Pasta sauces· V

Cheese Sauce

A classic mature cheddar sauce made on a flour roux, so it thaws smooth. Mac and cheese, lasagne, cauliflower cheese.

makes 30 cubes, about 11p each

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BatchJoy

batchjoy.com/sauces/cheese-sauce/

Time: 20 min5 min prep · 15 min cook
Makes: 30 cubes
Cost per cubePer cube: 11p
Calories per cubeCalories: 57 kcal
A serving: 4 cubes
Spice: 1 of 5

You’ll need

Batch size

cubes

750mlsemi-skimmed milk
50gbutter
50gplain flour
200gmature cheddar, grated
10g (2 tsp)English mustard
pinchnutmeg
3gsalt

Allergens: Gluten, Milk, Mustard. Check the labels on stock cubes, sauces and pastes, as brands vary.

Use it for

Mac and cheese for one · 5 cubes; Cauliflower or broccoli cheese · 4 cubes; Lasagne topping · 8 cubes

Method

Step 1: Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat, stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring.
Step 2: Gradually whisk in the milk until smooth.
Step 3: Simmer, whisking, for 5 minutes until thick enough to coat a spoon.
Step 4: Off the heat, stir in the cheese until melted, then the mustard, nutmeg and salt.
Step 5: Cool, pour into 30ml trays and freeze.

Nutrition (estimated)
	kcal	protein	carbs	fat	fibre	salt
Per cube	57	2.7g	2.4g	4.1g	0.1g	0.26g
Per 4 cubes	228	10.8g	9.6g	16.4g	0.4g	1.04g

Cook’s notes

Thaw in the fridge overnight, then warm gently, whisking, with a splash of milk.
Whisk well when reheating; it may look slightly grainy at first.
Use a strong cheese: freezing mutes the flavour a little.

Use it for

Mac and cheese for one · 5 cubes
Cauliflower or broccoli cheese · 4 cubes
Lasagne topping · 8 cubes

Freeze, reheat and serve

Freeze: Cool it within two hours, freeze it in 30ml ice-cube trays, then bag and label the cubes. It keeps for 3 months.
Use from frozen: Thaw in the fridge overnight, then warm gently, whisking, with a splash of milk. Never refreeze thawed cubes.
A portion: 4 cubes is a serving: about 228 kcal.

Cheese Sauce questions

Which cheese can I use?

Any strong hard cheese that melts well works, such as red Leicester, Double Gloucester or a vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese mixed with the cheddar. A mild cheese gives a bland sauce once frozen.

Why add the cheese off the heat?

Boiling makes the proteins in cheese tighten, so the sauce turns stringy or grainy. Stirring it in off the heat lets it melt gently into a smooth sauce.

Can I make it gluten-free?

Use a gluten-free plain flour blend in the roux; it thickens in the same way. Check that your mustard is gluten-free too, as some English mustards contain wheat flour.