Béchamel sauce is a simple white sauce made from a “roux” typically made with butter,white flour and whole milk. Here, I get rid of the saturated fats and make it with regular “smart balance” spread instead of butter, skim milk or unsweetened soy milk instead of whole milk, and whole wheat pastry flour, instead of plain white flour to add fiber. It is so versatile–I use it to make my Creamy Spinach Artichoke Dip , my luscious Creamy Spinach Artichoke Lasagna and 10-Veggies Lasagna as well; it’s also perfect for my Sneaky Macaroni and Cheese and any of my Simply veggie recipes “au gratin”, including my latest: Kabocha Squash Gratin… YUM!
Béchamel sauce
* you can use the same amount of unsweetened soy milk instead, if you prefer.
Author: Catherine Katz
Serves: about 3 cups
Ingredients
- 2¾ cups skim milk*
- 3 Tbsp regular smart balance
- ⅓ cup whole wheat pastry flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- pinch of nutmeg
- fresh ground pepper
Instructions
- Place milk in a glass measuring cup and place in microwave oven on high for 2 minutes and set aside.
- In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the smart balance over medium heat. Add the whole wheat pastry flour and whisk briskly for a few seconds to form a paste.
- Slowly add the hot milk to the flour mixture, a little bit at a time, while continuing to whisk until evenly combined and smooth, each time before adding more milk (so you will not get lumps or “grumeaux”), keep at it until all the milk has been poured in (it will be very thin and liquid-y at this point, and that’s OK! it will thicken as it continues to cook). You can stop stirring at this point.
- Add the salt and nutmeg and continue to cook until it comes to a boil and the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 8-10 minutes.
What can I sub for the whole wheat pastry flour to make it gluten free? In fact, it would be wonderful if you included a substitute in recipes that call for wheat for those who stay away from gluten.
Thanks much,
Susan
Hi Susan, I suppose you could try rice flour but I haven’t tried. Remember, these are recipes I make for my family and for us, it’s best to use wholegrain flours for their nutrition. I have a lot of recipes that happen to be gluten free when I use almond flour or polenta, for their wonderful taste and texture, so you can always put “gluten-free” in the search bar and they will come up. Meanwhile, I would love to know how the bechamel sauce works out with the rice flour if you try it, so please let me know and I’ll share it with others who are also gluten-sensitive.
I am making this veggie lasagna for Christmas dinner and will be making this sauce using GF flour, will post to let you know how it turns out! Diary free and gluten free are what both my daughters eat.
Hi Joanne! I am crossing my fingers for you with GF flour as I have never tried it! I take it you will be using gluten-free lasagna noodles too–is there a brand you particularly like–I have yet to find some that I like? Will you be adding dairy free cheese for the top? Please do let me know! I am a little worried about all these changes for such a special dinner!
I am so excited about your website, Catherine! Just that little hint about the flour will be a great tip for me. I’m going to make SOMETHING from your ideas in the next 24 hours…
I really enjoyed meeting you and your exceptional husband and family (well, part of them, anyhow). You certainly do “walk the (nutrition) walk!”
YAY Daphne!!! It was truly a delight to meet you and your husband! What a conference that was! I am in the process of wring a post about it but want to run it by David first to make sure I didn’t forget or overtake anything!!! I am thrilled to have inspired you! A BIG WELCOME to our table!!
what is pastry flour? Is that just regular flour?
Hi Robin,
It is not regular flour, rather it is whole wheat pastry flour–You will find it in the health section of your supermarket– It is milled from soft wheat rather than the hard red wheat in whole wheat flour. I love to use it for my béchamel sauce because it is just as rich in fiber as whole wheat flour but more “delicate” in taste and it is much better nutritionally than white flour.
Here are a couple brands I like:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/575897871074135957/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/575897871074135952/
I hope thesis helpful!
Do you have nutrition data for this sauce?
Unfortunately no, Terry!