You’ll like this cheese sauce– an undeniably velvety sauce that can go from nachos to enchiladas to pasta. Like many of our other preferred sauces, cheese sauce is simple to make and an excellent recipe to keep in your back pocket to take basic taco night to excellent, or to turn a plate of steamed broccoli into your kids’ preferred side dish.

Discover how to make cheese sauce, and keep this dish ready to go for all sorts of meals.

Active Ingredients for Cheese Sauce
To make cheese sauce, you’ll need simply six ingredients:

Salted butter: Adds richness to the sauce, and deals with flour to create a roux.
All-purpose flour: Helps thicken the sauce.
Milk: The base of the velvety sauce. Can substitute with vaporized milk, 2% milk, or half-and-half if required, although it may thicken or thin the texture somewhat.
Colby Jack cheese: A moderate, velvety, buttery taste for a rich cheese sauce. Can replace with Colby, Monterey Jack, pepper Jack, Cheddar, or other favored cheeses.
Chopped green chiles: For a moderate, tangy taste and subtle heat. Can be overlooked depending upon what you’re using the cheese sauce for.
Salt: Enhances the flavor of the sauce.
How To Make Cheese Sauce
If you think making a cheese sauce from scratch is hard, prepare to be surprised. 2 steps, and you’ll have a decadent, homemade sauce ready to serve. Full directions are below, however here’s a brief recap before you start:

Step 1. Prepare a roux: Melt butter in a heavy pan, and blend in flour; cook 1 minute.
Action 2. Add milk and cheese: Gradually whisk in milk and cook till thickened. Include cheese, chiles, and salt.
Variations for Cheese Sauce
A traditional cheese sauce is made initially by preparing a roux, then adding milk for a bechamel, and lastly, adding shredded cheese to eventually produce a mornay sauce (or cheese sauce). While the classic elements are very important, they can be altered to suit what you have on hand and what you’re using the sauce for.

Flour: Substitute with half the amount of cornstarch, potato, or arrowroot starch, or an equivalent quantity of rice flour or gluten-free flour. You can also cook the roux up until golden in color for a nutty, deep flavor.
Milk: 2% milk, vaporized milk, half-and-half, and plant-based milks can all be used in the location of entire milk. Note that depending upon the texture and richness of the chosen milk, the sauce texture may be thinner or thicker appropriately.
Cheese: This sauce can be altered to pair with nearly any dish. Sub in Gruyère, Cheddar, pepper Jack, Fontina, or other preferred cheeses.
Seasonings: A pinch of nutmeg, touch of cayenne pepper, mustard, garlic, chopped herbs, truffle oil, bacon, and more can be included the place of chiles to take this sauce in a totally different instructions.
Ways To Use Cheese Sauce
While this cheese sauce was initially indicated for our Breakfast Enchiladas, the usages are endless. Put over nachos, quesadillas, cheese fries, or steamed veggies, spoon over baked potatoes or tacos, act as a dip for crudité or chips, and stir into grits for a tacky twist on a Southern favorite. One would argue that whatever is better topped with cheese sauce.

Can I Make Cheese Sauce Ahead?
This sauce can be made and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for as much as 2 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop, including a splash of milk if needed to loosen it up.