béchamel

noun

bé·​cha·​mel ˌbā-shə-ˈmel 

variants or béchamel sauce or less commonly bechamel or bechamel sauce

plural béchamels or béchamel sauces also bechamels or bechamel sauces

: a creamy white sauce made with milk, flour, and butter and often salt, pepper, and nutmeg

Prepare the béchamel with 1 oz. of butter, 2 tablespoonfuls of flour, and 1 1/2 pints of hot milk. Season it with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and let it cook for at least 15 minutes.

—Elizabeth David

Bechamel is … made of butter and flour, stirred over heat with milk and ground nutmeg until thick and savory.

—Patrick Evans-Hilton

Béchamel is the base for a number of creamy dishes, including gratins, macaroni and cheese, and creamed spinach.

—Rebecca Hays

We then added a filling of peas, tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, carrots and more ziti …, all held together with a béchamel sauce.

—Larry Edelson-Kayne

… a quick, easy recipe elevated by creamy and buttery bechamel sauce.

—The Fort Morgan (Colorado) Times (online)

Examples of béchamel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Ragu sauce and bechamel are fillers between each layer. —Irene S. Levine, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024

Bianca al Forno is a white lasagne with a classic bechamel base. —Kaila Yu, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024

No trendy or costly ingredients went into her one-pot dishes, no spices beyond salt and pepper, no sauces other than homemade bechamel, mayonnaise or vinaigrette whisked up quickly with a fork. —Jamie Schler, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024

A little leaning tower of lasagna features chestnut pasta and roasted chestnuts, bound in rich bechamel and cheese, hinting of speck (smoked ham) and scented with sage. —Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2023

Nutmeg is used to make classic bechamel sauce, which is frequently used in lasagna and other pasta dishes. —Marianne Williams, Southern Living, 16 Sep. 2023

The mac-n-cheese has an elevated pasta feel thanks to rigatoni noodles and a beefy bechamel sauce as its base. —Alex Darus, cleveland, 28 July 2023

Spring for the sumptuous conch fritters — near-liquid with bechamel and onion in the center and light and golden as the best tempura outside. —Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 17 May 2023

After your salad of choice, ponder entree options including mafalde pasta Bolognese and meatballs; handkerchief pasta stuffed with meat ragu, ricotta and mozzarella and baked in bechamel; or braised short ribs with rigatoni and vodka cream sauce. —Georgann Yara, The Arizona Republic, 16 May 2023

Word History

Etymology

French sauce béchamelle, from Louis de Béchamel †1703 French courtier

First Known Use

1789, in the meaning defined above