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READY IN 35 mins

My Mother-in-Law's Cheese Sauce...ssshh Don't Tell Her

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"My mother-in-law gave me this quick, EASY recipe for cheese sauce. It is the best thing she's given me, other than her son!" — ALIISMOM

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Original recipe makes 6 servings Change Servings

2 tablespoons butter or margarine
4 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon minced onion

1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water
16 slices American cheese

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Directions

In a medium saucepan, bring butter, milk, minced garlic, and minced onion to a low boil, stirring frequently. Dissolve cornstarch in 1 tablespoon water and whisk into milk mixture. Continue stirring vigorously until desired thickness.
When milk mixture is thick enough, tear cheese slices into pieces and slowly stir them into the sauce, melting gradually, until desired cheesiness. Serve over your favorite pasta, vegetable, or side dish.

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PREP 15 mins
COOK 20 mins
READY IN 35 mins

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I served this sauce over broccoli and my kids loved it! The sauce does take a while to thicken--be sure to add the cornstarch & water mixture before the cheese and then let it GENTLY boil until it gets to the consistency you like before you add the cheese. It may also help to halve the recipe. Since it was just for the kids, I cut the recipe down to two servings (which was plenty), and had no problem with thickening. This is definitely a keeper!

—BIBILOO

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Jan 09, 2006

Seemed that there was way too much milk called for in this recipe. After 25 minutes of stirring with the cornstarch in, the sauce never thickened and after adding the cheese, still didn't get very thick at all.

—Deanna

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74 Ratings

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Jan 09, 2006

This is just what I was looking for to put over brocolli. I had trouble with it not thickening enough so I added more cornstarch, probably another 1 or 2 T. mixed with the same amount of water. I used two 8oz. packages of shredded cheddar cheese instead. I seasoned with a dash of worchestershire and salt and pepper. This tasted great!

—stylingmom

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Aug 30, 2006

I should have taken other reviewer's advice and cut the recipe in half, but since I used only 3 c. of fat-free half & half I thought I would be okay. I reduced the liquid to three c. since others had trouble thickening their sauce. Mine, though it took a little while, got to a nice thickness. I also increased the onion to 1 1/2 tsp., sauteed it in the butter and then lightly toasted the garlic before adding the half & half. At that point, I added about 1/4 tsp. mustard powder (will probably double it next time) and, like stylingmom, added a little worstershire (about 1 tsp). I used about 16 oz. grated sharp cheddar as I didn't have American and the flavor was good but a bit grainy. I'll use American next time and see what the result is. All in all a great recipe but I highly recommend making 1/2 a batch unless your feeding a crowd. Thanks for the recipe, ALISSMOM, and your mother-in-law as well!

—Shannon :)

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Dec 25, 2005

Excellent! Can be made w/cheddar too, turns out nice & smooth.

—CM0722

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Mar 28, 2006

Fantastic! I made this to go over broccoli for dinner last night. I cut it down to 2 servings and there was plenty. Even drizzled a little on the rice as well. My kids asked for seconds! I guess next time I will have to make 2 bags of frozen broccoli so they can have thirds. Thanks for the great recipe!

—EWINGCREW

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Oct 11, 2007

Gourmet this is not but my 3 kids said it was the best cheese sauce they ever tasted and were licking their plates. Sometimes it's nice to not hear any complaints at dinner and this did the trick. Thanks. (BTW, used velveeta and halved the recipe, served over noodles, steamed broccoli & cauliflower.)

—22032

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Oct 06, 2007

This was a good recipe in a "pinch", but not a true creamy cheese sauce. That said you can't expect "great" when the recipe call's for 16 american cheese slice's, right? I also found the amount to be way too much, 1/2 the recipe would do. This is the perfect recipe for beginner's in the kitchen and for those dinner's put together in a "pinch". But I will do a little further searching at All Recipe.com for that perfect creamy melt in your mouth cheese sauce-because this one wasn't it.

—Angel

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Nutrition

Calories
404 kcal
20%

Carbohydrates
10.1 g
3%

Cholesterol
94 mg
31%

Fat
30.7 g
47%

Fiber
0 g
< 1%

Protein
22.2 g
44%

Sodium
1220 mg
49%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

My Mother-in-Law's Cheese Sauce...ssshh Don't Tell Her

Serving Size: 1/6 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 404
Calories from Fat: 276

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 30.7g 47 %
Saturated Fat 19.4g 97 %
Cholesterol 94mg 31 %
Sodium 1220mg 49 %
Potassium 374mg 10 %
Total Carbohydrates 10.1g 3 %
Dietary Fiber 0g < 1 %
Protein 22.2g 44 %
Sugars 8g
Vitamin A 23 %
Vitamin C < 1 %
Calcium 76 %
Iron 2 %
Thiamin 8 %
Niacin 40 %
Vitamin B6 7 %
Magnesium 14 %
Folate 8 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.