Best Versatile Chili Cheese Sauce Recipes

CHEDDAR CHEESE SAUCE

Cheddar Cheese Sauce image

Cheddar cheese sauce is an easy, creamy, indispensable, and versatile homemade go-to in your recipe repertoire, whether destined for burgers, tater tots, broccoli, chili, nachos, cauliflower, baked potatoes...get the picture? Here's how to make it.

Provided by Spike Mendelsohn

Time 15m

Number Of Ingredients 6

Ingredients

1 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons (1 oz) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
3/4 teaspoon ground cayenne or store-bought or homemade hot sauce
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Steps:

Pour the milk in a large saucepan, place it over medium heat, and let it warm until you see small bubbles forming along the edge of the pan.
Meanwhile, in another saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.
Sprinkle the flour over the bubbling butter and stir constantly until a thick paste, or roux, forms. It may become quite thick and almost paste-like. This is okay. And if it doesn't become crazy thick, that's okay, too. Expect this to take 1 to 2 minutes.
Constantly whisking, slowly pour the warm milk into the flour and butter mixture in a steady stream. Continue cooking and whisking almost constantly until the mixture thickens considerably, about 5 minutes. It should be thick but still spreadable and perhaps even pourable.
Add the cheese and whisk constantly until it completely melts. Season with the cayenne or hot sauce and salt and pepper to taste. If you're the fussy sort, you can strain the sauce through a sieve to remove any lumps before serving. The sauce will thicken even more upon cooling.

Nutrition Facts : ServingSize 0.25 cup, Calories 95 kcal, Carbohydrate 2 g, Protein 4 g, Fat 8 g, SaturatedFat 5 g, TransFat 1 g, Cholesterol 24 mg, Sodium 382 mg, Fiber 1 g, Sugar 1 g

BEST CHEESE SAUCE

Best Cheese Sauce image

This fabulous cheese sauce is as easy to make as it is versatile. A smooth, fail-safe sauce for Welsh rarebit, Horseshoe sandwiches, vegetables, and pasta. Try it over poached eggs and toast. Wow!

Provided by Pam Witzig

Categories Side Dish Sauces and Condiments Recipes Sauce Recipes Pasta Sauce Recipes Creamy

Time 15m

Yield 4

Number Of Ingredients 7

Ingredients

½ cup butter
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups half-and-half
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Steps:

Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Blend in flour and cook until mixture is smooth and bubbly, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in half-and-half, Cheddar cheese, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Return to heat and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is smooth, about 5 minutes. Keep warm until serving.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 668.5 calories, Carbohydrate 12.4 g, Cholesterol 178.2 mg, Fat 59.9 g, Fiber 0.3 g, Protein 21.9 g, SaturatedFat 37.8 g, Sodium 1223.1 mg, Sugar 0.6 g

FOUR CHEESE SAUCE

Four Cheese Sauce image

Wondering what to do with those bits and pieces of assorted cheese you may have on hand? This velvety, elegant, versatile sauce can make short work of them and to good end! The cheeses listed below are just suggestions. This can be used as fondue, or on top of pasta, in a casserole or over steamed veggies, or try it on top of soup! Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics cookbook.

Provided by Sharon123

Categories Sauces

Time 30m

Yield 6 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 10

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup white flour
1/2 cup grated gruyere cheese
1/2 cup grated Fontina cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup grated provolone cheese (try to get aged)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (try coarse grained for a change)
1/4 cup dry sherry or 1/4 cup wine, of your choice
1/8 teaspoon salt, to taste

Steps:

In a small saucepan, heat the milk until steaming, but don't let it boil or form a skin.
While the milk heats, melt the butter in a heavy 2-quart saucepan on low heat.
Add the flour and whisk to form a smooth roux.
Continue to cook and whisk for 3 to 4 minutes to thoroughly cook the flour.
Increase heat to medium, and whisk the hot milk into the roux in a thin, steady stream.
Continue to cook until the sauce is smooth and thickened slightly.
Don't stop whisking, since white sauces can burn in an instant.
Lower the heat, add the cheesed, mustard, and sherry, and whisk until the cheeses melt.
Using a double boiler or a heat diffuser, gently cook on very low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add salt to taste.
Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts : Calories 340.5, Fat 22.5, SaturatedFat 13.9, Cholesterol 69.8, Sodium 490.7, Carbohydrate 10.9, Fiber 0.2, Sugar 0.7, Protein 15

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