We don’t always have a big container of cheese sauce in our fridge, but when we do, we can make SO many more foods. Queso dip, black bean dip, sauce for mac and cheese, nacho cheese sauce, roux for a casserole. We continue to find new and creative ways to use it.
When we first went plant-based, we made a lot more food than we could eat, and we threw a lot away. Now we plan our meals around each other. So, if we make cheese sauce, we also make taco soy curls in the oven, garlic black beans on stove, and rice and pinto beans in the Instant Pot. We usually serve tacos first, but now we have the ingredients to make buddha bowls, nachos, quesadillas, or grilled cheese sandwiches for days– from just an hour in the kitchen.
Cheese sauce is magical because it’s got that comfort food feel, but also because it ties so many meals together so easily. At its base, it’s a lovely flavor, yet it’s subtle enough that you can add anything you want to it. For a grilled cheese sandwich, we add garlic and some salt. For quesadillas, my kids like cheese sauce and hummus. And we will all eat all the nachos every single time if we drizzle it in cheese queso sauce and load it up with soy curls.
Hot off the pan, this cheese sauce has a fabulous stretch to it that takes me back growing up and getting cheese fries at Skatetown in Racine, Wisconsin. It hits me in the food feelings.
It also works great as a pasta sauce to make a very good vegan/plant-based mac and cheese. I add garlic and dill for myself. The kids love it as is.
Yesterday, we combined cheese sauce and shredded potatoes in a breakfast bake with a tofu scramble (like scrambled eggs, only tofu) and some “sausage” soy curls and the whole dish had that comfort food, breakfast Christmas morning kind of casserole.
Like I said, we don’t always have cheese sauce in the house but when we do, there’s a good chance we’re making some amazing food.
*** For queso dip, mix 1 part salsa to 3 parts cheese sauce. Ex: 1/3 cup salsa to 1 cup cheese sauce. Black beans, refried beans, taco jackfruit could all be substituted very well.
*** We have made this in both of a Ninja and a Vitamix and like so many things, we highly recommend the Vitamix for its amazing powers of blending things down to the smoothness of pudding. I waited for years and finally got a refurbished model that is wonderful. The higher power blender will yield better results on this sauce.
Ingredients:
7 Yellow/Yukon Potatoes (Peeled and Diced)
½ Cup Orange Carrots Peeled & Diced
½ Cup Yellow Onion Chopped
½ Cup Soft Raw Cashews
¼ to ½ Almond Milk
3 Tablespoons Nutritional Yeast
1 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
Directions:
Raw cashews must be soft in order to use. They can either be soaked overnight in water (I use a small canning jar with a lid in the fridge). A faster method is pouring boiling water over them and letting them sit for 20 to 40 minutes
In medium pot boil potatoes, carrots and onions in water until soft or about 20 to 25 minutes
Drain potatoes, carrots, and onions and place in high speed blender with all other ingredients. Start with lower amount of milk and add as needed to make right consistency. The final result will be close to a processed nacho cheese. Think gooey.
High speed blender is key to mix it all together and blend in cashews.
*** For queso dip, mix 1 part salsa to 3 parts cheese sauce. Ex: 1/3 cup salsa to 1 cup cheese sauce. Black beans, refried beans, taco jackfruit could all be substituted very well.
** We have made this in both of a Ninja and a Vitamix and like so many things, we highly recommend the Vitamix for its amazing powers of blending things down to the smoothness of pudding. I waited for years and finally got a refurbished model that is wonderful. The higher power blender will yield better results on this sauce.
The Plant-Based Path 