How to Make a Low-Fat Cheese Sauce with Quark for Lasagne

There is something about a lovely cheesy topping on a lasagne that makes it feel like proper comfort food, isn’t there? I love a good lasagne, but I don’t always want to spend ages making a traditional white sauce with butter, flour and milk, especially when I’ve already been busy preparing everything else.

That’s where this low-fat cheese sauce with quark comes in. It’s a really easy alternative that I’ve used for lasagne, and it doesn’t involve making a roux or standing over a saucepan stirring and hoping everything thickens properly.

Now, I should explain that this isn’t quite the same as a traditional cheese sauce. It’s actually a creamy quark and fromage frais mixture that you spoon over your lasagne before baking, then finish with grated cheese. The result is a lovely creamy topping without having to make a separate béchamel sauce.

I originally started making recipes like this when I was following Slimming World and looking for ways to enjoy the meals I loved without feeling that I needed to give them up. Although my approach to healthy eating has changed over the years, I still think having a few simple alternatives up your sleeve is useful, particularly when they’re easy to make and don’t require loads of unusual ingredients.

If you’re looking for a Slimming World-friendly cheese sauce for lasagne, or you’ve got some quark in the fridge and aren’t sure what to do with it, this is definitely one worth trying.

What is quark?

If you’ve never used quark before, it’s a soft dairy product with a thick, creamy texture that’s somewhere between yoghurt and soft cheese. It has a fairly mild flavour, which makes it useful in both sweet and savoury recipes, although I wouldn’t recommend eating a spoonful expecting it to taste like cheddar!

Quark became particularly popular with people following Slimming World because fat-free varieties can be a useful alternative to ingredients such as cream or full-fat soft cheese.

You can usually find it in the chilled dairy section of larger supermarkets, often near the cottage cheese and soft cheeses. Make sure you choose plain quark for this recipe rather than a flavoured variety.

One thing worth remembering is that quark doesn’t have a particularly strong flavour of its own, so what you add to it makes quite a difference. For this recipe, the nutmeg provides some flavour, while the grated cheese on top gives you that lovely cheesy finish.

Why make a low-fat cheese sauce with quark?

For me, one of the biggest advantages is how easy it is to prepare. I enjoy cooking, but that doesn’t mean I want to make every part of dinner more complicated than it needs to be!

Traditional cheese sauce is made by cooking butter and flour together, gradually adding milk and then stirring in cheese. It’s delicious, but it takes a little more time and attention. If you’ve never made a traditional cheese sauce before, BBC Good Food has a handy cheese sauce recipe that shows you how it’s usually made with butter, flour, milk and cheese. This quark version is a little different because you simply mix everything together before baking it on your lasagne.

With this quark version, you simply mix the ingredients together in a bowl and use the mixture as a topping before baking. There’s no separate saucepan of sauce to make, which is especially handy when you’ve already got the rest of your lasagne to prepare.

Using fat-free quark and fromage frais also gives you a creamy base without needing butter or cream. Of course, that doesn’t mean you have to avoid traditional cheese sauce, and I certainly wouldn’t suggest that one version is automatically better than the other. Sometimes I want the traditional version, and sometimes I prefer something a little lighter.

Ingredients for my quark cheese sauce

The ingredients are quite straightforward, and you shouldn’t need to hunt around several supermarkets to find them.

Plain quark – 500g

This forms the main creamy base of the topping. I use plain quark, and a fat-free variety works well for keeping the recipe lower in fat.

Fat-free fromage frais – 500g

This combines with the quark to make the mixture creamy. Make sure you’re buying plain fromage frais rather than a sweetened or flavoured version.

Ground nutmeg – 1 teaspoon

Nutmeg is often used in traditional white sauces, particularly for lasagne. It gives the mixture a little extra flavour without overpowering the rest of the dish.

Large eggs – 2

The eggs help the mixture set as it bakes, which is one of the reasons this recipe works best as an oven-baked topping rather than a sauce for pouring over cooked pasta.

Vegetable stock – 200ml

This loosens the mixture so it’s easier to spread over the lasagne. Prepare the stock according to the instructions on the product you’re using.

Grated cheese for the topping

I like to finish the dish with grated cheese because, although quark gives the mixture its creamy texture, it doesn’t have that strong cheesy flavour on its own.

You can use whichever cheese you prefer and adjust the quantity to suit your tastes and dietary needs.

How to make cheese sauce with quark for lasagne

One of the things I like about this recipe is that there really isn’t much preparation involved. If you’re making lasagne from scratch, you’ve probably already spent enough time preparing the filling, so having a topping that takes just a few minutes to mix together is rather handy.

Start by putting the quark and fromage frais into a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs, nutmeg and prepared vegetable stock, then mix everything together until the ingredients are well combined and the mixture is smooth.

Once your lasagne is assembled, spoon the mixture over the top layer of pasta sheets and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle your chosen grated cheese over the top before putting the lasagne into the oven.

Bake your lasagne according to the recipe you’re following. My original instructions suggest around 30–40 minutes, but the actual cooking time will depend on the size of your dish, the other ingredients and your oven.

The important thing is that the lasagne is thoroughly cooked, the egg-based topping has set and the top has become nicely golden.

Please note: This is a topping designed to be cooked as part of an oven-baked dish. It isn’t a ready-to-eat cheese sauce and shouldn’t be served uncooked.

Can you use quark cheese sauce for pasta or cauliflower cheese?

You can certainly use quark as an ingredient in other creamy sauces, but I wouldn’t use this particular recipe in exactly the same way as a traditional cheese sauce.

Because it contains eggs, the mixture is designed to cook and set in the oven. If you simply heat it in a saucepan and try to stir it through cooked pasta, you won’t necessarily get the smooth, pourable sauce you’re expecting.

For a pasta bake or another oven-baked dish, a quark-based topping may be an option, although you’d need to make sure the dish is cooked thoroughly and that the texture is suitable.

If you’re making something like cauliflower cheese to serve straight away, I’d use a recipe specifically designed to make a pourable cheese sauce instead.

I think it’s always worth being clear about these differences because there’s nothing more frustrating than following a recipe and discovering halfway through that it doesn’t quite do what you expected!

How to stop quark from splitting when cooking

If you’ve ever tried heating quark and ended up with something a bit grainy or separated, you’ll know it doesn’t always behave like cream.

Quark is relatively low in fat, and heating it too quickly or allowing it to boil can cause it to separate. This is particularly worth remembering if you’re experimenting with quark in other sauces.

For sauces that are heated on the hob, gentle heat and gradual mixing are generally better than boiling everything together.

With this particular recipe, however, you’re mixing the ingredients before adding them to an oven-baked dish. You don’t need to heat the quark separately in a saucepan.

The eggs also mean the finished topping will have a more set texture than a traditional béchamel sauce, so don’t expect the two recipes to look or behave in exactly the same way.

Is this quark cheese sauce suitable for Slimming World?

I originally shared this recipe as an unofficial Slimming World-friendly alternative to a traditional cheese sauce, and I know that’s still why many people look for recipes using quark.

If you’re following Slimming World, the important thing is to check the ingredients against the current plan rather than relying on older Syn values or Healthy Extra allowances.

Slimming World has made changes to its programme over time, including the introduction of Swips, so calculations that were correct when a recipe was first published might not still apply.

You should check the quark, fromage frais, stock and cheese you’re using in the official Slimming World app, as different products and quantities can affect how the finished dish is counted.

The cheese topping is particularly important because the amount you add will affect the overall nutritional values and how you count your portion.

I prefer to give you the cheese sauce recipe and let you calculate it using your own ingredients rather than promise that something is Syn-free or Swip-free when that might not be accurate if Slimming World changes their plan again.

Is quark cheese sauce healthier than traditional cheese sauce?

I think this depends on what you mean by healthier and what you’re looking for from your meal.

Using fat-free quark and fromage frais instead of butter and cream can help reduce the fat content of the creamy base, but the final nutritional values will also depend on the cheese you add and how much of the topping you eat.

Quark and fromage frais also provide protein, while cheese contributes calcium as well as fat and calories.

Personally, I don’t think you need to choose the lowest-fat version of absolutely everything to eat well. I spent enough years thinking about food in terms of what I should and shouldn’t have, and these days I’d much rather enjoy a balanced variety of meals.

If you enjoy a traditional cheese sauce, there’s nothing wrong with making one. This is simply another option to have in your recipe collection.

I think it’s much more helpful to look at your diet as a whole rather than worrying about whether every single ingredient or cheese sauce is healthy or unhealthy. The NHS Eatwell Guide explains this approach to balanced eating, which is something I much prefer these days.

What can you serve with this quark cheese sauce?

My favourite use for this mixture is as the topping for lasagne, especially a vegetable lasagne where the creamy layer works nicely with the vegetables and tomato sauce.

You could try it with my Mediterranean vegetable lasagne or use it as inspiration when making a lentil and vegetable moussaka, although you should follow the cooking instructions for the particular dish you’re preparing.

If you love pasta as much as I do, I’ve also got plenty of other pasta recipes on Just Average Jen, including a cheese and ham pasta bake that might give you some more ideas for easy family dinners.

And if you’re trying to plan meals without spending a fortune, it’s worth looking through my other budget-friendly recipes too. Having a few reliable dinners you know everyone enjoys can make meal planning so much easier.

A few final tips before you make this quark cheese sauce

Make sure your quark and fromage frais are plain rather than flavoured, and mix the ingredients thoroughly so you don’t end up with little pockets of unmixed egg or nutmeg.

Remember that this mixture is intended to be baked, so don’t judge its finished texture while it’s still sitting in the mixing bowl. It’s also worth allowing your lasagne to stand briefly after it comes out of the oven, as this can make it easier to serve.

Finally, don’t forget the cheese on top if you want a properly cheesy finish. Quark is wonderful for adding creaminess, but it isn’t a substitute for the flavour of actual cheese!

Have you tried making a lasagne topping with quark before, or do you have your own favourite way of making a lighter cheese sauce? I’d love to hear what you think in the comments.

Just Average Jen is an independent blog and is not affiliated with Slimming World. Always check current official Slimming World information when calculating Syns, Swips or Healthy Extra allowances.

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