Queso dip is a Tex-Mex staple that I have eaten since I was a small child. Most Texans consider queso a comfort food. A restaurant in North Little Rock, Arkansas, has tried to claim that they originated queso, but Texans have refused to give up their claim to this delicious dip. We may never solve the mystery of the origins of queso, but we can agree that when made correctly, it is delicious.

As much as I love many recipes that are not considered traditional “American” fare, I also feel it’s essential to have some basic comfort food recipes that I can do well. A week or two ago, my stepson, Dustin, asked if I could make some queso as one of my new recipes, so this week, I did.

Queso is one of those sauces that you can find almost anywhere that serves food. From Little League snack bars to movie theatres, convenience stores to restaurants, “queso” is nearly as popular as pizza in the U.S.

If you look for the originator of queso, you will find stories about cooks in Arkansas, Texas, and Kentucky. However, the actual origins also seem tied to a Mexican rarebit (yes, rarebit) dish. All I know is that there is far worse “out of the can, box, or jar” queso than there is good queso, and that really speaks to how much we love the dish. Though we do not eat it often, I do want a tasty version that I can make at home.

Queso recipes have continued to evolve, and this recipe certainly has more flavor than what I first experienced when I had queso for the first time as a five-year-old girl in a small town in Texas. Queso was the first restaurant food my son ever ate, so both of these versions had little heat. The only queso I was initially familiar with was made with yellow cheese, and most of the time, that cheese was a very processed version. Today, queso is made from various cheeses that create varying flavor profiles.

This recipe for white queso is straightforward to make and is a fantastic dip with warm tortilla chips, or it can be used as a sauce on fajitas, burritos, or whatever type of Mexican food you prefer.

I hope that you try this recipe, and I also hope that making it will inspire you to tweak it to your taste.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• ¾ pound white American cheese from the deli
• ¼ pound pepper jack cheese
• ¾ cup half & half (divided)
• ½ cup Pico de Gallo (I used a store-bought medium heat version.)
• 4 ounces diced green chilies, drained
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon dried cumin

Instructions:

• If time allows, remove all the refrigerated ingredients 30 minutes before making the dish.
• Break the cheese slices up into small pieces. Place the cheese and ¼ cup of half in half in a double boiler and stir together. Make sure that the water in the double boiler is just a very soft boil. Cover the double boiler and let gently cook for 5 minutes.
• Add the Pico De Gallo, ½ cup half and half, green chilies, chili powder, and cumin to the double boiler and stir continuously until all the ingredients are combined.

Additional Notes:

• Do not use store-bought shredded cheese. This type of cheese contains cellulose powder that prevents it from sticking together, so it does not melt together very well. Also, do not use white American cheese slices that are individually wrapped.
• Serve with fresh and pickled jalapenos.
• Use hot store-bought pico or add chopped jalapeños for additional heat.