Quick And Easy Queso Fundido With Ground Beef
This flavorful, meaty, and cheesy dip served with tortillas is a perfect snacky appetizer for any get-together with your friends and family.
What Is Queso Fundido
Queso fundido literally means ‘molten cheese’. It is not your typical cheese dip that you get at your local Mexican restaurant.
The addition of meat and all the aromatics of onions, chilies, jalapeno, and black beans takes a rather typical dip and elevates it with big flavor.
Why You Will Love This
This is a pretty straightforward dip that provides the flavor big time. It also comes together quickly.
It doesn’t call for any odd ingredients, with all of them readily available at the local grocery store if you don’t already have them.
You can also mix up this recipe while still keeping true to the recipe. Swap out the kind of ground meat, and mix up different kinds of cheeses.
And absolutely garnish with your favorites: cilantro, raw onion, diced jalapeno, and radishes.
Whatever flavors you like, you can modify this simple recipe to make it your own.
Whatever you decide to do, it’ll be a big hit. Perfect for any gameday, party, or get-together.
Ingredients
Nothing too out of the ordinary here which makes this a great dip that packs tons of flavor. It definitely brings more to the table than the standard meat and Velveeta cheese dips.
Ground Beef – We decided to use ground beef. You could use any favored ground meats, such as pork, chicken, turkey, and chorizo.
Cheddar and Pepper Jack Cheese – Cheddar is a go-to for a cheese dip. We added the pepper jack to give it an extra zing.
Onion, Garlic, Jalapeno, and Green Chilies – Aromatics that season the beef.
Black Beans – A perfect complement to a dip that adds great flavor and texture.
Beer – Used to deglaze the pan, which adds flavor to the dish.
Flour – Used in making the cheese sauce.
Green Onion and Tomato – A delicious garnish that adds to the overall flavor of the dip.
How To Make Queso Fundido
You can decide to prepare this dish entirely with a cast iron skillet. We finished using a cast iron skillet for this recipe but did the cooking with a standard skillet (because we have a glass cooktop).
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and place the cast iron skillet in (so it can preheat as well).
Place your shredded cheddar cheese and pepper jack cheese in a bowl. Add the flour to the bowl and toss to coat the cheese lightly with the flour. Set aside.
Cook the ground beef for about 5 minutes over medium heat, breaking up the meat using a wooden spoon or spatula.
Season the meat with about 1/2 teaspoon salt and a 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.
If you’re using a high-fat content ground beef, you may need to drain off the excess rendered fat.
Add the minced onion and the seeded and minced jalapeno when the meat is rendered. Continue to cook until the meat is crispy and the onions are translucent about five to seven minutes.
Next, add the minced garlic and continue to cook until the garlic becomes fragrant about 30-45 seconds.
Remove the meat mixture from the skillet and add the beer. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, scrape the bits loose from the pan (deglazing the pan).
Add the cheeses, a little bit at a time, whisking constantly. Continue to whisk until all the cheese is added and it’s smooth and well combined.
Add the meat mixture back to the skillet along with the black beans and green chilies. Mix to combine well.
Transfer the queso fundido to the heated cast iron skillet (or if you used a cast iron, place it in the oven) and cook until it is hot a bubbling, about 5-10 minutes.
When it’s ready, remove it from the oven and garnish it with green onion and diced tomatoes.
Serve with tortilla chips, and enjoy!
Variations
- Replace the ground beef with ground pork, ground chicken, ground turkey, or Mexican chorizo.
- For a spicier version, leave the seeds and ribs of the jalapeno.
- You can also use a serrano pepper for even more spiciness.
- Mix up the cheeses. Fontina, mozzarella, and Oaxaca cheeses are excellent substitutions.
- Absolutely top with chopped cilantro if you’re a fan (which we are).
FAQs
A cheese dip with the addition of meat and aromatics, such as onion, garlic, roasted peppers, and jalapeno or serrano peppers.
Tortilla chips or warm tortillas. You can also serve them with crudities (raw vegetables, such as celery or carrot sticks) for a lighter version.
Other Fun Appetizers
Queso Fundido Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb Ground beef
- 1 cup Sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 cup Pepper jack cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup Black beans drained and rinced
- 1/2 Yellow onion, medium minced
- 1/2 cup Roasted chilies
- 1 Jalapeno seeded, minced
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 1/2 cup Beer
- 1 tbsp Flour
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Black pepper
- Green onion chopped
- Tomato diced
- Tortilla chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place your shredded cheddar cheese and pepper jack cheese in a bowl. Add the flour to the bowl and toss to coat the cheese lightly with the flour. Set aside.1 cup Sharp cheddar cheese, 1 cup Pepper jack cheese, 1 tbsp Flour
- Cook the ground beef for about 5 minutes over medium heat, breaking up the meat using a wooden spoon or spatula. Season the meat with salt and pepper.1/2 lb Ground beef, 1/2 tsp Salt, 1/4 tsp Black pepper
- Add the minced onion and the seeded and minced jalapeno when the meat is rendered. Continue to cook until the meat is crispy and the onions are translucent, about five to seven minutes.1/2 Yellow onion, medium, 1 Jalapeno
- Next, add the minced garlic and continue to cook until the garlic becomes fragrant, about 30-45 seconds.2 cloves Garlic
- Remove the meat mixture from the skillet and add the beer. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, scrape the bits loose from the pan (deglazing the pan).1/2 cup Beer
- Add the cheeses, a little bit at a time, whisking constantly. Continue to whisk until all the cheese is added and it’s smooth and well combined.
- Add the meat mixture back to the skillet along with the black beans and green chilies. Mix to combine well.1/2 cup Black beans, 1/2 cup Roasted chilies
- Transfer the queso fundido to the heated cast iron skillet (or if you used a cast iron, place it in the oven) and cook until it is hot a bubbling, about 5-10 minutes.
- When it’s ready, remove it from the oven and garnish it with green onion and diced tomatoes.Green onion, Tomato
- Serve with tortilla chips, and enjoy!Tortilla chips