Looking for a quick holiday appetizer? Dip into Queso Blanco | Chula King
Easy Holiday Queso Blanco is an amazing dip that takes minutes to make and only uses a handful of ingredients. With the busy holiday season, it’s a perfect appetizer to put together and serve for those impromptu visits from family and friends.
This quick and easy dip can be made ahead of time. I like to refrigerate it covered in a microwave-safe container. When I’m ready to serve the dip, I take it out of the refrigerator and microwave it for several minutes. It's that easy!
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dip uses only four to five ingredients. Add tortilla chips, and you’re ready to go!
The Queso Blanco: I used Velveeta Queso Blanco. For those who don’t like to use Velveeta, this dip won’t be for you.
The Spiciness: For the spiciness, I used a can of drained Rotel Original Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies.
The Added Color: For the added holiday color, I used finely diced red bell peppers and finely diced jalapeño peppers. With both, I removed the seeds and membranes.
To Thin: I thought that the final dip was a bit too thick, so I added some milk to thin it out. I could have also used undrained Rotel tomatoes.
The Tortilla Chips: For festive colors, I served the Easy Holiday Queso Blanco with red and green tortilla chips. I purchased the Xochitl red and green tortilla chips at Sam’s. Publix sells that brand, but I haven’t seen the red and green tortilla chips at our local Publix yet. You could, however, use regular tortilla chips.
This awesome dip is one of my favorites. My guess is that it will quickly become one of your favorites as well.
Easy Holiday Queso Blanco
Serves 8
Ingredients:
1 pound (16 ounces) Velveeta Queso Blanco, cut into ½ to 1-inch cubes
10-ounce can Rotel Original Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies, drained
1 ½ Tablespoons finely diced red bell pepper, membrane and seeds removed, divided
1 ½ Tablespoons finely diced jalapeño pepper, membrane and seeds removed, divided
2 Tablespoons milk, if needed to thin the dip
Red and Green Tortilla Chips
Directions:
Add the Queso Blanco and Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies to a microwave-safe dish and microwave on high power for 1 ½ minutes. Remove from microwave and stir the cheese and tomatoes/chilies together.
Return to the microwave and microwave on high power for 1 minute. Remove from microwave and stir ingredients. If the mixture seems too thick, add milk. Add 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon of both red bell peppers and jalapeño peppers. Stir the mixture.
Microwave for 30 additional seconds.
Transfer to serving dish. Sprinkle with reserved ½ teaspoon of red bell pepper and ½ teaspoon of jalapeño pepper. Serve with red and green tortilla chips.
Yield: 8 servings.
Chula’s Tips
Rather than adding milk to thin the dip, you can add the Rotel Original Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies undrained to the cheese.
For added heat, try substituting red chili pepper for the red bell pepper. You can also substitute pimentos for the red bell pepper.
The main difference that I noted between the Velveeta Queso Blanco and the regular Velveeta is the color. I was hard-pressed to detect any real difference in the taste.
If you’re unable to find holiday-colored tortilla chips, you can use regular tortilla chips.
I generally prepare this dip in advance. Once the dip is made, transfer it to a microwave-safe container, cover, and refrigerate it for several days. Reheat in the microwave.
Chula King is the blogger behind PudgeFactor.com.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Looking for a quick holiday appetizer? Dip into easy Queso Blanco
