Easy Queso Dip

Easy Queso Dip. Who doesn’t love a good Queso Dip? It’s not just for Cinco de Mayo!

This Easy Queso Dip can be served warm or chilled. It can also be frozen! Just thaw completely overnight in the refrigerator and stir with a whisk until smooth before serving. Also fully thaw this dip from frozen if you plan to heat it up. Otherwise the dip may scorch or burn while being heated.

One of the keys to a smooth and non-gritty cheese dip is to shred your cheese right before you use it. Sure, you can purchase those pre-packaged shredded cheeses — but most of them contain an anti-clumping agent such as cellulose to keep the shreds from sticking together. And that anti-clumping agent causes the grittiness.

Try my Smoky Chile Con Queso Dip alongside this Easy Queso Dip as another option for your party guests. Tortilla chips and a veggie tray are good dipping alternatives.

Enjoy!!

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From the kitchen of A Food Lover’s Delight….

Easy Queso Dip

Ingredients:

8 oz cream cheese, softened
8 oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
4 oz cheddar or Colby cheese, shredded
1 T olive oil
1/2 c sweet onion, minced
1 c canned diced tomatoes, drained then minced, reserving the juices
1 T chili powder
1/2 T cumin powder
1/2 c milk
1/4 c heavy cream
1 fresh jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 c chopped fresh cilantro
Salt, to taste

Method:

1. Shred the Monterey Jack and cheddar (or Colby) cheeses and set aside.
2. In a chef’s pan over medium-low heat, warm the olive oil.
3. Saute the minced onion in the olive oil until it’s transulcent and softer but not starting to brown.
4. Add the minced tomatoes.
5. Cook a few minutes to warm the tomatoes.
6. Add the chili powder and cumin powder and let cook a few minutes to bring out the flavor of the spices.
7. Drop the burner temperature to low heat.
8. Add the milk and the cream and saute with the spiced onion tomato mixture.
9. Once the milk and cream have reduced a bit, add the softened cream cheese in chunks. Whisk the mixture to smooth it as the cream cheese melts.
10. Add the shredded Monterey Jack cheese in handfuls and whisk until it melts. Add the shredded cheddar or Colby and whisk until melted.
11. Mix in the minced jalapeno and chopped cilantro.
12. Let the dip warm through for a few minutes, whisking off and on. If the dip is too thick, whisk in some of the reserved tomato juices.
13. At this point, you can serve the dip warm or cool and refrigerate it in a container.
14. Serve and enjoy!

Makes 4 cups of dip. Serve with tortilla chips or crudites.

Variations: Try different cheeses but be sure to shred them by hand if they can be shredded. If you are not a fan of cilantro, you can substitute chopped parsley. Add some cooked chorizo if you have meat-lovers in your family. Stir in some sour cream if you are serving the chilled Easy Queso Dip to add a richer taste.

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