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    $5 Dinners | Budget Recipes, Meal Plans, Freezer Meals

    Budget Recipes, Meal Plans, Freezer Meals and Cooking Tutorials for the Busy Home Chef

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    Homemade White Sauce

    October 8, 2008 by Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom 18 Comments

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    homemade white sauce recipe

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    Homemade White Sauce

    Homemade sauce is always the best!
    Prep Time5 minutes
    Cook Time5 minutes
    Servings - 4 servings

    Ingredients 

    • 2 Tbsp butter
    • 2 Tbso flour (Use rice flour to keep it gluten free)
    • 1-2 cups milk (whole or 2% is best!)

    Instructions

    • In saucepan, melt butter.
    • Once melted, add flour and whisk with butter.
    • Add milk to butter/flour mix and WHISK, WHISK, WHISK!
    • Cook on medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes. Stir often. Sauce will thicken.
    • If sauce is too thin, whisk in more flour.
    • If sauce is too thick, whisk in more milk.
    • Variations: Add chopped mushrooms for "cream of mushroom". Add 3-4 T chicken stock for "cream of chicken". Etc.

    This sauce is not only more cost effective, it is healthier, as it doesn’t contain the soy, preservatives and additives.

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    Filed Under: Budget Friendly Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, Homemade Recipes

    Comments

    1. Allie Z says

      December 2, 2008 at 1:20 pm

      Yay! I definately had a need for this type of recipe. I look forward to using this soon. Does this freeze at all?

      Reply
    2. Dreamer In Denim says

      December 5, 2008 at 11:02 pm

      Thank you for all you do to help us save money too!

      Reply
    3. Adouma says

      May 6, 2009 at 2:57 pm

      When condensed soups went on sale for a dollar a can, I was tempted to stock up on cream of mushroom but told myself to wait because I may be able to find it cheaper online. $5 dinners has been one of my bookmarks for a while now and I just stumbled across this recipe. Thank you for this cheaper alternative for casserole nights. I really appreciate it.

      Reply
    4. Hope says

      May 7, 2009 at 3:57 pm

      Thank you so much for this recipe. I have been wanting a homemade sauce that doesn’t have a funny taste like the store bought ones. I will have to try it soon!

      Reply
    5. niki says

      May 12, 2009 at 5:20 pm

      This white sauce sounds fab!

      🙂

      Reply
    6. Kerry Clark says

      October 6, 2009 at 9:38 am

      I am new to home cooking and was wondering what other uses the white sauce would have. But I like this idea better than buying condensed soup for my cream of mushroom containing recipes.

      Reply
      • Danna Robins says

        October 28, 2011 at 12:25 pm

        I make this sauce and add cheese for chicken spaghetti and mac n’ cheese. Adding the mushrooms (I used canned) you can use in place of soup in any recipe. Adding the chicken flavor, use in any recipe that calls for cream of chicken. I use this in homemade chicken and dumplings and in gravy for Thanksgiving. The French name for this sauce is Béchamel and it is a classic ingredient in many dishes. Learn this technique and you will use over and over again.

        Reply
    7. cathe says

      October 26, 2009 at 2:30 pm

      where is the chicken divan recipe i cannot seem to find it… help

      Reply
      • Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom says

        October 26, 2009 at 7:13 pm

        @cathe,

        It must have been wiped out last week 🙁 I was making some changes and lost a few recipes! And can’t seem to get them back. That must have been one of them!

        Reply
    8. cathe says

      October 29, 2009 at 2:24 pm

      Hey Erin
      i just found your site about 2 weeks ago and i am loving it! Thanks so much… it is really helping me save.
      i used this recipe last week when i made your Cheater chicken divan and we loved it.
      i would love to make again but cannot find recipe? What happen to it?
      thanks
      cathe

      Reply
      • Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom says

        October 29, 2009 at 3:11 pm

        @cathe,

        Hey Cathe,

        I inadvertantly deleted a few recipes the other week when I was making some changes. And sadly, I can’t get them back 🙁 I apologize!

        Reply
    9. Sheena says

      June 29, 2010 at 1:52 pm

      I usually melt my unsalted butter and put in my sliced mushrooms … cook down then sprinkle flour let it cook out for a minute then add liquid … it is amazing! btw i love this site!

      Reply
    10. Teresa posey says

      February 9, 2011 at 3:00 am

      Sounds great.can’t wait to try this @my restaurant!

      Reply
    11. jamieS says

      April 3, 2011 at 10:01 pm

      I bought your cookbook this past year on black friday… Love it and cook from it all the time! Looked up this recipe to link to my menu plan post. Thanks for all your recipe posts!

      Reply
    12. Sativa says

      December 11, 2011 at 8:08 pm

      Has anyone had success freezing this? About to start working FT outside the home and am looking to find shortcuts. Would love to make a huge batch for the freezer. 🙂

      Reply
    13. Rae says

      October 9, 2012 at 4:31 pm

      LOVE THIS!!!! USE IT ALL THE TIME. My 15 year old has taken over the cooking and she LOVES to use your book. This is her fav way to make Chicken Alfredo. Thanks

      Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. Spaghetti Broccoli Bake says:
      May 4, 2009 at 7:34 pm

      […] about 3/4  lb spaghetti ($.75) 2 cups of homemade white sauce ($.50) or 1 can cream of mushroom soup 1/2 cup parmesan cheese ($.50) 2 cups of frozen broccoli […]

      Reply
    2. Home-Made Organic Food Recipe’s | Time To Wake Up News says:
      February 1, 2014 at 5:56 pm

      […] HOMEMADE WHITE SAUCE […]

      Reply

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    I’m Erin Chase…

    Also known as the
    $5 Dinner Mom.

    I have a little problem. I cannot make a meal that costs more than $5.
    It’s a fun challenge,
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