Cheddar Cheese Sauce with Hidden Veggies

This rich, creamy secret cheddar cheese sauce is perfect for your favorite pasta, nachos, fries, or veggies. The secret? It’s made with low-fat milk and full of sweet potato!

This cheddar cheese sauce is super versatile. Make a quick and healthy stove top mac and cheese with it. Or pour it over a baked potato filled with broccoli. Or drizzle it over a plate of your favorite tortilla chips for nachos. You can even make this cheese sauce ahead of time so it's ready and waiting for you in the refrigerator on a night when you're tired and don't feel like cooking. Just toss it with your favorite cooked pasta and dinner is served.

Ingredients

1 medium sweet potato
2 cups low fat milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
¼ cup butter
3 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
½ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
4-5 cloves roasted garlic

Prep the sweet potato:

Peel sweet potato and chop into 1 inch pieces. Place sweet potato cubes in a microwave safe bowl or steamer. Cover potatoes with water. Place cover over bowl/steamer and microwave on high for 5 minutes or until cubes are easily pierced with a fork.

Drain water from potatoes, reserving ¼ cup of the liquid. Let stand 10 mins to cool.

Place cooked sweet potatoes into a food processor or blender. Add 2 tablespoon of reserved water and puree until no lumps remain, adding additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time, as necessary.

Set aside.

For the cheese sauce:

Melt butter in a large skillet. Whisk in flour and cook - stirring continuously - until the butter/flour mixture begins to brown.

Whisk in milk, dijon mustard, cheddar cheese, salt, nutmeg, and pepper.

Stir in sweet potato puree.

Mash 4-5 cloves of roasted (not raw) garlic.

Add garlic to sauce, stirring to incorporate.

Taste your sauce and add more salt or pepper depending on your preference.

Enjoy!

Tips for Cheddar Cheese Sauce

How do I make mac and cheese with this sauce?

While you're making the sauce, cook a 1 pound box of your favorite pasta. Toss the hot pasta with the finished sauce and voilà! Stovetop skillet mac and cheese!

What kind of milk should I use?

I've tested this with 2%, 1% and Fat Free dairy milk, all with great success. I do not recommend making it with plant milks. If you can't do dairy, this isn't your recipe.

Can I freeze this sauce?

This sauce freezes best when made into mac and cheese first. Since we're a family of 3, we don't usually eat an entire box of pasta in one meal. I'll often make a full box, toss it with the sauce and then freeze half of what I've made in an oven-safe dish for another meal. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat the mac and cheese in the oven, covered, at 350 degrees for 25-30 mins or until it's heated through. Sprinkle some fresh cheddar cheese on the top before baking if desired.

How do I meal prep with this sauce?

Make the sauce, cool it, and place it in the refrigerator. The night you want to use it, heat it up on the stove in a pan over low heat, stirring frequently. This sauce becomes VERY thick when chilled. After you've reheated it, add a couple tablespoons of milk to the sauce if you'd like it thinner.

What can I use cheddar cheese sauce on?

Anything you'd like! Baked potatoes, loaded french fries, broccoli, cauliflower, nachos, mac and cheese, tacos - the possibilities are endless! Any food you want to eat with a creamy, cheese sauce, you can enjoy with this cheddar cheese sauce.

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