Okay. So. It’s not exactly news that I’m not a huge fan of Mexican food in Louisiana (well, where I live in Louisiana–I’m willing to bet that there are other parts of Louisiana that have delicious Mexican food, but alas, they are not here.
But.
One of the things I love about living where we do is our close proximity to Texas. We make several Texas trips every year and every time we do, we pretty much exclusively eat Mexican, Tex-Mex, Fresh-Mex, anything we can get our hands on.
Mock me if you want, but I have only recently discovered white queso dip. In case you’re also unfamiliar with it, it’s usually kind of a thin, white, melty, cheesy dip that you use for tortillas chips. I like it better than the yellow nacho-y cheese dip, but really, it’s melted white American cheese.
And then…then…I tried one with lime and garlic and cilantro and it was like it was made for me or something. Forget every other condiment that came with our food, this is what I dipped my chips in and drizzled over my tacos. Then I spent a lot of time thinking about the cheese dip, which, you know, is kind of okay for a food blogger, but still a tiny bit weird.
I found some of that White Velveeta at the grocery store and I started with that, but then I realized that while American/processed cheese toes all sorts of lines when it comes to being classified as food and sometimes I can be okay with that, it wasn’t okay here. It got all weird and gelatinous and jiggly and I knew I needed to explore other avenues.
After some light stalking of my friend Penny, I discovered that you can buy chunks of Land O’ Lakes American cheese, white or yellow, in the deli department of your grocery store and use it in dips like this. So I sought out some deli white American cheese. I couldn’t find any Land O’ Lakes, but the stuff I did find was infinitely better than the shelf-stable jiggle cube.
To get started, you’re going to need a pound of white American cheese and a 1 1/4 cups of your favorite green salsa (if you’re feeling especially domestic, you could use this or this recipe, but I’ll be honest and say that a) I used the store-bought stuff and b) I kind of preferred it.)
Cut the cheese into 1″ cubes and place them in a medium microwave-safe bowl (or a double boiler).
Add 1/3 cup hot water and 1 1/4 cups green salsa.
Heat the cheese, water, and salsa in 30 second increments, stirring each time, until melted and smooth. You can add more water if necessary to reach the desired consistency. If you’re making it in a double boiler, just make sure you’re stirring it constantly, especially scraping the sides and bottom to prevent burning.
While the cheese is melting, mince 2 cloves of garlic, 2 green onions, and cut lime in half.
When the dip has reached a smooth consistency, whisk in the minced garlic, green onions, and lime zest. Serve immediately, or keep warm in a crock pot set to the low or warm setting. Technically serves about 16, but one hungry man or angry woman could probably eat the whole thing once they started. Naturally, it’s awesome on chips, but it’s also a surprisingly delicious dip for fresh, crunchy veggies.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 100
Fat: 9
Protein: 6
Carbs: 2
Fiber: 0
Queso Verde
Recipe by Our Best Bites
Ingredients:
1 pound white American cheese (look for it in the deli section of your grocery store), cut into 1″ cubes
1 1/4 cups of your favorite green salsa
1/3 cup hot water (add more if needed to reach desired consistency)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 green onions, minced
Zest of 1 lime
Instructions:
In a medium, microwave-safe bowl combine the cheese cubes, water, and the salsa. Heat in 30 second increments, stirring each time, until melted and smooth. You can add more water if necessary. This step can also be done over a double boiler if you stir it constantly.
When the dip has reached a smooth consistency, whisk in the minced garlic, green onions, and lime zest. Serve immediately, or keep warm in a crock pot set to the low or warm setting. Technically serves about 16, but one hungry man or angry woman could probably eat the whole thing once they started.
Questions & Reviews
I had a couple of friends for dinner tonight and made this AMAZING queso. They gobbled it right up and were asking me for the recipe! I love that it was so easy to make and delicious to eat.
This was my appetizer to y’alls Green Chile Chicken and Rice which everyone also enjoyed very, very much! Happy and satisfied friends equals a happy and satisfied me.
Can’t thank you two enough for all the recipes, especially that y’all have picture by picture steps (MY FAVORITE!!)
Thanks so much for the recipe~ making it today!
Also where did you get the cute little Le Creuset bowl?
Thanks again!
I love this recipe. I made what I call a Cancun Burrito. I mixed up a tasty chicken taco mixture. Roll it up in a tortilla shell and smother it in thinned queso verde sauce. Then microwave just briefly. My friends and family were licking their plates clean. To make a smooth queso I microwave every thing together until the cheese is soft not melted Then I use my stick blender and blend it all together. Works every time. No curdling, not grainy just wonderful sauce.
I’ve always wanted to make my own queso and this did not disappoint! My husband was in heaven! I’m not a fan of those yellow cheese dips so this was perfect!
There’s a Mexican place here in San Diego called Miguel’s Cocina. When you sit down, they give you a basket of chips and their heavenly jalapeno cheese sauce. This dip reminded me of it and I’m definitely going to try this recipe. Thanks!
My queso recipe is similar,however I don’t worry about getting blocks of the white american, the slices tear into little pieces very easily for easy melting.
I made this this weekend and it was DEE-licious…however, the texture was terrible for me! Grainy or curdle-ish…not glorious and drippy and melty at all!! How many trips through the microwave did yours take? Mine took quite a few. In fact after the first few trips with no melting, I threw in a couple of one-minute bouts – also with little affect – before ending with another couple of 30 seconds. This COULD have been a problem becuase my cubes were not uniform in consistency?? (I got a deal on cheese “ends” so most were 1 inch but a few were much thinner. And it was Land o Lakes….)
Sometimes the humidity/atmosphere affects my melting abilities – like, some days I can melt chocolate in the microwave like a champ, and other days the same method produces a dry lumpy mess…..same with cheese??? Again – super yummy and people ate it up anyway 🙂
🙁 it was going good until I whisked in the garlic and lime juice. It immediately curdled and I can’t seem to whisk that out. I tried putting it back in the microwave but no luck. I did use the Land O Lakes white American cheese and the Herdez Salsa Verde. It tastes great but isn’t very pleasing to the eye. Any advice? BTW love your site and recipes…I have three recipes on deck for this week’s menu!!!
I had the exact same thing happen so interested in any replies. I’m glad to know it wasn’t just me 🙂
So I tried this again and I think I know why it curdled. I melted the cheese in the microwave but once it was melted enough that I knew I could stir it the rest of the way smooth I poured it into the cold crock pot bowl and then finished stirring and added the garlic and lime juice. This kept the temperature of the cheese down and prevented the curdling. I think my problem before was that after so much time in the microwave the bowl eventually got too hot and the cheese curdled.
Can I prepare this ahead of time and then just heat it up a few hours later?
Love your Recipies!
Thanks!
SO is the white cheese your buying just normal cheese that didn’t have the yellow Annatto dye added? I make my own cheddar cheese and always leave it natural with out the dye. I also make my own Salsa Verde from tomatillos. Wondering if I can use my own stuff? Would love to make this for my husband.
http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-is-cheddar-cheese-orange/