So, my kids are 14, 12 and 8. Not exactly toddlers. And, you know, they’re not super picky eaters. But they don’t love their veggies. Not like I wish they did. Not like I do. Which means I sigh a lot. And ask for “five more bites” way more than I feel should be necessary. I won’t even start with the 14-year-old’s annoying habit of eating food he doesn’t like as if he were taking a pill. That’s where this cheese sauce comes in handy. If I’m going to put a whole heap of veggies on the table and I know I’m looking at push-back, I stir up this sauce. It’s good. It’s homemade. And several spoons of it? They help the veggies go down.
Recipe inspired by Mollie Katzen’s Moosewood Cookbook
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp. butter, melted
- 1-2 tsp. minced garlic
- 4 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, whole wheat pastry flour or a gluten-free flour mix
- 2 tsp. dry mustard
- 4 cups milk
- 2 cups (packed) sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 tsp. fine sea salt
- 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Sauté garlic in butter for a minute or so.
- Whisk flour and then dry mustard into butter mixture until smooth. Pour in milk and stir until mixture thickens, 3-5 minutes.
- Add cheese and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper.