- 4 Tablespoons Butter
- 4 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
- 2 1/2 cups Whole Milk (if you don’t have whole milk, adding ricotta helps make it creamier)
- 1/2 cup ricotta (or half and half, cottage cheese, or another 1/2 cup of milk if you’re lacking additional dairy products).
- 1 cup grated cheddar
- 1/8 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- 1-1/2 teaspoon Salt or to taste (lack of enough salt is, as Ree Drummond says, what usually kills a mac and cheese)
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper or to taste
On the stove, melt butter over medium heat. Sprinkle in flour and whisk to make a roux. Add milk and ricotta (or half and half, etc). Whisking constantly, while sauce thickens. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne then add the grated cheddar. Stir while cheese melts.
Here’s my basic-basic go-to cheese sauce for making mac n cheese, or broccoli in cheese sauce:
- 2 – 3 TBSP Butter
- 2-3 TBSP Flour
- 1 Cup milk
- 4 – 6 OZ Cheese
- 1 tsp salt