I love this super simple chile con queso dip which can be ready in 25 minutes start to finish. What can be better than a hot and cheesy dip that’s got some beef, lots of fire roasted tomatoes, green chiles and jalapeños. So you see, I am also getting my veggies in. It’s all in how I justify it, at least to myself.
This chile con queso dip is so perfect for a snack or appetizer and it sure is impressive! Serve this with some crispy tortilla chips and you’ve got dinner! Trust me!
What Is Chile Con Queso
This velvety smooth and creamy cheese dip is a popular Tex-Mex recipe made popular by restaurants in the southern USA. It’s most often served with tortilla chips, but can be used to top fajitas, tacos, enchiladas, etc. You can put this delicious dip on anything!
What Ingredients Are In Chile Con Queso
For this recipe you will need:
- Olive oil
- Ground beef
- Chili powder
- Red onion
- Garlic
- Green chiles
- Jalapeno
- Fire roasted tomatoes – or regular diced tomatoes, but I prefer the fire roasted ones because they have a great smoky, Southwestern flavor.
- Evaporated milk – It’s used in this dip to provide extra creaminess or body without the fat of real cream.
- Velveeta – YES, Velveeta! Why? Because if you truly want a silky queso, velveeta is the way to go, however feel free to use any shredded cheese you prefer such as Monterey Jack, Cheddar, etc, anything that is a great melting cheese.
- Monterey Jack cheese – or cheddar cheese
- Cilantro – or parsley if you don’t like cilantro.
Can You Make Chile Con Queso Without Velveeta
Velveeta is great for making a super creamy smooth dip. I know that a lot of people aren’t the biggest Velveeta fans, and that’s totally okay! You can sub 1 – 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese. The more you use the thicker the dip will be, so feel free to add more or less depending on your personal preference.
But if you want a creamy, super smooth dip, go with Velveeta. Just saying.
How To Make Chile Con Queso
Start by heating the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the ground beef and chili powder, and cook until it’s no longer pink. Make sure you break it up into nice and small pieces. Stir in the red onion and garlic. Cook until the onion begins to soften and turn translucent.
Next, add the canned chiles, jalapeno, fire roasted tomatoes, and stir everything together. These fire roasted tomatoes are a game changer! I use them whenever I have the opportunity. They add so much more amazing smoky flavor than your regular run-of-the-mill diced tomatoes. Bring to a simmer.
Add in the evaporated milk and velveeta, or whatever cheese you decide to go with. Cook for 2 more minutes until the velveeta melts. Stir in 2 cups of the Monterey Jack cheese and cook for another minute until it all melts.
Remove from the heat and top with remaining cheese over the top, then place under the broiler for about 5 minutes or until browned and bubbly.
What Can I Serve With Chile Con Queso
I love serving this with some crispy tortillas or chips and crackers. If you want to feel healthy about this, how about serving this with some veggies such as carrots, celery, broccoli and cauliflower.
You can also try some homemade Baked Zucchini Chips with this dip!
DID YOU LOVE THIS DIP? TRY THESE RECIPES!
- Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Baja Spinach Dip
- Crockpot Queso Blanco Dip
- Bacon Corn Dip
- Skillet Pizza Dip
- Caramel Apple Dip
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Chile Con Queso
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ pound ground beef extra lean
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 small red onion diced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 4 ounce green chiles (1 can)
- 1 jalapeno fresh, seeded and chopped
- 14 ounce fire roasted tomatoes (1 can)
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 1 cup velveeta cubed
- 2 ½ cups monterery jack cheese shredded
- 1 tablespoon cilantro fresh, chopped
Instructions
- Cook ground beef: Heat the olive oil in a cast iron skillet, or oven safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef to the skillet, season it with the chili powder, and cook for about 5 minutes until no longer pink, breaking it up as you go along.
- Add garlic and onion: Stir in the red onion and garlic and cook for 2 more minutes or until the onion softens and becomes translucent.
- Add chilis, jalapeno and tomatoes: Add the green chiles, jalapeno, fire roasted tomatoes and stir. Bring to a simmer, then turn down the heat to medium low.
- Add evaporated milk and velveeta: Add the evaporated milk and velveeta and cook for 2 more minutes or until the velveeta melts. Stir in 2 cups of the jack cheese and cook for another minute until it melts.
- Top with cheese and broil: Turn off the heat. Sprinkle the remaining jack cheese over the top of the dip and place the skillet over the broiler for about 5 minutes or until browned and bubbly. Watch it so it doesn't burn.
- Garnish and serve: Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with tortilla chips.
Video
Recipe Notes
- Meatless option: Skip the beef, just saute the onion, garlic in the olive oil and then continue with the rest of the steps.
- What is evaporated milk: Evaporated milk, also known as unsweetened condensed milk in some countries, is a canned milk product with about 60% of the water removed from fresh milk. It's a dense, creamy, and ultra-concentrated milk. You can usually find it in the baking aisle at your local grocery store.
- Why use evaporated milk: It's used in this dip to provide extra creaminess or body without the fat of real cream.
- Why velveeta: I used velveeta because if you truly want a silky queso, velveeta is the way to go, however feel free to use any shredded cheese you prefer such as Monterey Jack, Cheddar, etc, anything that is a great melting cheese.
- I don't have fire roasted tomatoes, can I use something else: Yes, of course. You can use regular canned diced tomatoes or just fresh tomatoes and chop them up yourself. I like the smoky flavor from the fire roasted tomatoes, which is why I chose it for this recipe.
- I don't have a cast iron skillet, can I use something else: Yes! Feel free to use any skillet that is oven safe. If you don't have an oven safe skillet, transfer the chile con queso to a 9x13 baking dish or a 9 inch round baking dish.
- I can't find canned green chiles, what else can I use: Keep in mind that canned green chiles are not really spicy at all, so one substitute could be roasted bell peppers.
- Is this dip spicy: Yes, it is. It's spicy because I use a whole jalapeno pepper, and my jalapeno was quite big, so feel free to omit it or use as much or as little as you like.
- What can I serve this dip with: I love to serve this with tortilla chips, carrots and celery sticks. However, any crispy crackers would also work.
- Nutrition: Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
This was good. I added an extra jalapeño (one with the seeds, I love the heat). It’s a very rich dip and does taste like the typical “crockpot party dip” but I’ll definitely make again.
Can you make this the night before?
For sure!
Evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk are TOTALLY different. Also, look at the calorie count on the back of a can of sweetened condensed milk when using it instead of “all the fat of real cream”.
I said evaporated milk is known as UNSWEETENED condensed milk in some country, not sweetened. A quick google search should clarify that for you. 🙂
Thank you.
WOW!!! chile-con-queso !!. What a recipe and I liked the name you had given for the recipe. It is really mouth watering. Thank you for sharing the recipe. Waiting for many more post.
Happy you like it. 🙂
We made this for New Year’s eve, it was so delicious. Thank you for sharing!