Is Alfredo a bechamel sauce?

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Page last updated: 21/03/2023 | Next review date: 21/03/2025
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In this blog post, we will answer the following question: Is Alfredo a bechamel sauce? We will speak about the differences between Alfredo sauce and Bechamel sauce. We will also give you the recipes for both sauces. 

Is Alfredo a bechamel sauce?

Alfredo sauce is not the same as Bechamel sauce. Bechamel is made from toasted flour, butter, and milk with a nutmeg pinch, and it’s popular in the Mediterranean cuisine. 

Alfredo sauce is heavy cream, parmesan cheese, butter, and garlic. It’s popular in American cuisine.

The flavors are quite different.

Alfredo sauce became famous at the Alfredo alla Scrofa restaurant in Rome, owned by Alfredo di Lelio. Di Lelio is said to have invented salsa in 1914 as a variant of fettuccine al burro. When the butter was added before and after putting the fettuccini in the serving bowl, the method was known as burro doppio. 

Di Lelio’s original contribution was to double the amount of butter before adding the fettuccini. The extra butter would have been put in so di Lelio’s pregnant wife could better digest the dish.

Originally it merely contained parmesan cheese and butter, although modernly, in addition to these ingredients, roux sauce or cream is often added. Some variants include parsley, garlic, egg, vegetables, or chicken. It is a simple recipe with a flavor that anyone will surely love. Here is its simple but delicious recipe.

Alfredo sauce has 500 calories; it is one of the most fattening sauces. It is made of cream, cheese, and butter. Half a cup has almost 500 kcal and 50 grams of fat, more than half the fat for a 2000 kcal diet.

If you have a craving for Alfredo sauce, we suggest changing it for the “light” Bechamel Sauce. Its main ingredients are skim milk, flour, and less butter; half a cup has 160 kcal and 10 grams of fat. You can find the recipe on or blog.

Homemade Alfredo Sauce

The secret of Alfredo Sauce is the perfect combination of ingredients and technique used. Unlike other typical Italian dishes, Alfredo sauce is vibrant, its main ingredient being sweet cream. It is usually served with pasta.

The sauce is prepared very quickly and you can even modify the ingredients, make the dressing healthier, or serve it to those who do not tolerate fats.

Ingredients:

  • 6 tablespoons butter, salted or unsalted
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 6 tablespoons cream cheese
  • 3 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ½ cup of milk
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

  1. In a medium skillet, melt the butter. Add all the remaining ingredients one by one, stirring to prevent the sauce from clumping.
  2. Cook the sauce for about 10 minutes and serve over your favorite pasta. Refrigerate the remaining sauce in a jar for up to a week. 

Tip: Sometimes, a small amount of roux or béchamel is used to thicken the butter and cheese sauce.

Other FAQs about Sauces which you may be interested in.

What can I use if I don’t have pasta sauce?

Is Alfredo sauce healthier than marinara?

The Bechamel sauce 

Bechamel sauce is one of the mother sauces cooking; it is a thick sauce whose origin is attributed to French and Italian cuisine. The bechamel sauce’s main characteristic is that it does not need broth to make it since it is made from milk, flour, and butter. It is one of the most used sauces for different dishes; it goes very well with baked pasta, lasagna, vegetables, fish, and chicken.

In addition to being served with different dishes, it can be used to thicken the cooking juices of various stews and give a creamy touch to soups or creams of other vegetables due to its thick consistency.

There are two main versions about the history of bechamel sauce; the first one indicates that it was born in Florence, Italy, made by Catherine de Medici’s cooks, who later brought it to France when Catherine married King Henry II in 1533. 

On the other hand, the béchamel sauce recipe was described for the first time in the cookbook Le Cuisinier Français published in 1651, where its invention is attributed to the French cook of Duke Louis de Bechamel.

Homemade Bechamel sauce

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 of a cup of sifted flour
  • 1/3 cup of butter
  • 5 cups of hot milk
  • 1 pinch of nutmeg
  • Salt and pepper
  1. Sauté the flour with the butter while continuing to stir until it begins to brown.
  2. Little by little, add the milk while mixing vigorously with a balloon, to avoid cutting.
  3. Once the milk is integrated, add the nutmeg and salt and pepper.

Conclusions

Alfredo sauce is not the same as Bechamel sauce and their flavors are quite different. Originally, Alfredo sauce contained parmesan cheese and butter, although modernly, in addition to these ingredients, roux sauce or cream is often added. Bechamel is made from toasted flour, butter, and milk with a nutmeg pinch. 

If you have a craving for Alfredo sauce, we suggest changing it for the “light” version of Bechamel Sauce. 

If you have any questions or comments on the content, please let us know!

References 

Lacucinaitaliana.com

Gourmetproject.net

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