Learn how to make a delicious béchamel sauce recipe that is perfect for lasagna. It's spread between layers of the pasta sheets and bolognese sauce. The step-by-step photos in this recipe guide you through the process of making a lump-free Italian-style besciamella.

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I have always loved homemade lasagna. And that was before attending culinary school in Italy and learning how to make truly authentic Italian lasagna. One of the key components of a delicious lasagna is a creamy and thick béchamel sauce. Lasagna originates from the region of Emilia Romagna in northern Italy, where this sauce is called besciamella.
Besciamella or béchamel is a creamy sauce that is used in place of ricotta. While ricotta is found in many lasagna recipes, a truly traditional lasagna uses béchamel.
In this recipe, you will learn not just how to make a perfect béchamel for lasagna, but also how to layer it in between the lasagna sheets to guarantee even distribution through the whole dish.
Trust me when I say that learning how to nail a delicious béchamel sauce is going to be a game changer in your lasagna game.
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What You'll Learn In This Recipe
- Why béchamel sauce on lasagna is traditional.
- The importance of thoroughly whisking the ingredients together.
- Why béchamel should be used as soon as possible.
If you loved learning how to make this béchamel sauce recipe, you have to check out my free eBook with 10 authentic Italian recipes you'll love.
Ingredients You Need
Béchamel requires just a handful of simple ingredients. You’ll be shocked by how tasty this dish is even with just a few ingredients.
- Whole milk: Whole milk will provide a thick and creamy béchamel sauce. I do not recommend using skim or low-fat milk for this béchamel because it will not turn out correctly without the extra fat.
- Nutmeg: Buy finely ground nutmeg or grate your own for this recipe.
- Butter: I suggest using unsalted butter for this sauce. If you only have salted butter, be sure to adjust the amount of salt you add later on.
- All-purpose flour: No need for special flour for this sauce. All-purpose flour is perfect for thickening this creamy sauce to give it a nice consistency. For a gluten-free friendly option, you can substitute the all-purpose flour for a gluten-free one-to-one flour. If you notice the flour is lumpy when you’re measuring it, sift the flour to ensure you do not get lumps.
- Salt: I always use Morton Kosher salt.
- Pepper: Finely ground black pepper is best for even distribution.
How To Make This Recipe
A properly made Italian béchamel is rich, creamy, and silky smooth without any lumps. I'm going to walk you step by step through how to make a perfect béchamel sauce for lasagna.
1. Grab a heavy-bottom saucepan and measure out all of your ingredients. Over medium heat, add the milk to the saucepan and let it heat until it is steaming.
2. This takes roughly 6 - 7 minutes. Once steaming, whisk in the nutmeg.
3. As you’re heating the milk, melt the butter over low heat in a separate pot.
4. Once the butter has completely melted, whisk in the flour.
5. Continue to whisk for about 2 minutes to cook out the flour taste. Keep the heat on low for this part.
If the milk heats before the butter has melted, turn the heat down to low on the milk.
6. After two minutes, turn the heat to medium and gradually ladle in the hot milk while whisking constantly. The constant whisking helps to prevent the flour from clumping up.
7. Continue to cook the béchamel until it thickens. You will know the béchamel has reached the ideal thickness when the consistency is similar to a queso cheese dip.
8. Taste the béchamel and season with salt and pepper as needed.
9. Now it’s time to make the lasagna. Start by spreading a layer of béchamel in a 13” x 9” (33 x 23 cm) baking dish.
Top the béchamel with a layer of lasagna pasta sheets. Then, spread a layer of the Bolognese ragu sauce over the pasta sheets, followed by another layer of béchamel sauce on the lasagna.
Top this with parmesan cheese.
Repeat the process 2 more times, starting with the pasta and ending with parmesan, for a total of 3 layers. Make sure all of the pasta is completely covered with the bolognese sauce and béchamel to ensure the pasta sheets fully cook.
10. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Cook at 375º F (190º C) for 45 minutes.
Remove the aluminum foil and allow the lasagna to cook for an extra 15 - 20 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and brown.
Before serving, let the lasagna rest on your stovetop for 15 minutes so the sauce doesn't run everywhere when you cut into the lasagna.
Expert Tips
- If you make a double batch, the béchamel will take longer to thicken after the milk and flour are incorporated.
- If the béchamel sits for an extended period, a skin will begin to form over the top. To prevent this, you can ladle warm ghee (clarified butter) over the surface of the sauce to prevent this skin from forming. I would suggest making the béchamel right before you're ready to start assembling the lasagna if you want to avoid this extra step.
- Be extremely aware while combining the ingredients for this béchamel. If you aren’t whisking constantly or are distracted, you will have a high chance of getting clumps in your béchamel.
Recipe FAQs
There are a few ways to avoid lumps:
- Fully whisk the butter and flour together.
- Make sure the milk is warm.
- Continue to whisk the béchamel the entire time you're adding the milk.
- Add the milk gradually and whisk out any lumps before adding more milk.
Whisk the sauce vigorously, especially in the corners of the pan where lumps tend to form. Pay attention to the edges and the bottom of the pan. Keep stirring the sauce until it reaches the desired thickness. Constant stirring helps prevent lumps from forming. Worst case scenario, you can strain the sauce through a mesh strainer (Chinois) lined with cheesecloth to get rid of the lumps.
As long as you added the proper measurements in the recipe, you should just need to cook the béchamel longer. It can take some time for the mixture to thicken, so keep watching it and stirring. The sauce will eventually get thicker.
Yes, however, the ratios will vary slightly. You can use the béchamel sauce in this vegetarian lasagna recipe if you wish to make a sauce with cheese.

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Béchamel For Lasagna
Equipment
Ingredients
For Béchamel Sauce
- 6 cups whole milk
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Morton kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
For Lasagna
- 12 lasagna pasta sheets (10 ounces if using dried pasta sheets)
- 7 cups Bolognese ragu sauce
- 2 ½ cups finely shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions
For Béchamel Sauce
- Cook milk in a heavy bottom saucepan over medium heat stirring occasionally until steaming, about 6 - 7 minutes. Whisk in nutmeg.
- In a separate pot, melt butter over low heat. Once completely melted, whisk in flour and cook while whisking for 2 minutes. Turn heat to medium and gradually ladle in the hot milk while whisking constantly to prevent lumps.
- Continue to cook until the bechamel thickens and no lumps remain. Season with salt and pepper.
For Lasagna
- Heat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Spread ½ cup béchamel in the bottom of two 9” x 9” (23 x 23 cm) baking dishes. Top with a layer of lasagna sheets. You can trim the pasta sheets with kitchen scissors or a chef’s knife so they fit the length and width of the baking dishes. Spread a little over ½ cup of the bolognese sauce over the pasta sheets on each baking dish, then a little over ½ cup of the béchamel sauce, and top with ¼ cup of parmesan cheese. Repeat the process 2 more times, starting with the pasta sheets and ending with parmesan, for a total of 3 layers. For the top layer of cheese use ½ cup of parmesan. Make sure all of the pasta sheets are covered with the bolognese sauce and béchamel so the pasta fully cooks.
- Cover baking dish with aluminum foil. Cook for 45 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and allow to cook for an additional 15 - 20 minutes until bubbling and browned on top. Let lasagna sit for 15 minutes before serving.
Susie
This is perfect for an Italian style lasagna! Just like my nonna used to make!
Julie B.
Is the pasta cooked or dry? I am going to use a 13x9 pan, do I use the same amount of Bechamel sauce or should I reduce it by 1/2,? What would I use for cooking time?
Jessica Mode
Hi Julie! The pasta is dry - as long as you use the recommended amounts of sauce and bechamel, the pasta will cook in the oven when baked covered. I would probably do 3/4 of the recipe if using a 9x13 pan. You should be able to follow the cooking time as is listed in the recipe. I hope this helps ☺️