian recipe.
Many Italians believe that their besciamella was the first bechamel sauce and that they invented it, not the French. It is known through old cookbooks that Catherine Medici's chefs used this sauce in their cooking when she lived in Florence. The debate continues and the uses of the sauce in both cultures holds strong.
What You Will Need
- Unsalted butter
- All-purpose flour
- Whole milk: Make sure you are using whole milk for this besciamella recipe.
- Nutmeg
- Kosher salt and pepper
- Parmesan cheese: Make sure to use real parmigiano reggiano
Traditional bechamel does not have Parmesan cheese but I always add it to my sauce to add a little extra creaminess and flavor.
How to make Italian Bechamel Sauce
- Melt the butter: The first thing you want to do is melt your butter in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Once the butter is melted, \add the flour and let it cook for a few minutes.
- Whisk flour: Cooking the flour will help get rid of the raw flour flavor. The flour and butter mixture will thicken when it is towards the end of cooking like in the picture below.
- Add hot milk: Once you see the flour and butter mixture get nice and thick, it is time to add the hot milk. You want to whisk constantly while adding the milk and keep whisking until the milk is fully incorporated into the mixture. The key is it to make sure you have no lumps.
- Add seasonings: Once you are done whisking the milk into the flour-butter mixture, your sauce should start to look creamy. I like to turn the heat off at this point and add the Parmesan, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Just whisk until the cheese is melted into the sauce. Once this happens, your besciamella is done!
Tips for working with this Italian White Sauce
- Avoiding a skin on top: When this white sauce cools it can form a thin skin. This is not very attractive so here is what I like to do to avoid a skin on my bechamel sauce: Once I am done making the besciamella, I remove it from the heat and place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the sauce. You want to make sure the plastic wrap touches the sauce which prevents air from touching the sauce and forming a skin.
- Getting the perfect bechamel consistency: A perfect white sauce is a careful measurement of flour, butter and milk like in this recipe. The consistency will be a thicker pourable sauce. To thin it back out to a pourable consistency, whisk in a little more milk.
- Use a gentle heat: This sauce is cooked over a medium low heat not a boil. Having patience will pay off when making this sauce.
- Whisk, don't stir! There is lots of whisking to get this white sauce to a perfect creamy consistency.
Recipe Faqs
No. A bechamel sauce is flour, butter and milk with seasonings sometimes added. A traditional Alfredo sauce is made with cream and butter and a modern Alfredo sauce is made with cream, butter and parmesan, and no flour.
This white sauce tastes slightly nutty and buttery and has a delicate flavor that it adds to dishes.
Storing
If you want to make this ahead of time, let it cool, pour it into a container or a jar with a lid, and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
The sauce will thicken when refrigerated. To thin it back out, remove it from the fridge then pour it into a small saucepan, and reheat on low heat for a few minutes until it loosens.
More Italian Recipes You May Like
- Baked Italian Sausage
- Italian American Meat Sauce
- Ricotta Lemon Cookies
- Ricotta Pie
- Tuscan Beans and Tomatoes
- Ground Pork Meat Sauce
Italian Bechamel Sauce
Ingredients
Besciamella sauce
- 2 ¼ cups whole milk
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 4 tablespoon all purpose flour
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan
- ⅛ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- a few swirls of freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Besciamella Sauce
- In a medium sauce pan heat milk over medium heat until it just reaches a light simmer then turn off the heat and set aside.2 ¼ cups whole milk
- In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.4 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Reduce the heat to medium low heat and add flour and whisk into the butter and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often.4 tablespoon all purpose flour
- Now add the warm milk one ladle full at a time while mixing it into the flour and butter mixture.
- Keep adding one ladle at a time and mixing until all of the milk is used.
- Now add Parmesan, nutmeg, salt and pepper.¼ cup grated Parmesan, ⅛ teaspoon grated nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt, a few swirls of freshly ground black pepper
- Remove from the heat and add a piece of plastic wrap over the besciamella making sure to lightly press the plastic wrap on to the surface of the sauce to prevent a film from forming.
Kira says
we used this in a lasagna recipe and it was perfect. Def. trying your classic lasagna recipe next!
kisitalian says
So glad to hear that!
Jackie says
I just made this for a dish . It is in credible right out of the sauce pan. I can’t wait to eat it with the manicotti.
kisitalian says
So glad you love it Jackie. You know it will add great flavor to the meal 🙂
Anna says
I made your béchamel sauce to go over my lasagna this evening and it was delicious. Thank you for sharing.
kisitalian says
Thank you Anna! I am so glad you enjoyed it 🙂