Back in the day when my days were full of nothing but school, work, internships, workouts, and more, nothing would comfort me more than waking up on a Saturday morning and walking into the kitchen to hear my mom ask ¿qué quieres comer mijo? Before I even opened my mouth she already knew what I was going to say. Un chile con queso. Immediately she’d start sautéing onions, pour in some cheese, add some chile and serve it with a side of fresh homemade flour tortillas. Man! My mouth waters just remembering those days.
Yeah, I was somewhat of a momma’s boy… ¿y qué? Shh… don’t say anything. So tonight, in honor of all of the love mi jefita used to pack into that dish, I decided to give this recipe a try myself, for our home.
I skipped the onions and added extra chile. If I do say so myself, ¡me quedo requetebueno! Not even Anjelica could resist my culinary skills!
Like any good Mexicans, we dug in con manos and corn tortillas as soon as the food was done and wiped down every single last corner of our plates.
The dish itself was not hard to make at all, but the memories it brought back are definitely priceless. I think I’ll be making Chile con Queso more often now!
15 thoughts on “Besos de Queso: Chile Con Queso”
Juan! This looks amazing. I’m embarrassed to admit but I always thought chile con queso was a Chili’s Restaurant invention. Mi mama never made it for us. It looks easy to whip up. I want some, ahorita!!! Yummmm. Now I’m craving chilaquiles (sp?). : D
Very easy to make Ezzy! Hey, if I can make it, and I rarely ever cook, you can do it. And it is delicious. The onions add an extra kick as do cut up green bell peppers and mushrooms… mmmm, that’s how my mom used to make it when she started playing around with recipes, NOM!!
It’s quite like queso fundido isn’t it? Just the way it is heated is different.
Hey Debi, yeah it’s very similar to queso fundido… I think some places serve them interchangeably because there have been a few times I’ve asked for chile con queso and the bring me queso fundido. The type of cheese you use makes a big difference too. I used mozzarella, but it was a bit too thick. I’m told queso fresco is a better option.
Shakespeare, I’m suffering here! What is the recipe, por favor. There are only bits and pieces and what are the beans in the plate?
Okay, my recipe… strictly my own version, not professional by any means:
1) Cut up plenty of white cheese and set it aside (you want something that melts easily and won’t harden too quickly).
2) Make your own salsa or if you’re not sure how, use whatever store-bought salsa you have on hand. (Here’s a video I made on how to make Salsa Verde de Molcajete)
3) Now, pour in some cooking oil into a pan, let it heat for a quick second, then pour in all of your cheese so it can start melting (NOTE: if you’re sauteing onions, bell peppers or anything else to go along with the cheese, you’ll want to do that first before adding the cheese)
4) Once the cheese has started melting and you have a pretty good simmer going, add your salsa and keep mixing the cheese and salsa until it becomes sort of runny.
5) Once it is good and melted, turn off your stove and remove the pot from the open flame… and you’re done!
The beans in the dish are black beans, which came in a can from Goya and can be found at almost any grocery store nowadays. I hope the recipe works out for you, Josette! Would love to hear how it turns out 🙂
Mmmm! This looks delicious! We love to dig in with our tortillas. No utensils needed! My hubby has taught us well. LOL I’m going to have to try this!
I probably shouldn’t fess up to this, Tara… but we didn’t start using forks until we started going to school, lol! At home, mom made homemade fresh corn and flour tortillas everyday. It was heaven! No wonder I was such a momma’s boy 🙂
Thank you Shakespeare, sounds easy. I will try it soon. I have a big problem…DH doesn’t like cheese, can’t stand the smell when it is cooking and so I say I want a stove and oven in the garage for the next house…hell a divorce might be easier! When SIL was here, he was upset because I fixed a couple of quiches with some gruyere. I decided I was going to cook the smelly stuff and he could fix whatever he’d liked if he didn’t like it. Of course, he didn’t starve… This gal’s had enough…LOL!
That’s hilarious, Josette! I can hear you now. My mom actually had a propane tank powered gas stove at her house before because she couldn’t stand the way an electric oven made her food taste. She had my dad drill a hole through the kitchen and installed the damn thing however she could. Come to think of it, that might not have been so safe! Good thing they now live in a house with an actual gas range stove! Best of luck with getting your garage stove installed, and hey share your pictures when you make this recipe 🙂
FAVE Salsa in a jar: Arriba Chipotle roasted medium!
And it’s vegetarian!
Excellent point my friend!
What a lucky kid! Jeje! That looks amazing! Despite the fact that I just finished dinner, this post still made me hungry. I love queso fundido. Thank you for posting the details in the comments. I may just have to attempt it on my own 🙂
Let me tell you… the chile con queso from my momma is the best!!