This mushroom Parmesan bechamel sauce is a base bechamel sauce with garlicky butter mushrooms and shredded Parmesan cheese.

This mushroom bechamel pasta sauce goes well with sweet potato gnocchi, white potato gnocchi, or homemade fettuccine noodles.
Flour to Fat Ratio
The first time I made this creamy bechamel sauce, I tried to reduce the amount of fat to make it a bit lighter. When the flour-to-fat ratio is off, you might end up with lumpy sauce (like I did the first time). The second time I made this sauce, I kept the ratios 1:1. This resulted in a smooth and creamy sauce.



How To Make Mushroom Parmesan Bechamel Sauce

Make the bechamel. Add flour to the melted butter on medium high heat.

Cook for about a minute while a paste forms.

Add milk and continue to whisk until the bechamel thickens.

Once the bechamel is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, add the freshly grated parmesan. Remove from the heat.

In a separate stovetop pan, sauté sliced mushrooms in butter and minced garlic.

Pour the Parmesan béchamel sauce on top. Mix together until combined. Add this creamy pasta sauce to freshly prepared pasta!

Tips and Tricks
- The Bechamel Sauce: The bechamel white sauce is the foundation of this sauce, and it's the hardest thing to master. This is where a good whisk comes in handy!
- Add freshly grated cheese. Pre-packaged shredded cheese has starches that affect the texture of the sauce. It doesn't take very long to freshly grate your own cheese.
- Sauté the garlic butter mushrooms in a separate pan from the bechamel. The mushrooms absorb the garlic flavor better if they are separated from the bechamel while cooking. Add the bechamel and garlic mushrooms together at the end.
Variations
The creamy mushroom sauce can be made with or without the shredded cheese. Gruyere, mozzarella, Monterrey jack, or any other mild white cheese can be substituted for Parmesan.
📋 Recipe

Mushroom Parmesan Bechamel Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon butter
- 4 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb mushrooms
- 8 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup freshly shredded parmesan
- 2 cups milk
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash and slice the mushrooms thinly long ways.
- In a large stovetop pan on medium-high heat, add the olive oil. Once the olive oil is hot, add the garlic and mushrooms. Cover the stovetop pan to allow the mushrooms to sweat out the moisture.
- Cook the mushrooms for about 5 minutes covered. Once the mushrooms are tender, remove from the heat uncovered.
- In a separate pan on medium-high heat, heat the milk. Be careful not to let it boil. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan on medium-high heat, add the butter. Once the butter starts to change colors, add the flour and stir continuously for about 1 minute. Gradually add the warm milk stirring continuously. The sauce should be thickening as you stir. If you notice lumps, just keep whisking. See note 1 below
- Add the parmesan cheese into the roux bechamel sauce and mix well. Pour the sauce over the mushrooms and mix.
- Serve atop pasta or homemade sweet potato gnocchi.
Notes
- If you get lumps in your sauce that don't go away with whisking, add 1 tablespoon of ice water.






Candace Maslow says
This is more of a bechemal pasta sauce with mushrooms and garlic. It’s really simple and delicious. Also kid and family approved. I added some baby spinach to get more vegetables in and my kiddos gobbled it up. We ate it with macaroni pasta, but I think any pasta can be used.
Lily says
Oh baby spinach sounds delish. I'll try that next time!