Cheese sauce is a popular topping for a variety of dishes, like vegetables and pasta. While it is a favorite for most of us, especially kids, this sauce is also found to be high in calories. One cup (243 grams) of basic cheese sauce amounts to around 480 calories. It is rich in saturated fats and sodium too. So, health conscious people avoid this sauce, or consume it in small amounts. In that case, you may switch over to a lighter cheese sauce, that is considered more healthy than the original. Here are some recipes for preparing healthy cheese sauce that is low in calories. Recipe I Ingredients

• All-purpose flour - 2 tbsp.
• Instant dry milk powder - 4 tbsp.
• Cheddar cheese - 2 tbsp.
• Water - 2 cups
• Salt - 1 tbsp.
• Ground black pepper - 1/8 tsp.

In order to prepare this recipe, put all the ingredients, except the cheese, in a blender. Run the blender till the mixture turns foamy. Take a heavy saucepan, and pour the ingredients from the blender to the pan. Keep the pan on the stove over high heat, and stir continuously. As the mixture thickens, remove the pan from heat, and add cheese. Make sure to stir constantly till the cheese melts into the sauce. If you want the sauce to be thicker, you may add more flour next time. You can prepare around two cups of cheese sauce with these ingredients. Recipe II Ingredients

• All-purpose flour - 5 tsp.
• Grated cheddar cheese - 2/3 cup
• Non fat milk - 1¼ cup
• Sweet paprika - ½ tsp.
• Dry mustard powder - 1 tsp.
• Salt - ¼ tsp. (or as per taste)
• Cayenne pepper (as per taste)

Make a smooth paste of flour and ¼ cup milk. Heat the remaining milk (one cup), over medium heat. Once the milk starts steaming, add the flour paste, and cook till the mixture thickens and bubbles appear. The mixture has to be stirred continuously, throughout the cooking time. Remove the pan from the stove, and add cheese, salt, dry mustard powder, sweet paprika, and cayenne pepper. Stir till the cheese melts completely. This recipe will yield around 1¼ cups of cheese sauce. These recipes can be used to prepare healthy cheese sauce variants that are low in calories.