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I was cleaning out my freezer the other day when I found that my mom had stashed some tamales in there from Thanksgiving or Christmas. It’s hard to say which. Either way, I was trying to think of what to do with them outside of my usual go-to which is to serve them with a bowl of chili. Then I started to think about how they serve them at restaurants - which is generally as a main and not a side dish.

Enter this Cheesy Tamale Sauce! It’s easy. It’s cheesy. And you’re going to want to make it for your tamales from now on. You might think this sauce is something like enchilada sauce, but it’s actually very different. It starts out with a roux and builds from there with broth, a lot of seasonings, and finally cheese!

I made this sauce a bit more healthy by swapping in salt-free seasoning and of course unsalted broth. Other than that it’s a very straight forward sauce. Oh, well… except for the cheese! The cheese is the best part. I went with a reduced fat cheddar that I shredded myself. Why? The pre-shredded cheese has anti-caking agents to it that can thicken a sauce more than I’d like.

I served my Cheesy Tamale Sauce covered tamales with some roasted corn and zucchini with quest fresco and had a perfect little weeknight meal out of it.

Step-by-Step Photos: