Known today for being one of the most iconic ingredients in the classic lasagne, béchamel sauce has a slightly murky history. Some believe that this delicious, creamy concoction was the work of Louis de Béchamel, chief steward to King Louis XIV of France. However, others claim that the sauce was first invented in Italy in the mid-sixteenth century and later travelled to France.
Assuming that the Italian origins of béchamel are indeed true, the name is thought to come from the word ‘balsamo’, literally meaning balm. This referred to a mask made from flour and water which women applied to their faces to make their skin smoother and more beautiful, and these are the same ingredients that were used in the earliest béchamel sauce recipe.
The sauce that we tend to find in lasagne now, known also as white sauce, has a few more ingredients than just flour and water, it usually contains butter and milk too, and sometimes even a little bit of cheese, making it deliciously rich and creamy. Follow our simple recipe to whip up the perfect homemade béchamel to be layered inside your favourite lasagne.
Or, if you don't have the time to cook a lasagne from scratch, why not order one of our ready-to-eat takeaways or ready-to-cook recipe boxes, with a range of lasagne variations available to try.
Our béchamel sauce recipe
Serves: 4-6
Makes about 500ml
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Calories per serving: 206 kcal
Ingredients
- 500ml milk
- 50g butter
- 50g plain flour
- Generous pinch grated nutmeg
- Salt and pepper, to season
Method
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan and then add the flour and mix to form a paste.
- Slowly add the milk to the pan, stirring through to combine with the flour paste, and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Use a balloon whisk to ensure all the flour and melted butter has been incorporated into the sauce and there are no lumps left in the mixture.
- Add a generous pinch of grated nutmeg and season with salt and pepper.
- Stir the béchamel sauce until it begins to thicken and become glossy.
- Layer the sauce inside your lasagne, cook and serve. Buon appetito!
Looking for inspiration? Check out our lasagne page to see some of our tastiest lasagne recipes or try your hand at making fresh lasagne sheets from scratch.
Alternatively, if you're looking for a vegan béchamel recipe, check out our recipe.
Our favourite recipes with béchamel
Authentic Italian beef ragù lasagne
Originating from Ancient Rome, lasagne is cherished by food-lovers worldwide. Many are familiar with the traditional lasagne alla bolognese, which combines a rich beef ragu with tomato sauce and a generous helping of cheese. However, nearly every region of Italy offers a different take on this classic dish. Our founder, Alessandro, fondly recalls enjoying lamb lasagne whilst growing up in Genova. There are also many delicious options for keen vegetarians. For instance, a Sicilian lasagne substitutes beef for roasted aubergine and ricotta salata (salted ricotta).
Indulgent wild mushroom lasagne
Lasagne has been enjoyed by Italians for centuries. The first record of lasagne dates back to Ancient Rome, but that primitive recipe is quite different from lasagne we know and love today: this initial recipe describes a flattened dough layered with cheese and spices and eaten using a pointed stick. In contrast to this primal-sounding dish, our sumptuous vegetarian lasagne layers earthy porcini and wild mushroom sauce between fresh sheets of pasta, and a healthy amount of Italian hard cheese.
Mushrooms have been integral to Italian cuisine for many years. Back in Ancient Rome, mushrooms were considered an expensive luxury. A philosopher of the time, Seneca, vowed to give them up in his attempt to purge anything non-essential, condemning the humble mushroom to be an “unnecessary luxury”. Thankfully today, any number of exotic and earthy mushrooms are readily available, including the prized porcini, which take centre stage in our delicious vegetarian lasagne recipe.
You might have noticed we like to use fresh lasagne sheets. They're simple to make, especially when following Chef Roberta's method:
Vegetarian aubergine lasagne
This sumptuous vegetarian aubergine lasagne recipe draws inspiration from the Sicilian pasta alla Norma. Named in honour of the famed opera ‘Norma’, written by Sicilian-born composer Vincenzo Bellini, Norma sauce features aubergines grown in the outskirts of Catania, a sun-drenched area in the east of Sicily.
In this vegetarian lasagne, our flavoursome aubergine sauce is layered with creamy béchamel, and sheets of fresh, homemade lasagne. Finished with a generous helping of Italian hard cheese, this vegetarian lasagne is a decadent twist on a Sicilian favourite
Lasagne with wild boar ragù
Wild boar (cinghiale in Italian) is commonly regarded as the unofficial mascot of Tuscany, causing mischief in the local vineyards scattered around the coastal region of Maremma. Eaten and revered in equal measure, Tuscans adore this rich meat - so much so, one of the region’s most iconic dishes, pici ai cinghiale, showcases tender wild boar.
Our sumptuous ragu sees the wild boar slowly simmered in a traditional bath of red wine, fragrant juniper berries and tomato until rich and tender. We layer this meaty ragù between fresh lasagne sheets and creamy besciamella sauce, for a luxuriant and gamey twist on the classic dish.
Spinach and ricotta lasagne
A flavour combination cherished by Italian natives and diners worldwide, our vegetarian lasagne recipe honours the humble but flavoursome spinaci e ricotta, or spinach and ricotta. From ravioli to malfatti, cannelloni to rotini, this creamy and vibrant pairing is commonplace in many famous pasta dishes from the peninsula. Rich in iron and other essential vitamins, spinach has been enjoyed in Italy for years – Catherine de Medici was said to love the leafy green, giving way to the ‘Florentine’ moniker associated with spinach-infused dishes. Its companion, ricotta, is made throughout Italy by resourceful caseificio (cheesemongers) - the term ‘ricotta’ literally means “re-cooked”, referencing the twice-cooked whey by-product that constitutes the cheese.
We combine these hero ingredients with nutmeg and fresh lemon, before layering this mixture between fresh lasagne sheets and creamy besciamella, and finishing with a generous scattering of vegetarian hard cheese.
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