Recipes with Bechamel Sauce: Our Favorite Options

Béchamel sauce is known as one of the French "mother sauces," from which so many others derive. That's because it's actually super basic, so don't be intimidated by its potentially pretentious-sounding origins.

Often known as white sauce colloquially in the United States, you actually only need butter, all-purpose flour, and milk to make a good béchamel.

Black pepper and/or nutmeg are optional finishing touches.

It's different than alfredo sauce, which is made with heavy cream and cheese, despite looking similar.

This creamy sauce goes with a wide array of dishes, which is exactly why you see it here on top of everything from fish to cauliflower. You could just dip some bread in it and treat it almost like queso, but it's arguably most popular in pasta. Especially lasagna, as this list reveals.

We're starting off the list with a recipe for the sauce itself because we figure it's good to have handy. 

Ever had Welsh rarebit? Now is your chance to explore.