Creamy Chicken Broccoli and Cheese School Cafeteria Lunch

Easy Cheese Sauce

Written By: Stephanie April 19, 2019   (Updated April 14, 2021)  48 *This post may contain affiliate links. Read more »

This easy, extra creamy cheese sauce has just four simple ingredients and tastes great with broccoli, cauliflower, baked potatoes, and more!

Baked Potato Day. I would look forward to iteverysingle Wednesday in middle school, when you'd get a big ol' baked potato for lunch and a helping of the cafeteria's cheese sauce. No one liked baked potato day like I did. In fact, I'm probably the only one who even liked it at all. 🤣

Alright, there are in fact a few things you need to know to make sure that you have super creamy consistency, otherwise you could easily end up with a grainy texture. Read on!

How to Melt Cheese for the Creamiest Consistency

-Melted cheese will have the best, most creamy consistency if it's at room temperature prior to being melted.

-Avoid using cheese that's pre-shredded. The cheese melts best if it's purchased as a block and shredded or sliced at home.

–Avoid aged cheeses. Stay away from hard cheeses like Parmesan. Those won't melt nearly as well.

-Add the cheese to a warm base gradually. If the liquid is too hot, the fat from the cheese will separate too quickly and the consistency will be grainy or clumpy.

What to Serve with Cheese Sauce

Aside from pairing cheese sauce with roasted broccoli, cauliflower, and baked potatoes, you can also drizzle it over  homemade french fries or burgers! It also makes a great dip for pretzels, bread sticks, chicken tenders, tortilla chips, and more!

Storing Leftover Cheese Sauce

This sauce is best if refrigerated and used within 3-5 days.

Reheating

• Reheat in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add splashes of milk to loosen it up and restore it back to it's original form.

Can You Freeze Cheese Sauce?

I love to freeze anything and everything, however creamy, dairy-based sauces such as this one don't usually freeze well, the consistency just isn't the same when reheated.

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This easy, extra creamy cheese sauce has just four simple ingredients and tastes great with broccoli, cauliflower, baked potatoes, and more!

• ▢ 2 Tablespoons butter
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons Flour
• ▢ 1 cup milk
• ▢ 8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded, **See Notes

• Shred the cheddar cheese and set it aside, it should be at room temperature when you add it to the sauce.

• Melt the butter over medium heat in a small saucepan.

• Whisk in flour. Continue to whisk for 1-2 minutes, until you can no longer smell flour.

• Slowly add the milk in splashes, whisking continuously as you do so. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer.

• Reduce the heat to low. Gradually sprinkle in the cheddar cheese, whisking constantly as you do so. Continue to whisk until the mixture is well-combined.

• Let the sauce continue to heat over low heat, it may appear thin at first but it will continue to thicken upon standing.

• Once it's reached your desired level of thickness, remove it from the heat and serve!

*Milk can also be used instead of half and half, or you can use a combination of both.

**Colby and Monterey Jack Cheese can also be combined with Sharp Cheddar in this cheese sauce if you want to mix it up!

Calories: 659 kcal , Carbohydrates: 13 g , Protein: 33 g , Fat: 53 g , Saturated Fat: 33 g , Trans Fat: 1 g , Cholesterol: 161 mg , Sodium: 857 mg , Potassium: 284 mg , Fiber: 1 g , Sugar: 7 g , Vitamin A: 1684 IU , Calcium: 960 mg , Iron: 1 mg

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

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Creamy Chicken Broccoli and Cheese School Cafeteria Lunch

Source: https://thecozycook.com/easy-broccoli-cheese-sauce/

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