175 bechamel recipes

Easy creamed spinach: a Pennsylvania-style side made by wilting fresh spinach in its own water, then folding it into a quick nutmeg-spiked bechamel. Seven ingredients, half an hour.

Four-cheese manicotti stuffed with ricotta, mozzarella, Romano, Parmesan, and walnuts, baked in a mushroom bechamel sauce until golden and bubbly. A rich vegetarian pasta bake.

Mirlitons farcis aux crevettes: stuffed chayote squash filled with a shrimp and bechamel filling, topped with cheddar breadcrumbs, and baked golden. A New Orleans Creole classic.

British-style seafood lasagne with haddock, cod, and prawns in a cheddar bechamel sauce with sweetcorn, hard-boiled eggs, and parsley. Baked golden for one hour.

Classic white lasagna with ground beef, homemade bechamel cream sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan layered with noodles and baked until bubbly. Comfort food with a creamy twist on the Italian original.

A rich beef and pork lasagna with a slow-braised ragu, a roasted butternut squash layer, and a quick creme fraiche white sauce instead of bechamel. A layered, deeply savory take on the classic.

Scalloped salmon or trout baked in shells with sauteed fennel, bacon, and a mustard béchamel. An old-school British fish starter with anise sweetness and smoky depth.

Baked pasta shells with mushroom cream: a lightened chicken-and-pasta casserole with peas, mushrooms, pimentos, and Parmesan breadcrumb topping. Cornstarch-thickened sauce means no heavy bechamel.

Macaroni meal-in-a-casserole with corn macaroni, diced ham, cheddar, peas, and olives in a creamy mustard-spiked bechamel. Retro one-pan dinner for busy weeknights.

Macaroni and cheese with cheddar crumbs builds a classic mustard-spiked cheddar bechamel over elbows, then crowns it with buttered fresh breadcrumbs and more cheddar before baking.

A layered vegetable lasagna with ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan, featuring both spinach and mixed vegetable fillings in a creamy béchamel sauce. Feeds eight in about an hour.

Cheesy fisherman's grill: canned salmon and fresh crab folded into a parsley-tomato béchamel, topped with parmesan, and broiled bubbling gold. A quick seafood gratin for two.

Belgian endive wrapped in ham and baked au gratin with a cheesy bechamel sauce, breadcrumbs, and fresh tomato slices. A classic Belgian comfort dish for dinner or an elegant appetizer.

Greek pastitsio layers tender pasta with a cinnamon-and-allspice spiced beef sauce under a creamy feta-and-parmesan bechamel. The Mediterranean baked pasta that eats like a warmly spiced Greek lasagna.

Creamed cucumbers boil cucumbers tender, then toss in a paprika-spiked béchamel of butter, flour, and milk. A vintage Scandinavian-leaning side dish for fish and roast pork.

Jerusalem artichoke gratin layered under a creamy goat cheese bechamel, dusted with breadcrumbs and baked golden for a French bistro side dish that comes together in an hour.