One of the mother sauces in the kitchen is béchamel sauce, made with flour, butter, milk, and typically seasoned with bay leaf and nutmeg. Although I love the delicious original version, I have created a recipe to offer a vegan and nutritionally richer alternative.
In this version, we will use cashew nuts, an excellent source of minerals such as copper, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, iron, and zinc. In addition, we are going to use nutritional yeast (which add some cheesy flavor), rich in proteins, fibers, and B-vitamins. Beyond its nutritional benefits, nutritional yeast brings a delicius umami flavor.
Béchamel sauce is a base sauce and, although delicious on its own, can be used for a variety of recipes. Use it to create dishes like croque monsieur, soups, and macaroni and cheese. In my recent preparation, I added cooked spinach, lemon zest, and used it as a delightful sauce for chickpea pasta. Trust me, this nutritious plant based béchamel pleases everyone’s taste buds and can serve as a base for many dishes.
Wholesome Vegan Béchamel Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cups Raw cashews previously soaked (overnight or minimum 6 hours)
- 1.5 cup Nutritional yeast
- 3-4 cups Mineral water
- 2 tbsp Olive oil extra virgin
- 1 Onion diced
- 2 Bay leaves
- Nutmeg to taste
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Soak the cashews overnight or for at least 6 hours (the better the quality of the cashews, the richer the flavor and color of the sauce). After soaking, discard the water and rinse the cashews.
- In a blender, add the soaked cashews, half of the water, and the nutritional yeast. Blend until a smooth cream forms; this ensures the final texture is perfect. If needed, add more water at this point.
- While blending the cashews, finely dice a whole onion and heat a large pan or skillet. Heat olive oil in the pan. Once the oil is heated, sauté the diced onion (if it browns too much, the sauce will be slightly darker – I prefer it when it's golden).
- Next, pour the blended cream into the pan, add the bay leaves, and grate nutmeg to taste. Cook this mixture until it thickens. If the consistency is too thick and you desire a thinner sauce, simply add a bit more water. If it's too thin, let it simmer for a while to reduce.
- At this point, if the cashew texture is grainy, you can return it to the blender to make the sauce smoother (don't forget to remove the bay leaf). If you don't like onion pieces in the sauce, you can blend it as well.
- Adjust the salt, remove the bay leaf, and it's ready to be served with pasta or used as a base for soups, lasagnas, and countless other options.