Salsa Con Queso
No processed cheese here! This homemade salsa con queso is loaded with green chiles, fire roasted tomatoes and green onion. Extra sharp cheddar and pepper jack cheese are melted down with spices and sodium citrate for maximum fresh flavor with no added processed cheese!
Veggies & Spices
Build your flavor base by sautΓ©ing some green onions in a saucepan. Make sure the pan is big enough to hold the entire batch of queso, which is about 4 cups. I used my trusty 3 quart saucepan. Use both the green and white parts of the onions for the best flavor.
After a few minutes, the green onions should be more tender. Add some fresh minced garlic (I like to use a garlic paste) and cook for about half a minute until fragrant. Be careful not to burn it. Add a small can of green chiles, a half cup of fire roasted tomatoes and some fresh cilantro.
Cook everything together for another couple minutes and then add the mixture to a small bowl. After the cheese has had a chance to melt completely, the veggies will be added back in before serving.
Sodium Citrate
I use this in my beer cheese dip and pumpkin mac and cheese, and it’s one of my favorite things to have on hand. An 11 oz bag is only about 8 bucks and it keeps almost literally forever, since all you need is a few teaspoons at a time. I use it almost weekly for quick batches of mac and cheese with my favorite cheddar.
After you’ve finished cooking the veggies, add the milk to the same saucepan. No washing in between required. It shouldn’t take long for the milk to come up to a simmer, and then you can add the sodium citrate along with the other spices. The milk should thicken slightly and turn shiny within seconds.
Now you can add your cheese!
Cheese
I used extra sharp cheddar and pepper jack, but you could use any kind of cheese that shreds. No matter what you use, don’t get the pre shredded kind. Get a block and shred it yourself. Pre shredded cheese has anti-emulsifying agents that keep it from melting properly into a sauce. Good for topping tacos, not so much for queso.
It’s a little bit of extra work, but your perfect salsa con queso is more than worth it. Add the shredded cheese a handful at a time, and whisk each addition well to melt it in completely before adding the next one. After all the cheese has been added, remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the veggies you set aside earlier.
Serving & Storage
If you let it sit out, which will happen when serving, the queso will form a thin skin on the surface. Just use a spoon to mix it up a few times and reincorporate that layer back into everything, and you’ll be good!
Refrigerate any leftover salsa con queso for up to 3 days.
Print
Salsa Con Queso
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 cups 1x
- Category: Snacks
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
Description
Creamy, cheesy and just a little spicy, this queso is absolutely delicious!
Ingredients
- 2 TB unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup green onions, finely sliced (both green and white parts)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (or 2 tsp garlic paste)
- 4 oz diced green chiles
- 4 oz diced fire roasted tomatoes
- 2 TB fresh minced cilantro
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 1/2 tsp sodium citrate
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp lime zest
- 8 oz pepper jack cheese, shredded from the block
- 8 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded from the block
Instructions
- Heat the butter over medium high heat in a medium saucepan (I used a 3 quart size) until it begins to turn golden, about 5 minutes. Add the green onion and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the garlic to the green onion and cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chiles, tomatoes and cilantro and stir occasionally for another 2 minutes.
- Remove the tomato mixture from the heat, add everything to a small bowl and set aside. Don’t wash the saucepan.
- Return the saucepan to the heat, add the milk and allow it to come to a simmer. Once it simmers, add the sodium citrate, onion powder, cumin and lime zest and stir to dissolve. Let the mixture come back up to a simmer, it shouldn’t take long.
- Add the cheese in handfuls, whisking until each addition is completely melted before adding the next one. When all the cheese is melted in, remove the saucepan from the heat and add the reserved tomato/onion/garlic mixture. Stir well to combine.
- Serve queso immediately with chips. It will thicken as it cools, and form a bit of a skin. Stirring the queso will remove the skin.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 cup
- Calories: 275
- Sugar: 3.1 g
- Sodium: 504 mg
- Fat: 12.4 g
- Saturated Fat: 7.2 g
- Trans Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 5.5 g
- Fiber: 1.1 g
- Protein: 14.7 g
- Cholesterol: 61.3 mg
