Cheese is my Achilles' heel, there is no question about that. I've come to the conclusion that it is one thing that I am unwilling and unable to rid from my diet. I honestly think that if it were an option, I would live on the stuff.
Being a Texas girl and spending my fair share of time in San Antonio, I've come to know many a Tex-Mex. One could even go so far as to call me a Tex-Mex aficionado. A connoisseur of the Americanize and Texified variations of Mexican style foods. And as such, I know over the years that I've eaten my weight in nachos and nacho cheese.
So, today I decided to take some steps in lightening up and homemaking this classic nacho cheese sauce that we all know and love. Drool.
To keep this nacho cheese lighter, I used a reduced fat milk in place of anything whole. I also used some vegetable broth as a swap for some of the milk. Why? It's less calories and it doesn't change a thing texture wise, so why not? I also opted for reduced fat cheese and plenty of diced tomatoes and green chilis!
While I wanted the cheese to be thick enough to dip, I also wanted it to be thin enough to drizzle over these lovely mini pepper nachos that I had going on for dinner. Hey, I'll sneak those vegetables in wherever I can and this is no exception here. Not that this nacho cheese is anything to feel guilty about when it comes to cheese sauce.
I guess it makes me feel better to counteract the cheesy goodness with plenty of live vegetables anyway.
What makes this nacho cheese sauce better still is that it's still full of the same flavor that we've all come to know and love yet it's homemade and not full of the typical scary things that you would find in processed cheese sauces.
Ingredient labels shouldn't be scary or unreadable.
For only about 5 minutes worth of work, you can have the perfect cheesy addition to your nachos!
Homemade Skinny Nacho Cheese
TheSkinnyFork.com
The Skinny:
Servings: 8 • Size: About 1/4 Cup • Calories: 87.6 • Fat: 5.3 g • Carb: 2.6 g • Fiber: 0.2 g • Protein: 6.2 g • Sugar: 0.2 g • Sodium: 284.1 mg
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. Light Butter
2 Tbsp. Whole Wheat White Flour
1/4 C. Reduced Sodium Vegetable Broth
1/2 C. Reduced Fat 2% Milk
1 (10 Oz.) Can 'No Salt Added' Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilis
6 Oz. (1 1/2 C.) Shredded Reduced Fat Cheese (I used a Mexican Blend & Cheddar)
Salt & Pepper
Directions:
Place the 2 Tbsp. butter and 2 Tbsp. flour to a small pot.
Add in the 1/4 C. broth and heat over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture begins to bubble.
Slowly whisk the 1/2 C. milk and the can of diced tomatoes with green chilis into the mixture until well combined.
Turn the heat up to medium-high and allow the mixture to come to a simmer while still constantly whisking.
As the mixture comes to a simmer, it will begin to thicken.
Once the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, turn the heat off.
Stir in the shredded cheese, one handful at a time until it's melted into the sauce.
If needed, place the pot over a low flame to help the cheese melt; or if it's too thick add in a touch more broth.
Once all the cheese is melted into the sauce, season with salt and pepper to taste.
