By: Javier Lastras

Growing up, I have fond memories of homemade macaroni and cheese.  Both my Dad and my Grandma had their own different recipes and I loved both.  The lesson I learned when I tried to replicate either recipe was that the key first step was how to make a basic white sauce or roux.  Its very simple but very useful for creating casseroles or homemade versions of *cream of* soups.

Making A White Sauce

Gather 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 tablespoons flour & 1 and 1/2 cups of milk.

1. Melt your butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
2. When completely melted, add the flour and stir.
3. Cook, stirring a few times, for about five minutes.
4. Now add your milk. Heat for about about 10 minutes.

Voila, a white sauce!  When I add the milk I also add seasoning depending on what recipe my sauce is going into. I always add salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce.

Let’s utilize this knowledge to make homemade cream of mushroom soup!

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Clean and chop 1 (8 ounce) package of mushrooms and 1 small onion.  Gather the rest of your white sauce ingredients. (See my pretty mini bella mushrooms above!)

1. Melt the butter in your small saucepan over medium.
2. Once melted, add your mushrooms. Heat about 10 minutes, stirring often.
3. Add the flour and stir.  Cook for 5 minutes.
4. Add the chopped onions, milk and seasoning (I like salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce.)
5. Stir and heat for 10 minutes.

The soup is good by itself or makes a great casserole.  You can freeze for use at a later date as well.

Yesterday I added cooked rotini noodles and 2 large cans of tuna to make a yummy tuna casserole for dinner!

What is your favorite recipe to use a white sauce in?

Posted on Wednesday, February 13th, 2013 at 8:46 pm in Recipes   |  RSS feed |  Respond  |  Trackback URL