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Pasta with bechamel sauce

Pasta with Béchamel Sauce

A delicious, delicate, and satisfying dish! Béchamel is a classic European sauce — wheat flour cooked in butter, then loosened with milk to a pourable sauce. It's traditionally served over pasta, so the dish stays moist with a silky, creamy gravy.

Snezhana

Recipe author

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Pasta

400

Milk

300

Butter

Wheat flour

Salt

Nutmeg

Ground black pepper

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 13 % 7 g

Fats 15 % 8 g

Carbohydrates 73 % 40 g

266 kcal

GI: 5 / 88 / 8

Cooking method

Cooking time: 40 min

Step 1:

Gather your ingredients. Any pasta works for this dish, preferably durum wheat. For the sauce, use whole milk — and make sure it's fresh so it doesn't curdle when heated.
Step 2:

Put a piece of butter in a heavy-bottomed pan (a saucepan or skillet) and melt it over medium heat.
Step 3:

Sift the wheat flour to keep out any debris and to minimize lumps in the finished sauce. Add the flour to the pan with the melted butter.
Step 4:

Cook it in the butter, stirring briskly with a spatula, until the flour looks like wet sand and turns a creamy color.
Step 5:

In a separate pot, warm the milk (but don't let it boil) and pour it into the pan in a thin stream, a little at a time, stirring constantly with the spatula. Simmer the mixture over low heat for about 10 minutes from the time it comes to a boil. You want the sauce smooth and lump-free; for extra smoothness, you can blend it or run a whisk through it.
Step 6:

Add spices to taste — nutmeg, ground black pepper, and salt — and stir, then turn off the heat. The sauce should have the consistency of pourable cream. Keep in mind it will thicken as it cools.
Step 7:

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in another pot. Pour in clean water, add a pinch of salt, bring it to a boil, and drop in the pasta. Stir right away, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for about 9 minutes from the time the water comes back to a boil.
Step 8:

Drain the pasta in a colander and rinse it with cold water so it doesn't stick together. Divide the pasta among plates and spoon the béchamel sauce over the top. Serve with fresh herbs and vegetables. Quick and simple as it is, this dish holds its own against any restaurant version. Enjoy!