Dear Home Ec 101,
My three year old son is allergic to eggs and I’m trying to find a cheese sauce for vegetables that is simple, but not greasy.
Can you help?
Signed,
Cheesin’ in Chester
Heather says,
Most of us who grew up in the 1980s can probably sing the jingle for Velveeta, “Cheddar’s greasy, cheddar’s oily.” I am not sure why I’m encouraging y’all to sing as I am not recommending Velveeta. That stuff is spendy and fake, a mortal culinary sin in the Handbook of Heather.
A little flour, butter, milk, and cheddar make a great kid friendly cheese sauce for vegetables. Ready? Good.
Simple Cheese Sauce
- 1 TBSP Butter
- 1 TBSP Flour
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese grated or broken into small pieces (I like sharp, but use what you have)
- salt to taste
- (optional) pepper
- (optional) dry mustard
Over low heat in a heavy saucepan melt the butter and stir in the flour. While the butter is melting heat the 1/2 cup of milk in the microwave, this isn’t critical, but it speeds up the whole process. The milk should be hot, not boiling.
Slowly add the milk while stirring constantly.
If your mixture gets lumpy stop adding milk and stir vigorously for a few seconds.
Once all the milk has been incorporated (a fancy way of saying stirred in), it’s time to add the cheese.
Stir the cheese in until your sauce is smooth. Then salt to taste and if you like a little bite, add a pinch of dry mustard and black pepper.
Enjoy.
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