Learn how to make my favorite asadero queso dip recipe…with having to use Velveeta!
With T-5 days ’til the Super Bowl, I feel like now is probably the right time to share with you guys my secret to homemade cheese dip that you can feel better about.
Actually, it’s a secret that I learned years ago from my friend, Maux, who shares my obsession with all things cheese and believes that a good party is not complete without chips and salsa and a warm bowl of queso.
The secret is NOT in a big un-refrigerated, orange, suspicious block of Velveeta “cheese”. (<– I mean, really, can we even still call it that?) It’s not in a long list of hard-to-find ingredients. (I still believe in the base of good queso being an old fashioned can of Ro-TEL.) It doesn’t require making a roux or standing for an hour babysitting the stove. (In fact, you can actually make this one in the crock-pot if you’d like.)
The secret is…
…ASADERO CHEESE. ?
Have you guys ever cooked with this stuff??
It’s a part-skim (or depending on the brand, 100%-skim) Mexican melting cheese, and it’s delicious in queso. The flavor is very mild and buttery, the texture is soft (think, mozzarella-ish), and it melts perfectly into a creamy queso that would go perfectly with any Taco Tuesday meal…or, you know, that big game day this weekend.
If you want to keep things simple, you can combine a package of asadero cheese and a can of Ro-TEL (diced tomatoes and green chiles) together and heat until melted, either in the microwave, on the stovetop in a double boiler, or in a slow cooker. OR, if you want to get fancy, you can add in some chopped fresh spinach, jalapeno, green onions, and cilantro to give your dip an extra flavor boost.
Up to you.
Either way, this delicious cheese dip is one that you can feel better about. And, speaking from experience, I can tell you it’s one that your friends and family will probably love. Our friends always go through this stuff so quickly that it’s pretty much guaranteed that we’ll need to make a double batch.
Because…CHEESE.
???
Enjoy!
Asadero Queso Dip (with No Velveeta!)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 -10 servings 1x
Description
This delicious queso cheese dip is made with two main ingredients (and no Velveeta), and it’s easy to make on the stovetop, in the microwave, or in the slow cooker!
Ingredients
- 1 (12-ounce) package Asadero cheese, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 (10-ounce) package diced tomatoes and green chiles (I prefer fire-roasted)
- optional add-ins: a big handful of fresh baby spinach (roughly-chopped), a small handful of fresh cilantro leaves (roughly-chopped), 1-2 green onions (thinly-sliced), and/or 1 jalapeno (cored and finely-chopped)
- salt and black pepper
Instructions
To Make On The Stovetop:
- Combine all ingredients in the top bowl of a double-boiler, and stir to combine. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring once ever minute or two, until the cheese is completely melted.
- Taste, and season with a salt and pepper if needed, stirring to combine.
- Serve warm.
To Make In The Slow Cooker:
- Combine all ingredients in a small slow cooker, and stir to combine. Cook for 1-2 hours on high, or 3-4 hours on low heat, or until the cheese is completely melted.
- Taste, and season with a salt and pepper if needed, stirring to combine.
- Serve warm.
To Make In The Microwave:
- Combine all ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl, and stir to combine. Cook on high for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between intervals, until the cheese is completely melted.
- Taste, and season with a salt and pepper if needed, stirring to combine.
- Serve warm.
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ahhh, thank you! My fiance and I love queso, but I never want to make it at home because I can’t handle the velveeta… though it’s not any better than anything we buy. :p Can’t wait to try this out!
Yay! We hope you both love this, Lindsey! :)
I could not agree more with you about a party with out chips and queso. It is not a party! I am looking forward to trying out your dip!
Thanks, Elizabeth — we hope you enjoy it!
Our local grocery story sells an in house brand of “shredded mexican cheese” that includes monterey jack, asadero, cheddar, and quesadilla cheese blend. Will that work for this recipe or do you think the consistency might not be great with melting?
Hi Kristen! Unfortunately we’ve just tried this with the Asadero, so we don’t know for sure. However, we would be a bit concerned that the shredded cheese blend wouldn’t melt quite right and would have a different texture/consistency. We hope this helps!
I live in Kansas City. I am not familiar with this kind of cheese. Where do you buy it in our area? I would think Hen House or Trader Joe’s.
Hi Leslie! You should be able to find it at Sunfresh or Price Chopper. We hope this helps!
I’m not big on dips but this queso sounds great. I love asadero cheese – it’s one of those things I discovered living on the border with Mexico. One thing I’ve learned the hard way is that you don’t want to keep anything with chili peppers on continuous heat over a period of several hours (like at a party) – the heat from the peppers will increase to a level that will make most people unhappy. My husband learned the same lesson separately. It sounds like you could just pop this one back into the microwave for a few seconds every now and again to keep it warm enough.
Where do you find this type of cheese? I’m in the KC area! Thanks.
I buy it at Sunfresh or Price Chopper! Haven’t looked for it at Hy-Vee or Whole Foods, but imagine it may be there too…
I am so glad to see a non-Velveeta dip recipe. It’s so much better with the real thing =)
Agreed! :)
Sounds delicious, but I live in the Northeast, where it’s nearly impossible to find Ro-tel, let alone Mexican cheeses! Any suggestions for substitutions? Thanks!
Hey Emily! Feel free to sub in (about half) of a can of diced tomatoes in place of rotel, plus a small can of diced green chiles. The cheese is a bit harder to find a substitute. Another Mexican cheese — Oaxaca — can work well for melting. But if you can’t find that, white American cheese also melts well (although its ingredients/processing is pretty similar to Velveeta). Otherwise, you can make a roux instead and melt some Pepperjack cheese (or whatever cheese you love) into it along with milk, but the consistency isn’t quite the same…
Yum! I love the bright colors in this rather than a traditional orange Velveeta dip.
Kari
Never seen this type of cheese! Will try and find it where I live.
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