Chile Con Queso Recipe | LaaLoosh (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between queso and chile con queso? ›

Chile con queso (Spanish for "chile with cheese"), sometimes simply called queso, is an appetizer or side dish of melted cheese and chili peppers, typically served in Tex-Mex restaurants as a dip for tortilla chips.

The BEST Queso Blanco Dip starts with combining white American cheese, chopped green chiles and pickled jalapenos in a bowl. Milk, water, cumin and just a little juice from the pickled jalapenos are added before the whole thing goes in the microwave.

Scanning the internet and the supermarket shelf, we realized that the cheese sauces are divided into two basic categories: Queso Dips, which include some amount of heat, spices, and other flavorings, and Cheese Dips, which are cheese and little else.

Rich and Comforting Flavor: The combination of melted cheese, often with added spices or chilies, creates a flavorful and comforting experience that many people enjoy.

“Queso” is simply the Spanish word for cheese regardless of whether it's melted or not. The term for melted cheese in Spanish is “queso fundido”. Queso fundido is made from queso. Queso fresco, queso cotija, and a couple of of other Mexican cheeses do not melt so you don't use them in queso fundido. .

Queso Oaxaca

It's soft and creamy, and melts well, which makes it perfect for dishes that require melted cheese like quesadillas and stuffed chilis. It is also used often as a garnish for tostadas, beans and soup.

In order to make authentic queso, use Manchego cheese. Mexican Manchego Cheese is a golden-yellow, semi-firm cheese with a slightly nutty flavor.

Though Velveeta is no longer an FDA-defined genuine cheese, it does have some similarities, namely pasteurized milk and cheese culture.

Queso Oaxaca is probably the most popular choice of cheese for melting. It has a stringy texture, not totally unlike mozzarella, and has a similar taste and texture.

Queso Blanco

Translated to “white cheese,” this option is yet another crumbly cheese for Mexican food. It's softer than Cotija, making it a more subtle option for refried beans, salads, and enchiladas. Queso Blanco is unique in that it melts well without melting completely.

Is queso and Rotel the same thing? ›

In fact, to some Texans, queso is simply “Rotel dip.” But why? Eater's Kayla Stewart recently set out to learn how the canned blend of tomatoes, chiles, and spices, became such a vital part of any queso.

Acid-curd cheeses aren't suitable for melting. They contain an acid that dissolves the calcium glue that keeps casein proteins together. As the milk heats, the acid curds become closer to one another, and the water content decreases. Without the calcium glue, the cheese will continue to solidify and will not melt.

Literally Spanish for “cheese,” as in, a quesadilla—queso typically refers to a hot cheese dip that is frequently eaten with tortilla chips. Mexican and Tex Mex restaurants often feature it on their appetizer menu, having figured out that many people enjoy eating straight cheese before, during, and after a meal.

Cheese that is bland or tasteless may have not expelled enough whey during the cooking process, causing the flavor to be diluted. You can try cutting the curds into smaller pieces next time, or stirring them a bit more to help them release more whey.

Queso Fundido is more traditional Mexican. The "traditional" offering of queso in a home is velveeta and rotel. In a restaurant, it's usually at least some mix of white or orange american cheese, jack cheese, half and half/cream, tomatoes, onion, and chiles.

And while chile con queso is usually only lightly garnished with pico de gallo or maybe taco meat, queso fundido often comes capped with mushrooms, chorizo, or grilled peppers. Notably, it's traditionally served with tortillas instead of tortilla chips.

Ingredients You'll Need

Ground Beef – You'll need ground beef for this recipe. You can use regular or extra lean. Chili Powder – Used to give the dip some classic Tex-Mex flavor. Onion – For this recipe, I used red onion, but any onion you have on hand will work.

Queso is what Texans refer to melted processed cheese mixed with Rotel or generic canned diced tomatoes and peppers. Nacho cheese is what midwesterners, in particular, refer to the same basic melted processed cheese sans the diced tomatoes and peppers.

'Chile' refers to peppers, so the dip is 'peppers with cheese'. And as Cindy pointed out, 'queso' may simply mean cheese and not a cheese dip.