Hidden Veggie Béchamel Sauce for Babies & Toddlers | Easy Freezer Meal Must-Have
A Versatile Freezer Stash Must Have!
I firmly believe that there are only two types of people in this world: sauce people and non-sauce people. And I am definitely a sauce person. Ever since I can remember, I have loved a good sauce slathered all over everything I eat.
But much to my dismay, I married a non-sauce-loving person, and gosh darn-it, I am determined to share my love of sauces with my kids! And that’s basically the inspiration for this hidden veggie bechamel sauce — a versatile, healthy, and veggie-packed recipe that’s perfect for both picky eaters and kids who love to eat.
If you’re looking for simple baby meal ideas or sneaky veggie recipes for toddlers, this sauce is going to become your new best friend!
This is just one of the many versatile baby and toddler freezer meals I have on rotation in my fridge. (If you want even more sauce inspiration, check out my 4 Favorite Must-Have Freezer Stash Sauces.)
Table of Contents
What Is Baby Bechamel Sauce?
A traditional bechamel sauce is one of the 5 mother sauces that all other sauces stem from. Whether you are making a hearty lasagna, a creamy chicken pie, want to elevate your mac and cheese, or make a decadent vegetable bake, a simple béchamel sauce is definitely a recipe that should be in your cooking repertoire to elevate your everyday cooking.
But what makes this hidden veggie béchamel sauce different from the traditional 3-ingredient version (just milk, flour, and butter) is the addition of healthy sneaky veggies! That makes it the ideal pour-over sauce for picky eaters refusing to eat their veggies.
My baby béchamel sauce consists of only 6 ingredients and comes together in minutes!
All you need is:
Parsnips
Cauliflower
Cheese (low sodium options like mozzarella are great for younger babies)
Butter
Milk
Flour
It’s perfect if you’re trying to build up your stash of easy freezer meals for toddlers that you can pull out on a busy day.
Quick and easy Allergy safe substitutions
Although this baby and toddler freezer meal contains gluten and dairy, you can easily substitute ingredients to make this sauce allergy friendly by using gluten free flour and dairy free milk and butter options.
This recipe calls for all-purpose flour for the base of the roux, but you can easily use a gluten-free substitute, like cornstarch, almond flour, or any 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend instead.
And it’s just as easy to make this sauce dairy-free! Simply substitute the exact amounts with a non-dairy butter and milk, like almond, soy, or oat milk. You can also opt to leave out the cheese, or swap it for a dairy-free cheese or even dairy-free cream cheese.
You can also easily swap the parsnips and cauliflower for almost any veggies you have on hand — making this a super flexible recipe for anyone looking for sneaky veggie recipes for toddlers.
Here are some of my favorite veggie substitutions and combinations to try out:
To Keep the White Appearance of a Béchamel Sauce, Try These Veggies:
Butter Beans
Mushrooms
White Asparagus
Garbanzo Beans
Other Colored Veggies to Add:
Broccoli
Spinach
Kale
Carrots
Butternut Squash
Pumpkin
Celery
Creamed Corn
Sweet Corn
Honestly, almost any veggie you can puree can be added to this base to create your own unique version! Just remember that babies and toddlers can be super picky about colors, so keep that in mind when getting creative.
When to introduce baby bechamel sauce
As you are probably definitely sick of hearing all the time “all babies are different and develop at different rates and there are no set time limes for introducing new foods and hitting certain milestone” or something like that. So I cant really say when exactly to introduce different types of healthy sauces to your baby. But a good guideline would be to start introducing more complex foods when your baby has transitioned to solid foods.
My baby is 13 months old now an she was confidently eating solids at around 10 months. And by her confidently eating solids, I mean I was confident enough to not freak out about her choking anymore!
I found that my baby does not like fish very much – just like me – and I thought that maybe- just like me- she would enjoy it more if it was smothered in a nice sauce. So the first thing I served her with this hidden veggie Bechamel sauce was a bit of flaked cod. And guess what? She ate all of it!!!!
So after my initial success I knew I was on to something and that I needed to share this with other moms! Especially those who have picky eaters and are always trying to find some new simple baby meal ideas! Here are some great ideas of what you can do with your hidden veggie baby bechamel sauce.
Baby Bechamel Sauce
Description
Stuck getting your picky eaters to eat anything? Simply hide it in a delicious, creamy and healthy baby bechamel sauce! This versatile freezer stash staple can easily be made allergy safe for those allergic to gluten and dairy and it is packed with hidden veggies! Quick and easy, this sauce comes together in minutes and can be poured over almost anything to entice your little ones into enjoying mealtimes again!
Ingredients
Instructions
Makes about 1 1/2 cups of sauce
- I usually double or triple this recipe to make a big batch to freeze for easy peasy meals for the month!
- In a heavy bottomed sauce pan on medium heat melt the butter. Once melted add in the flour and mix until a thick paste forms. Cook for a minute or so until the paste is bubbling. Continue to mix as it cooks, but do not let it brown!
- Slowly add in a little bit of milk and whisk vigorously until fully combined with the paste. Continue adding in the milk a little bit at a time and vigorously whisking until all the milk has been added.
- While continuously stirring, cook for a couple of minutes until thickened. Add in your cheese and mix until well combined. If you find that your sauce is too thick add more milk until the desired consistency is reached.
- Add in your parsnip puree and finely diced cauliflower. ( I throw my fresh cauliflower florets into a food processor or blender and blitz until very finely diced, or simply use frozen unseasoned riced cauliflower).
- Whisk until fully combined and adjust milk or cheese to reach the desired consistency.
- Once cooked let cool completely and pour into freezer trays or ice cube trays to add to your freezer stash and enjoy easy peasy meals anytime of the week!
Notes
For younger babies, preferably use low sodium cheese like Swiss or mozzarella cheese.
I always have a bag of finely blitzed cauliflower and broccoli in my freezer and add them to everything from scrambled eggs to just sprinkling some green “sprinkles” over finely chopped steak and rice.
This sauce will keep in the freezer for about 3 months. For more quick and easy hidden veggie baby and toddler sauce ideas that will make them eat anything, take a look at my 4 favorite simple freezer friendly sauce recipes.
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