Extreme makeover: White and cheese sauces

Traditional white and cheese sauces can add a lot of fat to a meal. Here are some tips for making them healthier.

White sauce

To make a leaner white sauce using the traditional method, simply use low-fat spread instead of butter and trim milk instead of full fat. Try this selection of white sauce recipes.

Cheese sauce

Use a combination of half the grated cheese you'd normally use, substitute a low-fat cheese (we like Bega lite tasty) and add a little grated parmesan. The strong flavour of the parmesan gives a great cheesy flavour with less fat.

'No-cook' cheese sauce

For a great no-cook cheese sauce for lasagne or vegetables, combine 250g low-fat cottage cheese, 1/4 cup parmesan and 1/4 cup low-fat milk and whiz in a blender for a smooth, cheesy sauce. Try it in our HFG lasagne recipe.