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This Cheesy Veggie Medley makes the perfect company or potluck side dish! I was going for a healthier, grown-up recreation of the Velveeta-coated California blend veggies that I remember from church functions in my childhood. This THM S, low-carb side dish makes a large batch and is a little heavier on the calories than I like to cook on a regular basis; but it makes a great side dish if you’re having guests over, and leftovers reheat well.
I actually made this for supper one night when Ryan was on call at the hospital…and he got home several hours later than anticipated. (Not that this is an abnormal occurrence…haha.) I learned that these veggies keep well over low heat for long periods of time, so WIN!
I used a big bag of Normandy-blend frozen vegetables to make this. I think the difference between Normandy blend and California blend is that the Normandy blend includes squash? Frozen vegetable blends like this often include quite a few carrots, so try to avoid most of them in a THM S setting. If you eat more than a few pieces of carrots, consider this side dish an S Helper (because carrots, while not as starchy as sweet potatoes, are starchier than veggies like broccoli and squash).
The cheese sauce is plentiful – and it is amazing! Like Velveeta, but better. More gourmet. Real cheese. I’m excited to use it in other dishes in the future!
I just wanted to thank y’all for your kind comments on my last blog post – the one about my identity crisis. I’m really excited about getting back into the swing of blogging and have quite a few recipes to share with you as I have time! I feel the creative juices returning after getting burned out (not literally) in the kitchen with so much recipe testing for my second cookbook. For the next month I’ll still have quite a bit of cookbook stuff to keep tabs on – monitoring the design, editing, and corresponding with the printing/distribution company to make sure we’re all set to print as soon as the design is ready and the book is edited – but I’ll be typing up blog posts in my spare time and after that I hope to get back to regular blogging. I’ve missed it so much! If you have Instagram, you can follow me there for more frequent personal updates and sneak peeks at the recipes to come. 😉 And keep your eyes peeled for a cookbook preorder opening in a few weeks! (There will be a preorder discount, so you might want to start saving up so you can take advantage of it.)
Note: Recipes posted from here on out will not be in my second cookbook, so if you like hard copies, print them for reference. 🙂 The second cookbook is made up of 50% cookbook exclusive recipes and also includes the recipes published on my blog from August 2016 (where Necessary Food stopped) through May 2018.
You may also enjoy:
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STARTING THM
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my recipe index
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recipe index by fuel type/allergy/theme
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Italian Meatball Casserole
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Mommy’s MeatloafÂ
As always, check out the Notes section of the recipe for extra info. Check out the links in and below the recipe to see the products I use and recommend. Some of the links included in the recipe and blog post are affiliate links, which means that if you make purchases through these links, I make a small commission (but your price doesn’t change).
Grab a copy of my cookbook to get nearly 400 RECIPES to jump start your healthy journey! You’ll find lots of our Thomas family church cookbook favorites made healthy in this easy-to-use, hard cover/spiral bound book. CLICK HERE for details!Â
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- 1 (60 ounce) bag frozen California or Normandy vegetable blend
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- 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- ⅔ cup unsweetened almond milk (plain, not vanilla)
- ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
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- ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum
- Steam the frozen vegetables with a little bit of water in a covered kettle until crisp-tender. (You basically just need to bring them to a boil since frozen veggies have been blanched before freezing and don't take long to cook.) Drain the vegetables and return them to the kettle, then add the second section of ingredients. Stir, cover, and cook over medium-low heat until everything is hot and melted together. Sprinkle the xanthan gum over the top in a very fine layer so it doesn't clump, then stir the vegetables again. Cover and leave over low heat until ready to serve.
-I'm not sure if this would work in a slow cooker or not, but you're welcome to try. (Let me know if you do!) Once the sauce gets hot and melts together, stir and leave on the Low or Keep Warm setting until serving so it doesn't get too hot.
-If you don't want to use the frozen veggie blend I mentioned, just steam your desired vegetables until crisp-tender, then drain and proceed. OR cook the sauce and veggies separately, drain the veggies after cooking, then coat with the sauce.
You can pin this recipe here:
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This is very good! I only did 2 Tbsp of mayo because I feel like the Chosen Foods Avocado Oil Mayo that I have has a very strong flavor. I also added 2 slices of the Trader Joe’s Organic American Cheese slices because I wanted it to taste extra velvetta-y!
Do you think I could use something in place of the mayo? We have an egg allergy. Like maybe Greek yogurt, sour cream, blended cottage cheese, or cream cheese?
I’ve never tried it without the mayo, but any of those sound like they’d be as good as anything for substitutes! Just taste and adjust and see if you need to up any of the seasonings to make it flavorful enough.
Fantastic! Served it was keto parmesan encrusted haddock. It was a perfect combination.
Sounds like a delicious dinner!
Do you use block cheese & shred it, or do you use bag shredded cheese?
I usually just buy it pre-shredded, but either way works!
I’m thinking this with your S chicken poppyseed casserole cracker topping would be AMMMAZING! As I recall a dish like this that included buttered crushed Ritz crackers over top!
That’s a terrific idea! I’ve had it with and without the crackers in the past.
Hello Briana! What did you pair this with for a main dish?
I’m sorry – I forget! I remember I made it one night when Ryan was on call and didn’t end up getting home until late. I think I may have had leftover meatloaf or something that I heated up with it. Here are the main dish recipes from here on my website (there are a lot more in my cookbook), if you want some inspiration. 🙂 https://www.briana-thomas.com/indexes/complete-pictorial-recipe-index/entrees
Hi Briana! I’m going to try this tonight. Looking forward to it. I have two questions.
1) Do you think there is a measurable difference in the THM affects on blood sugar between this recipe and the one you make with Dreamfield’s noodles? (My family loves that, by the way.) I guess I’m wondering about the noodles v. the carrots.
2) I have been wondering about a Velveeta Rotel dip recipe that can work for THM now that it’s football season. I’m going to try it with this! Do you know if it will work?
The Dreamfields noodles affect different people’s blood sugar differently, so I’m afraid I can’t give you a concrete answer on that. 🙂 As for the Velveeta dip – I haven’t tried that but it’s on my list and I think this cheese sauce would be a great start!
This cheese sauce is fantastic! Thank you for the recipe, Briana. I made it in a separate pot while the veggies steamed, and it turned out great. I then just blended the veggies and sauce before serving. There was extra sauce, so I stored it for later. Yum! No extra thickening was needed, by the way.
Great! So glad it worked for you!
My family loves nachos, and I know it would be a crossover for thrm, but would this work as a nacho queso type dip?
I haven’t tried the sauce on its own yet, but I’m planning to experiment with that very thing myself in the future! I think it should work! You may want to make the sauce a little thicker by adding more shredded cheese…I’m not sure on that yet.
This was so good! I only head a head of cauli so steamed that up and made 1/2 the recipe of the sauce in a separate pot . Had to use gluccie as I have no xantham. Just wisked it in before adding the cheese. Added the cauli as the cheese was melting. Worked beautifully. The kids and I sat down and ate the whole head as a snack!! Thanks.
I made this tonight with just cauliflower (didn’t have the blend though I’m going to get some). For a 16 oz. bag I scaled the sauce to 1/4 the original recipe. Worked great! Thank you for such a good addition to dinner.
Thanks so much for sharing, Denise!
This was Very Good! Only had a head of cauli so steamed it up and made 1/2 the amount of sauce in another pot. Had to use gluccie( prolly used a little less than called for- just eye balled it.) Worked beautifully. The kiddos and i sat down and ate it all. ?
Wonderful! I’m so happy it worked for you!
Morning
Weekday vegetables are in the Normandy blend? We don’t get that product here
Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, zucchini, and yellow squash, I believe.
Thank you 🙂 I’m looking forward to trying this recipe.
There is a Mexican restaurant in TN where my dad lives that has a dish similar to this but it has chicken in it. Would it be okay to make this with the chicken? It was so good I want to be able to recreate it but healthier. The cheese sauce was poured over the chicken and veggies. Thank you!
Sure, feel free to add cooked chicken to it!
Do you think it will work to just make the sauce, since it makes so much, and refrigerate and use a smaller amount at a time with other veggies?
I’m not sure! It would be worth a try! As long as the sauce doesn’t get too hot, I doubt that would be a problem. Just add it to your other veggies after cooking and draining them, then heat over low heat until the sauce is melted.
Awesome recipe! I love cheese sauce on my veggies! I am glad that you blogging again, and I can’t wait for your new cookbook! Best of luck to you!
Thanks so much, Penelope! <3 It's good to be back!