Béchamel Sauce is a staple in classic French cuisine. It is a dairy-based white sauce thickened with a butter and flour roux. It can be used on its own over pasta, or as the base in many other dishes.
Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add in flour and increase heat to medium. Whisk together and let cook for 2 minutes.
Slowly pour in milk, whisking to combine.
Bring to a simmer and whisk constantly while it heats. Just as it comes to a simmer, it will thicken up and should be just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Season by stirring in nutmeg, salt, and white pepper to taste. Serve hot.
Video
[yeetvid]
Notes
Cheesy bechamel sauce: make the sauce as directed and then finish by stirring in 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese until melted. Adjusting thickness: the recipe as written makes a medium-thick sauce that is perfect for general use like coating pasta. For a thin white sauce, reduce the butter and flour both to 2 tablespoons. For a super thick white sauce use up to 1/2 cup each of flour and butter.