"Healthy" homemade cheese sauce?

[mel j]

For mac 'n cheese

[abunchoflemons]

i use real cheese and milk if that is what you mean not processed cheese stuff.

[Patchworktiner]

evaporated milk is a great way to get it creamy. I think they even have evaporated skim?

[Leah52]

Make a basic white sauce with butter, flour and milk. Add whatever cheese you want and stir it until it melts. Last night I made some awesome baked mac and cheese with half and half, gruyere, gouda and sharp cheddar with sourdough crumbs on top. It wasn't very healthy though since I felt like I gained 10 pounds after eating it. lol

[Hungry Caterpillar]

Originally Posted by Leah52 Make a basic white sauce with butter, flour and milk. Add whatever cheese you want and stir it until it melts. Last night I made some awesome baked mac and cheese with half and half, gruyere, gouda and sharp cheddar with sourdough crumbs on top. It wasn't very healthy though since I felt like I gained 10 pounds after eating it. lol

I do one just like this, too! I also do one with gruyere, parmesan, and a few tbsp of blue cheese to change it up. The gruyere is really melty and make a smooth sauce.

[Patchworktiner]

Alton Brown's recipe for stovetop mac n cheese is really good! I'm pretty much converted to it!

[danner]

My recipe is like Leah's and it comes from Joy of Cooking. When you are making the white sauce though, it calls for a bit of grated onion (super secret ingredient) some paprika and a few bay leaves. Take out the bay, add the cheese (colby and jack for us) and voila. It's a solid method.

I'm not sure what you mean by healthy though. You could make the white sauce with whole wheat flour...

[mel j]

Lol. Yeah I wasn't sure if it was possible to have a healthy mac 'n cheese sauce so that's why I put "healthy" in quotes. My LO's love the stuff and I try not to do it a lot but I wanted to find a better version of it since I know the store stuff isn't that great, but at least just doing it homemade would be a bit better. I found an avocado cream sauce recipe that I used on spaghetti squash for myself (and I did like it), and my son tried it, but was grossed out...and he's the one who likes avocados plain. So I think I'll stick with just trying some of the versions you guys mentioned...thanks!

eta: totally forgot I used to sometimes add some butternut squash to the sauce to get some veggies in - I could do that too

[HeatherlovesCDs]

About 2 years ago, I decided I was no longer going to make the boxed mac and cheese. I have a baked that we all love, but I needed a quick stove top version for fast lunches. I replaced boxed with what I have included at the bottom. This is so easy. My oldest claimed he did not like homemade (not even my baked which is now his favorite). So, we were at a stand off. I stuck to my guns and refused to make the box and he stuck to his and wouldn't eat what I made. So, I didn't make any mac and cheese for at least 2 months, maybe 3. Eventually, I made it again and now he liked it. The thing is the processed stuff has a very salty and different type flavor to it. You just can't really replicate what it tastes like. I think this is better, but my oldest did not. I do add more salt than I would prefer because he does like it better with more salt. I haven't made the boxed for my kids since. (I did buy myself a box once when I was craving it in early pregnancy, but I hid it. ) Anyway, I've been making this ever since. I probably make it 1-2 x's a month. Personally, I don't consider it healthy. However, it isn't processed and is definitely better for you than the box.

Here is mine using a white sauce base. I think I got it from Rachel Ray.

-2 C. Elbow Mac (Actually, I use a pound even with the same amount of sauce. It's not as saucy as someone else might like, but it goes farther. Experiment with how much you like. )
-2 tbsp butter
-2 tbsp flour
-2 cups 1/2 and 1/2 warmed (I use milk because I have it on hand and I don't bother warming it anymore.)
8oz bag of shredded cheddar cheese or 2 cups (I shred my own and you can use any kind of cheese you want.)

Melt better. Wisk in flour and cook for 1 min. Wisk in milk (or 1/2 & 1/2) wisking constantly till steaming and thick (it isn't super thick, but will get bubbly when it's done) about 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in cheese until melted and salt and pepper to taste. Add elbows.

[MarzipanCat]

This mac & cheese cheese sauce is made of VEGETABLES! http://epicureanvegan.com/2011/05/28...ni-and-cheese/

I'm vegan, my husband is not, but he adores it. You could cut back on the margarine too to make it lower fat. I don't ever mix any with bread crumbs.