Easy cheese sauce – healthy AND thick and creamy. It’s a simple topping for broccoli, nachos, or a big bowl of mac and cheese. For best results, make with whole or reduced-fat (2%) milk – variations of making with dairy-free milk included below.
EQUIPMENT: My favorite pot to make this Easy Cheese Sauce healthy: Cuisinart Stainless 3-Qt Saucepan with Cover [affiliate link]
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Now…onto today’s featured Healthy Kitchen Hack:
5-MINUTE EASY CHEESE SAUCE (VIDEO)
This is the one recipe I make more than any other. And you will too. Then, after making it just two or three times, you won’t even need a recipe. It’s that easy.
You’ll pour this thick, creamy 5-Minute Easy Cheese Sauce on:
Vegetables – and watch them disappear from your kids’ plates. It’s delicious on:
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Baked potatoes
- Sauteed spinach
>>Nutrition Bonus – Thanks to the fat found in the cheese, there will be increased absorption of the nutrients in vegetables. Bottomline: eat full-fat salad dressing on salads and some fat on other veggies.
Nachos – Serve as nachos over corn chips or baked sweet potato chips
It’s fun to switch up the cheese in this 5-Minute Cheese Sauce. Substitute these cheeses for Cheddar in the recipe:
- Pepper Jack cheese – Spice up your nachos. Top nachos with black beans, salsa, guacamole, cilantro, and light sour cream
- Blue cheese – 5-Minute Blue Cheese sauce is heaven. Use to top cauliflower, roasted beets, or even chicken breasts.
- Gouda – For a quick (and fun!) fondue, sub in Gouda. Serve with whole grain bread cubes and cooked vegetable pieces.
Make easy Mac and Cheese
This cheese sauce recipe is easier than most because it doesn’t involve making a roux (flour cooked in butter). Instead, the flour is just whisked into the milk and heated until thick. The key to the recipe is using higher-fat milk.
Milk variations:
- Whole dairy milk – my favorite with the thickest, creamiest results
- Reduced-fat (2%) milk – Most often I use 2% milk because that’s what I have on-hand. Results are still very, very good.
- Low-fat (1%) milk – Results will be thinner
- Fat-free milk – Not really recommended, unless you add another tablespoon of flour. You may taste the flour a bit in the final result.
- Soy beverage – Again results will be thinner. Add a 1 1/2 teaspoons flour more
>> Nutrition Bonus: This sauce is lower in salt as the only salt is from the cheese, not butter or added salt.
BONUS hack:
This 5-Minute Cheese Sauce also a delicious base for soup. Just add cooked veggies like: potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash, broccoli, cauliflower or others. Then puree the 5-Minute Cheese Sauce and the veggies together into a creamy soup using a blender or immersion blender.
Easy thick and creamy 5-Minute Cheese Sauce for topping broccoli, nachos or bowl of mac and cheese via @TspCurry
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Easy Cheese Sauce
This easy cheese sauce is healthy AND thick and creamy. It’s perfect for topping broccoli, nachos, or even a big bowl of mac and cheese.
- Author: Serena Ball
- Yield: 4-5 servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk (whole or 2% recommended)
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Cheddar Cheese
Instructions
- Warm the milk in microwave for 45 seconds.
- In a small pot, whisk together milk, flour and garlic powder. Put pot over medium heat and stir constantly until just before boiling.
- Cook 1-2 minutes more until thick, stirring constantly.
- Remove from heat and stir in cheese.
Notes
Salt and pepper may be added to taste. I don’t usually add any as I think the cheese has enough flavor.
If cheese sauce hardens after removing from heat, just rewarm on stove or in a microwave-safe dish.
What type of cheese would you add to this cheese sauce? Gouda? Blue cheese? Garlic & herb cheese?