Soup to Soufflé: 6 Ways to Use Béchamel

As we talked about last week, a creamy and rich béchamel sauce is a super handy thing to know how to make. Just look at all these ways we use it in our cooking!

• “Cream of...” Soups - Thin out the béchamel with a little more milk or some good stock and mix it with anything from mushrooms to chicken. You’ll never look at canned condensed soup the same way again.

• Lasagna - Béchamel is the glue that binds the layers of a classic lasagna. And by glue, of course we mean creamy, velvety, luscious sauce!

• Soufflé - Every good soufflé starts with a good béchamel. A healthy handful of cheese melted into the béchamel also helps, of course.

• Casseroles and Gratins - This is one of our favorite comfort foods during the colder months. Everything from tuna noodle casserole">tuna noodle casserole to vegetable pot pie can be made with a béchamel.

• Macaroni and Cheese - Add cheese to a base of bechamel to make the silkiest, richest mac n’ cheese you’ve ever experienced.

• White Sauce - Straight béchamel is so good spooned over biscuits! We fold in some sausage and slow-cooked onions for an extra-special Southern-style breakfast.

How do you use béchamel in your cooking?

(Image: Faith Durand)

Comments (3)

I used to work in a pub/B&B in England and we ladled a bechemel over avocado halves stuffed with crab meat, garnished with some Parmesan cheese and then baked for a few minutes under a broiler to brown the cheese a bit. Fast easy appetizer, and very popular.

I use it as a base for cream of tomato soup. Plain will do, but I usually add finely minced onion, a bit of brown sugar, and a dash of nutmeg when it's going to grow up to be tomato soup. Making it with brown butter is the very best.

A nice gratin is made with potatoes and poached eggs topped with bechemel sauce and surrounded by cooked greens. (This is called oeufs vert-pre.)