One of my girlfriend’s lives in New York but is a Texas girl at heart. Almost every dinner party she has a delicious bowl of warm queso for cocktail hour. It’s so yummy and everyone just goes nuts for it. I mean, who doesn’t love salty chips dipped in melted cheese?!
Since the last time I had her queso, I have been dreaming of it. She was my inspiration for an appetizer for our Taco Tuesday Dinner. One of her secrets is to doctor up Trader Joe’s Vegetarian Chili as the base. The last time I made a TJ’s trip, they were out of the stock. So I decided to buy a can of red kidney beans, and add jalapeno, red onion, paprika and chili powder to hopefully get the same affect.
The base.
Any good cheese sauce starts with a roux. A roux is melted butter cooked with flour, usually 1:1. Combined with milk or half and half, it creates a thick, beautiful sauce. Mac & Cheese, Bechamel and Alfredo Sauce all use a roux as their base.
Once you add the milk or half and half and let it cook a few minutes, you can then add your sauteed vegetables and spices. Any vegetable that I’m adding into a sauce or baked dish, I always make sure I saute it first, so it gets rid of that ‘raw’ flavor.
Cheeeeeeese.
I used sharp cheddar cheese, but Pepper Jack, even Mozzarella would work – anything that melts well and is flavorful. I wouldn’t suggest using pre-shredded cheese. It’s good for certain recipes, but in order to keep the shredded cheese fresh, there are added ingredients which prevent it from coming together in a sauce.
The result.
It was super melty I wish I got a good cheese pull picture. The little bites of kidney beans added texture, and the jalapeno and chili powder added some spice. It’s the perfect party dip – I want to get a fondue set so I can keep it nice and warm from start to finish….although we ate it so fast it didn’t even have a chance to cool down!
Homemade Queso
Ingredients
- 8 oz block of sharp cheddar
- 1 15 oz. can of red kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 1 jalapeno finely diced
- ¼ of a red onion finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 2 tablespoons of flour
- 1 cup of half and half
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- Sliced scallions for serving
Instructions
- Shred your cheese using a box grater.
- In a small pan, sauté the jalapeño and onion in the olive oil until soft. Season with a little salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and add in the beans, stirring all together.
- In a small sauce pot, melt the butter. Add the flour and whisk until it turns a light brown color, cooking the raw flour out for a few minutes. While whisking, slowly add in the half and half, combining everything together. As it cooks, it will thicken up. In about 5 minutes, once it’s thick, turn off the heat and add in your cheese, vegetables, chili powder and paprika. Mix until everything is combined and super melty. Serve warm, garnished with scallions, and pair with crispy tortilla chips for a wonderful appetizer!
