When Dear Husband and I invited family over for a party to see our new house this past weekend, I immediately began menu planning.
Now, lest you assume that ‘menu planning’ means canapés and cocktails, in this case I mean ‘what finger foods will pair best with pizza?’
I’m a firm believer that chips and dip ought to be a staple at any casual get together. So with that in mind, I decided to make a homemade queso to serve alongside my homemade guacamole and tortilla chips. But not just any queso — kitchen sink queso!
This queso is a Mosaicca original recipe and derives its name from the fact that you throw in everything but the kitchen sink! Corn, black beans, tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, herbs — you name it, it goes in. Had I any green onions, they would’ve been dumped in as well.
As with many of my favorite dishes, this is a slow cooker recipe. Because it uses a whole block of cream cheese and package of shredded cheese serve as the cheesy basis, it is on the thicker and creamier side. You’ll want to cube your cream cheese before adding it to the slow cooker – it will melt more easily this way.
I’d write out instructions, but all they would say is: “Dump it all in.”
Complicated, no?
The important thing with this recipe is to have it at the right heat level for the right amount of time, with plenty of stirring along the way. If your slow cooker is on anything hotter than the warm setting when it comes time to serve, the queso may literally be boiling. And you wouldn’t want to burn your guests, now would you? I didn’t think so.
If you like things spicier, feel free to toss in more cayenne and chili pepper!
Tell me, what is your favorite kind of queso?
Until next time,
xoxo Charlotte
Kitchen Sink Queso
Ingredients:
- 1 package regular cream cheese
- 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 can Rotel, drained
- 1/2 can whole kernel corn, drained
- 1/2 can black beans, drained
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp red chili pepper
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
Method:
- Cube cream cheese into 1 inch cubes.
- Add corn, beans, garlic, spices, and Rotel to slow cooker. Layer cream cheese and shredded cheese on top.
- Turn slow cooker to high and set for an hour.
- After an hour, stir contents and add more shredded cheese if stringier consistency is needed.
- After another hour, stir again and reduce heat to low.
- After another hour, reduce heat slow cooker temperature to the warm setting.
- Stir periodically while serving.
Yum! But now I want CHEESE!!!
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Cheese is the ruler of all foods! 🙂
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YUM! And I agree… Chips and dips are casual gathering staples!!
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Thanks, Teressina!! I agree – I love any kind of chips and dip!! 🙂
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This sounds like such a great recipe, I have to try it!!! I make really boring lazy queso that’s just velveeta + rotel but this sounds a billion times yummier!
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Hey, Velveeta and Rotel is a classic!! I’d say this queso is a lot thicker and creamier, not quite as runny of a consistency as V&R queso. But any cheese is good!
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You’re right, it is a classic! I prefer thick + creamy queso so this sounds perfect! Do you eat it with anything besides chips?
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Sometimes raw celery!
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wow, this is so good! I love what you do with this, super innovative 🙂
I was wondering if you were on FB at all? It would be amazing if you could share your recipe in our group, would love for you to join our community of food lovers! Check us out here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OnlyGoodEats/
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Thanks Andrew! I will definitely check out the FB group! 🙂
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This looks so yummy!!! I’ll have to try it!
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It was delish!!! 🙂
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To the best of my knowledge I’ve never had queso. I think I should invite myself to your house so I can have it. It’ll be worth the cost of a plane ticket over there I reckon 😀
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Never had queso?!? That, sir, is a travesty. Consider yourself invited!
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I’d love to see what your face looked like if I turned up on your doorstep in a few days. Haha. I agree, it is a travesty!
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If you turned up, I’d insist you have my homemade queso AND guacamole!
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In that case I’ll be over in five. Haha.
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