Description
It’s game day and time for some finger foods. My Super Bowl white queso dip with crispy crumbled beef is a guaranteed touchdown! Ugh, can’t believe I wrote that.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- Big bag of tortilla chips
For the Queso
- 4 tablespoon butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups warm milk (more if needed)
- 1 3/4 cups American cheese, cubed (see note #1)
- 1 cup shredded Jack cheese
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Salt, to taste (see note #2)
- 3/4 cup chopped scallions
- 2 teaspoons cilantro, optional garnish
For the crispy beef
- 1-1.20 pounds of ground beef (80/20 blend) (see note #3)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of taco or fajita seasoning (see note #4)
- 1/2 cup of onion, finely diced (about 1/2 of a medium onion)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste (mixed with 1 1/2 tablespoons water)
- Salt, to taste if you think it needs it
For the guacamole
- 3 soft, ripe avocados
- Juice from one lime
- 1 teaspoon of cilantro (more if you want)
- 1 tablespoon onion, finely diced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (more if you want)
Add-ons (serve on the side of the dip)
- Tortilla chips (don’t forget these!!)
- Salsa
- Lime wedges
- Scallions
- Cilantro
- Spicy sautéed chilies, optional
Instructions
- Finely dice the onion. You’ll use this for the beef, but reserve a heaping tablespoon for later when you make the guacamole.
- Chop the scallions.
- Chop the cilantro.
- Put your spicy chilies (if you’re using) in a small pan and put on stovetop for now.
- Cut your American cheese into cubes. I use sliced cheese from the deli and cut a stack of it into strips, then into cubes.
- Measure out your jack cheese and set aside with the American cheese.
- On the stovetop back burner: add a splash of oil and a pinch of salt to the chili pan and sauté over medium heat for a few minutes. Stir a couple of times while cooking, then remove from heat and set aside. The chilies are optional.
- Melt butter in a pot to start building the queso dip. Should be low-to-medium heat here.
- Add a splash of oil and the ground beef to another large pan and cook on medium to high heat. Break down the beef into crumbly bits. You should continue doing this through the cooking process. Cooking the beef should take about 8 minutes or so total.
- Add flour to the melted butter to make a roux. This is a thickening agent for sauces. Stir for a few minutes to cook the raw flour taste out.
- Add warm milk to the butter and flour mixture and whisk until combined. I heated the milk in the microwave first. Add onion powder and whisk again. Let this cook a couple of minutes on medium heat then add the cheeses. Give it a gentle stir, then let the heat do the work and melt the cheese. Should only take a few minutes.
- Continue chopping and cooking the ground beef until it’s cooked through. Push beef to one side and add diced onion to other side of pan and let sit and cook a couple minutes. Stir a couple times.
- Mix onions to combine with beef. The beef should be getting a good crispy sear by now. Cook beef and onions another couple of minutes.
- Mix one tablespoon of tomato paste with 1 ½ tablespoons of water and add to the beef mixture.
- Add your taco or fajita seasoning to the beef too. Mix everything together until well combined. Taste it here. If it needs salt add a little and taste it again until it’s to your preference.
- The cheese should be melted and your queso dip should be ready. Taste this too. The cheese has salt so it’s up to you. If you think it needs a pinch of salt, add it here. If your queso is too thick, thin it out with a little more warm milk. If it’s too thin, add a little more cheese.
- Make your guacamole last. I do this last because avocados are unpredictable and can brown easily. Add the chopped avocado, lime juice, onion, cilantro and salt to a large bowl and mash it with a fork or a potato masher if you have it. Make it as chunky or smooth as you like.
- Assemble your queso. Pour the hot queso in a large serving bowl. Spoon a mound of beef on top. Sprinkle some scallions and cilantro on top. If you’re using the chilies, garnish the top with a few of those. If they are really spicy – warn people of that. J Serve immediately.
- I put all my extras in little serving bowls. The tortilla chips, extra scallions, cilantro, lime wedges (optional), crispy beef, salsa and chilies. Everyone can serve themselves. Enjoy!
Equipment
Pasta Bowls (more colors available)
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Calphalon Saute Pan with Lid (5QT)
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Buy Now → Notes
- Buy sliced American cheese from the deli counter. I think I bought about 1 pound of the American cheese and used ¾ of the package to cut into cubes. I always have American cheese on hand so buying a little more than needed works for me. Better to have too much than not enough.
- Taste the queso dip before adding salt. If you add salt only add ¼ teaspoon, then taste again. Cheese has a lot of salt in it and your brand may have more salt than mine. Always better to add a little at a time and taste it until it’s right for you.
- Ground beef packages are rarely sold in EXACTLY one-pound packages. I used 1.18 pounds of beef for this recipe. So a little above or below this amount should be fine.
- Taco and fajita seasoning can be very salty depending on the brand. After you mix the spice into the beef blend, taste it. Add a little salt if you think it needs it. Or if you want more of the seasoning, you can certainly add more.