Make sure to check our full list of recipes, ideas and tips on how to use Soup-or-Sauce (SOS) Mix!
Time for a pivotal point in SOS month! We’ve shared many cream soups and some recipes! With the soups alone, you can make thousands of things as it can be used to replace common creamed soups in recipes!
Well, another key and universal factor is making sauces out of this mix the easy way! You can make your own versions of common and sometimes pricey counterparts with just a few minutes and a couple of steps – you’ve got your own homemade version!
These sauces work well on veggies, rice, pastas, chicken, pork and potatoes with just those few ideas, you can create thousands of combinations.
Essentially, you can create a yummy meal with two thoughts in mind:
1. What sauce from this list do I want to use? Cheesy sauce, Alfredo sauce, creamy sauce, or even a white gravy.
2. What am I going to put the sauce on? Steamed veggies (like cauliflower and broccoli just to name a few), rice, a pasta, chicken, pork or even potatoes?
Those two questions and you got yourself a yummy meal!
The best part is, that the sauce is frugal, healthier than most all options, and really easy to put together in a few minutes! To make these sauces, it will not take you much more time than just opening and heating a jar or can of already-made sauce.
As an example, the above picture is a very simple mac and cheese. I love mac and cheese (I think I would consider myself a mac and cheese connoisseur ;)) and I create all kinds of homemade versions based on ingredient that I have on hand and I love to finish off my mac and cheese in the oven with breadcrumbs or crackers crumbled in melted butter. Yes, mac and cheese is one of my “unhealthy” indulgences. But we haven’t seen a Kraft Mac and Cheese in our pantry in a couple of years!
Why? Because once you try the absolute most basic mac and cheese you can make that takes just as much work and Kraft, but healthier and cheaper, you will never go back!
For the most basic, I literally just cook up any pasta we have (I didn’t have elbow at the time of this dish) as any shaped pasta will do. Prepare the cheese sauce and mix with the pasta and viola! That is the most basic version, but still far more incredible than the boxed stuff 🙂
Note: If you desire to print this recipe or are not reading this on our site please click here for a nicely formatted and printable recipe!
| Cheese, Alfredo, Creamy or White Gravy Sauces | Print |
- ⅓ dry mix of SOS sauce (Recipe at: https://thethriftycouple.com/sos)
- 1¼ Cup of Water
- 1 Cup of Shredded Cheese of Choice (We like ½ Sharp and half other type of cheddar)
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated (fresh or canned)
- ½ cup low-fat sour cream
- 2 TBSP. Butter
- 2 TBSP Flour
- 1 Cup of cheese of choice (white, cheddar, etc.)
- 2 Tbsp fat (from meat, margarine, butter or other fat)
- 2 cups liquid (meat drippings, water, vegetable broth or milk depending on flavor your are going for)
- OR Broth
- ½ cup of dry SOS mix (instead of the ⅓ cup and no water as the other ingredients make up the liquid)
- Make the SOS mix by heating dry mix and water over med. heat and whisking until bubbly and lump free.
- Then add the 1 Cup of Shredded Cheese of Choice and stir over low until all of the cheese is melted.
- Then use your cheese sauce in your dish or recipe like normal!
- Make the SOS mix by heating dry mix and water over med. heat and whisking until bubbly and lump free.
- Then add the other two ingredients and heat and stir on low until well mixed and bubbling slightly.
- Then serve and use just as your recipe or dish calls for.
- First melt the butter in a saucepan on med. heat. Once melted, add the flour to soak up all of the butter to create a rue.
- Once the rue is made, then add your ⅓ cup dry mix and 1¼ cup water to the rue and heat over med. and whisking until bubbly and lump free.
- Then add the cup of cheese of choice and stir until melted and well mixed and smooth!
- Once cooked, use this sauce as you would like in your recipe or dish!
- Use your meat drippings from your roasting pan or crockpot from your cooked meat by placing them in a bowl.
- Allow the drippings to cool and then skim the fat that rises to surface to use. Still reserve the remaining liquid drippings. (Remaining drippings in bowl are meat juices that should be used as part of liquid in gravy - it is what makes gravy taste amazing :))
- Add fat to sauce pan (with meat dripping); stir in SOS Mix until smooth. Heat until bubbly. Stir in liquid and cook until sauce thickens; continue stirring and cooking 2 or 3 minutes longer, scraping bottom and sides of roasting pan to blend in the meat drippings and catch all of that flavor.
- You will need to make a rue as demonstrated in the Creamy Sauce recipe using 2 TBSP of butter melted and then add the 2 TBSP of flour to make the rue.
- Prepare the SOS mix with broth (chicken, turkey, beef, pork, etc.) for a lighter, but still very yummy gravy by mixing in ⅓ dry SOS mix into the rue with 1¼ cup of broth and cook on med. and whisk until bubbly and lump free!
More Recipe Ideas:
Check out https://thethriftycouple.com/sos for more recipe ideas using the SOS mix!
Don’t forget to check out our growing list of ways to use the SOS Mix (and the recipe for the mix itself) for making soups, sauces, casseroles and more!
Melissa B
I am horrible at making gravy from scratch so I love the idea of using your SOS mix. Jars of gravy are getting to be expensive. Anyway, I am making recipe cards to go with the SOS Mix recipes so I can keep the recipes with the container of mix. I need some clarification on how to make the gravy. Do you use the 1 1/4 cups of water? I’m guessing you don’t. Also, how long do you let the meat drippings and juices cool? If I want to make a gravy to go with dinner, I don’t want the rest of the meal to be cold before the gravy is made. Thanks for these great recipes.
gail moon
If I use the the Orrinton from Target do i use 1/2 cup of bullion in the mix