This Lightened-Up Cheese sauce is a great way to get your kids (or yourself) excited about eating veggies! It’s also great over noodles, zoodles, baked potatoes, or used as a dip for tortilla chips or your favorite fondue dippers. I love cheese sauces, but they are typically not that great as far as calories and ingredients go. This lightened-up version is full of real ingredients that you shouldn’t feel any guilt over! The original recipe is from America’s Test Kitchen Comfort Food Makeovers, but I made a few very minor tweaks, all relating to using better cheese for the best flavor and sauce possible (I think we can all agree to leave low-fat cheese in the 1990s, yes?). The end product is a deliciously smooth, healthier cheese sauce that you’ll come back to again and again.
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- Chicken broth
- Cayenne pepper – This gives the finished sauce a little kick, but it is not spicy.
- Cornstarch
- Dijon mustard – Mustard adds little tang to the finished sauce but is not strong and doesn’t make it taste like Dijon mustard.
- Neufchatel cheese – Neufchatel is just light cream cheese, with a little less fat. If you aren’t concerned with calories or fat, regular cream cheese will work here as well.
- Medium or sharp cheddar cheese – Sharper cheese will intensify the cheese flavor, giving you more bang for your buck with the amount of cheese you’re using. Use freshly grated cheese here. Bagged cheese is coated in anti-caking agents that prevent it from melting smoothly into sauces like this.
How to Make Lightened Up-Cheese Sauce
- In a small saucepan, combine some chicken broth and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil.
- While the broth is heating, whisk together a little more broth, cornstarch, and the Dijon mustard. When it comes to a boil, add the cornstarch mixture and boil for about 1 minute or until thickened.
- Turn heat to low and whisk in the light cream cheese. When totally smooth, whisk in the cheddar cheese. Drizzle over steamed or roasted vegetables, zoodles, cooked pasta, baked potatoes, or use it as a dip for chips or like fondue. Makes 4-6 servings.
Storing and Other Tips
- Store leftover sauce in and airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3-5 days for best results.
- Reheat gently in the microwave (70% power in short bursts) or on the stovetop (over low heat), stirring frequently. If needed, add a splash of milk or broth while heating to restore desired consistency.
Frequently Asked Questions
Freezing isn’t recommended, as it is prone to separation or graininess when thawed.
Yes. Make a day or two in advance and reheat according to the recommendations in the Storing and Other Tips section above as needed.
Sure! A pinch of garlic powder, paprika, or a splash of hot sauce can add extra depth of flavor.
Lightened -Up Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup chicken broth
- Small pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 ounce light Neufchatel cream cheese
- 1 cup freshly shredded medium or sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine 3/4 cup chicken broth and the cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil.
- While the broth is heating, whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup broth, cornstarch, and the Dijon mustard. When it comes to a boil, add the cornstarch mixture and boil for about 1 minute or until thickened.
- Turn heat to low and whisk in the light cream cheese. When totally smooth, whisk in the cheddar cheese. Drizzle over steamed or roasted vegetables, zoodles, cooked pasta, baked potatoes, or use it as a dip for chips or like fondue.
Notes
- Store leftover sauce in and airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3-5 days for best results.
- Reheat gently in the microwave (70% power in short bursts) or on the stovetop (over low heat), stirring frequently. If needed, add a splash of milk or broth while heating to restore desired consistency.
Questions & Reviews
We really like your 2 ingredient gluten free pancakes! I won the county 4H demonstration competition last night and will be moving on to district/regionals. I would like your permission to re-print the recipe and some information from your site. Can I use this in my poster and handouts for the next level of 4H demonstrations? I will properly cite this. I am learning how to do this in my writing class. Thanks, Gabe McFadyen (11 years old)
I would love to see what a day’s worth, or a week’s worth of eating looks like for you. I struggle with breakfast and lunch – mainly it’s hard to actually take the time to cook anything at those times of the day 😉 I know I need to up my protein and decrease my carbs, and I do try to stay away from simple carbs, but carbs are definitely the simplest and easiest!
I love this cheese sauce idea! I bet it would taste pretty spectacular with a can of rotel for some nacho sauce.
What about hard boiled eggs or a protein shake?
Thank you so much for this recipe! I love cheese sauce, but because of the calories I have stayed away from it. With this, I can have it back 🙂 Thank you!
Do you mean that 1/4 cup is 125 calories, or 1/4 of the entire pot is 125 cal? About how many cups of sauce does this recipe yield?
1/4 of the entire recipe…I keep forgetting to measure it out, but it will be more than 1/4 cup of sauce. Hope that helps! 🙂
Guess who just got her cookbook??? I’ll gladly look through it tonight – can.not.wait.
Any substitute suggestions on the mustard? Not a fan but I sure do love cheese!
I would just leave it out! 🙂 Or maybe 1/2 tsp. cider or white wine vinegar.
Not to take over all the comments, but I just went to make my first-ever olive oil purchase at the OBB shop, and it’s telling me that the code “LUCKY” is expired. Any thoughts? I’ve tried entering it twice.
Hey Alicia- sorry that was my fault! The coupon expired yesterday, but I had told Kate we were running in through today. I’ve updated it to extend the coupon code through today though, sorry about hold-up. It should work now!
Thanks. I’ll head back over there. 🙂
I am excited to try this! I have done many searches for a good homemade cheese sauce, with no luck. Most call for processed cheese- ugh.
And that cheese sauce looks awesome, by the way!
I’m sure you’ll be hearing this from others, but Amazon, which previously had sent me a message that my cookbook would be arriving today, just emailed me that it is on backorder, and I had to click a link saying I wanted to continue to wait for the book. It said that if the book doesn’t come in for shipping by Apr. 17th the order will be cancelled. I know that it will, but I’m bummed I won’t be getting my cookbook today. 🙁
Alicia- I know from experience with our previous books that right about now things like this happen on Amazon and it’s usually because the books are being freighted to the various Amazon warehouses. Often the status changes simply depending on if books have arrived there or not, or still in transit. So don’t lose all hope- I have a feeling it will be arriving soon, regardless!