My parents were lucky in that my brothers and I didn’t need too much convincing to eat our vegetables when we were growing up. Well besides, say it with me, bell peppers and cooked carrots. Oh, and lima beans. If I never see a bag of frozen succotash again, it’ll be too soon.
That said, even I — a die-hard veggie lover — can appreciate a little jazzing up of my favorite side dish every now and again with a warm, decadent Easy Cheddar Cheese Sauce drizzled on top, muwahaha!
This cheddar cheese sauce takes just 5 minutes to make and will liven up everything from steamed broccoli and cauliflower, to hot baked potatoes. In addition to vegetables it’s also great to stir into pasta and rice, or even pour directly over crunchy tortilla chips for a little homemade nacho action.
The recipe is adapted from the cheddar cheese sauce I made to swirl into my Cheesy Taco Soup, except it has just a tad more shredded cheddar to really pump up the flavor.
The result is sensational! Thick and extra-cheesy – perfect for convincing any veggie hater to eat their greens or, for those who don’t really need an extra push, a special, occasional treat.
How to Make Easy Cheddar Cheese Sauce
Start by melting butter in a saucepan over medium heat, then whisk in gluten-free or all-purpose flour and cook for 1 minute.
Next, slowly whisk in milk, season with salt and pepper, then switch to a wooden spoon and stir until the mixture has thickened, about 3-4 minutes.
Turn off the heat then add freshly shredded cheddar cheese and stir until smooth. Taste then add additional salt and pepper if desired.
That’s all she wrote! Liberally drizzle the cheese sauce over your favorite cooked vegetables then devour. I hope you love this decadent, delicious dish – enjoy!
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Easy Cheddar Cheese Sauce
Description
Liven up broccoli to baked potatoes with 5-minute Easy Cheddar Cheese Sauce for Vegetables!
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 2 Tablespoons gluten-free or all-purpose flour
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup milk (works best with 2% milk)
- 1-1/2 cups freshly shredded cheddar cheese (not pre-grated)
Directions
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour then whisk for one minute. Slowly whisk in milk then season with salt and pepper and switch to a wooden spoon. Stir and cook until thickened, 4-5 minutes, then turn off heat and add cheese. Stir until sauce is melted and smooth then taste and add additional salt and pepper if necessary. Serve immediately.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
Deana A. Taft 11.17.2013
How much velveeta is Equal to 1 cup of Shredded Cheddar Cheese?
Ashley 10.24.2013
Thanks for the recipe! I’ve been looking for a healthier alternative to prepackaged icky powdered mac and cheese. I made your sauce with reduced fat (2%) sharp cheddar and 1% milk and tossed it with whole wheat penne and steamed broccoli. Definitely hit the mark for fairly healthy, pretty “easy mac”! I did need to add a bit more milk though.
Meredith 09.09.2013
Tried it tonight, and it was amazing! I ended up using pre-shredded cheese from our local dairy cooperative which turned out fine, the consistency was not perfect, though. Tastes much better than melted Velveeta or Cheese-Whiz. Thanks for sharing!
Stephanie Majors 08.31.2013
I’m wondering if I can use the shredded cheese that come prepackaged in the bags like Kraft cheese? If not why? Thanks! :)
Iowa Girl Eats 09.02.2013
Pre-shredded cheese has a coating which makes it not stick to each other in the bag, which in turn makes it not melt quite as well as freshly grated cheese. It will work in a pinch, though!
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[…] I made a cheese sauce for the ham and cheese. Recipe here: https://iowagirleats.com/2013/02/25/easy-cheddar-cheese-sauce-for-vegetables/ […]
Gideon 08.15.2013
Thanks Iowa girl.
I’m going to try this tonight.
I was wondering (forgive my craziness) if I could use olive oil instead of butter? Would the spoil the flavour or the consistency of the sauce?
Iowa Girl Eats 08.18.2013
I think it should work! The taste might be a bit different, but it should be ok!
Gideon 08.18.2013
Hey so it turned out amazing with your recipe as is. I’m going to try olive oil in a day or two. :)
Rimi 07.15.2013
This cheese sauce was delicious. I made it the other day to pour on my pasta and my whole family devoured it within minutes. The sauce completed the dish. Thank You!!
alex parker 06.24.2013
Yummmm I love it I decided to put it on pasta and it tasted delicious!
Thank you!
Sincerely,
Alex Parker.
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Becca 03.27.2013
hi, if I make this and have some leftover, will it last in the fridge till the next day? Thanks! :)
Iowa Girl Eats 03.27.2013
Yep! Just add a little milk before microwaving.
Abby G 03.25.2013
I used this today in place of a can of cheddar cheese soup for a hotdish I was making. Turned out great! Thanks!
lisa 03.05.2013
I am going to try this tonight, hoping it will help my 5-year old eat broccoli/cauliflower. The problem is, its just the two of us. How do you think this would re-heat?
Iowa Girl Eats 03.05.2013
It reheated just fine for me, but you could also halve the recipe and it will turn out great, too!
Brita 03.01.2013
Made this last night with broccoli, cauliflower, sausage, and rice. It was so easy, so delish, and sooo cheesy! Thanks for the simple and perfect fix to an otherwise boring dish :)
Brita 02.28.2013
I willl do this…..tonight! I’ve been thinking of a different way to eat the leftover broccoli and cauliflower in my fridge – and now I can’t wait :) Broccoli is my go-to veggie. I crave it sometimes, my roommates think I’m crazy!
Caitlyn 02.26.2013
My mom always made baked potatoes, broccoli and cheese sauce (pretty much your exact recipe) as dinner growing up – it was always one of my favorites!
Julia 02.26.2013
Cheese makes everything better–this is a great way to get the kiddos to eat their veggies!
Tasha @ Homemade 02.26.2013
Almost licked the screen … thats how dang good these pictures are … looks sooooooo good.
Marin D 02.26.2013
This looks great and simple enough! I always want a cheese sauce but never took the time to figure out how to make one. I am going to try this for our baked potatoes next time. Thanks for posting!
Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe 02.26.2013
I love the idea of drizzling this over a baked potato – yum! When my brother was little I remember the only way we got him to eat broccoli was to call them “tree stars” – my brother loved The Land Before Time!
Elizabeth 02.26.2013
The “trunks” were (and remain) my favorite part. Too bad we couldn’t have tag teamed that as kids! I will definitely be trying this cheese dip soon; even as a mostly grown up, I need some extra encouragement to eat the veggies. And, I think the brocoli and cheese would be amazing on top of a potato. Kind of like the ones you get at Wendys, but healthier.