Here’s a cooking magic trick you can use to create a wonderful thick, rich cheese sauce that tastes amazing but is still very healthy and nutritious. There are three basic concepts to this light & luscious cheese sauce:
- Use flour, a bit of butter and low fat milk to make a basic low fat white sauce.
- Add sharp, flavorful cheeses to add a lot of taste without a lot of fat.
- Include some pumpkin (or other baked squash like butternut) in your cheese sauce to add thickness, a rich earthy flavor, and lots of healthy vitamins and fiber.
If you’ve never tried pumpkin in cheese sauce, you’re probably thinking I’m crazy. Most of the time when we think pumpkin, we think of the sweet treats like pumpkin pie, but pumpkin really perks up a cheese sauce. It adds just a tiny hint of sweetness and a hearty earthy taste that makes for a very interesting interplay of flavors. If you don’t tell anyone there’s pumpkin in the sauce, they probably won’t be able to guess. (If the idea of putting pumpkin in a cheese sauce just grosses you out, just leave out the pumpkin. This is still a great cheese sauce recipe without it … it’s just healthier and yummier with the pumpkin IMHO.)
Of course it’s wonderful over vegetables like broccoli, but it can be used in sooo many other ways. Stick around! I’ve got some fun recipes coming up soon that use this health-ified cheese sauce.
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Light & Luscious Savory Pumpkin Cheese Sauce
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: About 5 - 6 cups of sauce 1x
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 small onion, chopped fine (about 1 cup)
- 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
- 3/4 cup fat free half & half (ok to substitute milk!)
- 2 1/4 cups lowfat milk (I used 1%)
- Shredded cheese, 1/2 cup of EACH cheese: Havarti, sharp cheddar, white cheddar, & parmesan (or choose other cheeses if you prefer)
- 1 1/2 – 2 cups pumpkin puree (For a creamier texture, use 1 1/2 cups. For more health/nutrition, use 2 cups)
- 2 teaspoons Red Robin seasoning (or your favorite seasoned salt … use more or less to taste)
- Freshly ground pepper
- A sprinkle of nutmeg
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, then add the onion and sautee for 5 – 10 minutes or until the onion is soft and translucent.
- Remove the pan from the heat just briefly while you stir in the whole wheat flour, coating the onions.
- Add the half and half and milk (you can use all milk if you prefer … I just had some 1/2 and 1/2 in the fridge that needed to be used up) and stir to mix well. Cook over medium low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture starts to thicken into a white sauce.
- Add the cheese and the pumpkin puree and stir to mix everything up really good. Continue heating the sauce for a few minutes until the cheese is melted. Add Red Robin seasoning, pepper, and nutmeg. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired.
Somebody was curious to see what I was doing while I was shooting the cheese sauce … do you see her?
What to make with this cheese sauce?
Easy Schmeasy Cheesy Broccoli Potato Soup
Pepperoni Pizza Macaroni & Cheese
This recipe was shared at Totally Tasty Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Wednesday Extravaganza, Thursday’s Treasures, Recipe Box Linkup, My Meatless Monday and Fresh Foods Link Up.
6 comments
[…] the light & luscious cheese sauce I posted yesterday? Well, maybe you didn’t see it, but here it is. I made up that sauce so I could make simple delicious things like this yummy soup when I found […]
a simple roux is how i usually make my cheese sauces as well. that, and cheese. the pumpkin idea is intriguing…. on it! 🙂
p.s. the only way i really enjoy broccoli is in cheese sauce. well done.
thank you for sharing with us at the Wednesday Fresh Foods Link Up! I hope to see you again this week with more seasonal and fresh/real food posts. xo, kristy
Hi Kristy! Thank you for your kind comments … I have a couple recipes using this cheese sauce: broccoli potato soup and pizza mac n cheese … next up is Au Gratin potatoes! I will definitely be back for the Fresh Foods link up … thanks for hosting!
[…] out of the pan. Mix it up and eat it. Faster than delivery pizza. Especially if you have the cheese sauce made ahead of […]
I love everything with pumpkin and I’m so happy you shared this recipe! Definitely giving this a try!
Love that you used whole wheat flour to thicken. Thanks for sharing with Thursdays Treasures