The Best Green Chile Queso + 10 Queso ideas besides Nachos
This post has kindly been sponsored by The Hatch Chile Store. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Green Chile Queso is one of those extremely addicting recipes that practically disappears in the blink of an eye; that begs to be eaten with other indulgences like loaded nachos, streaming marathons, game day buffets, or smothered over French fries when you’re missing Poutine.
Of course, the best tasting Green Chile Queso is made with authentic Hatch green chile and quality cheeses. Stay away from fakeroonie generic brands for this recipe- you will really be rolling the dice on taste.
It’s easy to get Hatch chile anywhere you live because The Hatch chile store specializes in shipping their famous products directly to your door, anywhere the USA! (And fast too!)
What are Hatch Chile Peppers?
Hatch Chile peppers are world famous for their delicious flavors, produced by the unique climate and soil composition that exists only in the Hatch Valley of Southern New Mexico. These factors combine to grow exceptional-tasting chile peppers with smoky, sweet, and hot flavor notes. More people discover Hatch Chiles each year, and their popularity continues to grow.
Growing up in New Mexico where chile peppers are an integral part of the culture, I know that Hatch chiles have earned a reputation for being the best of the best. I personally only use authentic Hatch in all my cooking because it simply tastes amazing. You should be able to find canned Hatch chile in any supermarket these days, or you can order it directly like I do. Frozen chile is much, much better tasting than canned!
The Hatch Chile Store is the premiere website for ordering your Hatch chile– they are incredibly good at shipping fresh authentic chile right to your door, whatever variety and hotness lever you prefer. It’s where I get all my Hatch Chile, and I must say the flavor really does stand out above any other chile pepper variety.
Head on over now to The Hatch Chile Store to stock up on the most delicious Hatch chile you can buy anywhere- they’ve always got great deals on your favorite products!
Did you know I have a full-color cookbook with lots more easy and delicious New Mexican recipes? You can learn more about it here!
10 Green Chile Queso Ideas besides Nachos
Most people eat Green Chile Queso as-is with tortilla chips, either by dipping into the creamy queso or pouring the queso over a bunch of chips to make Nachos. Nachos are a real Mexican food, but were only invented recently in the 1970’s!
Besides smothering Green Chile Queso over your nachos (now that’s a nacho supreme), here are 10 other amazing ways and ideas to enjoy this spectacular Hatch Green Chile Queso.
- Smother inside your crunchy or soft taco. My preference would be a soft taco with either pulled chicken or ground beef.
- Smother over a batch of hot crispy French fries for ultimate comfort food. Don’t forget a fork!
- Stir in cooked elbow macaroni for a macaroni and cheese dish with zing! Take this recipe a step further and pour into a baking dish, sprinkle the top with breadcrumbs and bake on 350F for about 20 minutes. Spectacular.
- Finish off a seven-layer dip with warm Green Chile Queso instead of shredded cheese. Just make sure to switch out the order of layers first so the refried beans are the last layer before pouring the melty goodness over the top!
- Stir Green Chile Queso into, or smother over, perfectly cooked scrambled eggs.
- Smother over your freshly sauteed chicken fajitas, bell peppers and all.
- Smother Green Chile Queso over steamed broccoli, cauliflower, squash, or your choice of mixed steamed veggies.
- Stir in a couple cans of your favorite beef and bean chili for a spectacular cheesy and spicy pot of goodness that will warm you up even on the coldest winter day.
- Stir in some cooked ground beef and carrots to create Green Chile Cheeseburger Stew. Top this off with some crispy bacon bits for some fun eating a burger tasting soup!
- Make Green Chile Queso roast beef hoagies by toasting open hoagie bread in the oven, then loading the sliced roast beef inside and smothering the beef with the Green Chile Queso. Now that’s a hoagie made in heaven!
What is the difference between cheese and queso?
This question popped up on a recent Google search and I had to laugh because Google had it all wrong! The difference between cheese and queso is simply that chese is, well, cheese, and queso is a mixture of melted cheeses seasoned with herbs and chile peppers served as a dipping sauce. Queso cheese can be made with several different kinds of cheeses, such as Oaxaca, Cheddar, Monterey Jack or Velveeta. Likewise, the chile peppers used to spice the cheese can vary from jalapenos to Habanero to chipotle, to green chile.
Queso made with all white cheeses is called “Queso Blanco” (white cheese) and is also very popular as a dipping sauce. Nacho cheese is the most well-known queso out there. Did you know that Nachos were invented in the 1940’s by a Mexican man nicknamed “Nacho“?
I wanted to avoid processed American cheese when developing this recipe, and after several experiments I chose to blend Mozzarella, Monterrey Jack, and Cheddar cheese to create the most delicious recipe for Green Chile Queso.
Looking for more fantastic green chile recipes? Check out the gallery below!
I also cooked the green chile with garlic and lots of spices before adding in the evaporated milk and half and half that make this green chile queso nice and creamy. Cooking the green chile with the spices really boosted the flavor all throughout the queso. I hope you find this recipe delicious and the information helpful. Enjoy!
Did you know I have a full-color cookbook with lots more easy and delicious New Mexican recipes? You can learn more about it here!
You know what else is fantastic? Simply giving this recipe a star rating and a comment below! Your comments and ratings are greatly appreciated by me AND the Google algorithm. Thank you!
Did you know I have a full-color cookbook with lots more easy and delicious New Mexican recipes? You can learn more about it here!
Print
Green Chile Queso
Description
Roasted, peeled and chopped Hatch green chile is the star of this recipe, along with a blend of rich and smooth REAL cheeses that are deeply flavored with a variety of south-of-the-border spices that meld together into a green chile queso. Enjoy a blast of flavor in every bite!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2–3 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 ripe tomato, core removed, outer layer chopped (no seeds)
- 1 heaping cup of roasted and peeled, Hatch green chile, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon green chile powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 pinch of chipotle powder
- 1 (5 ounce) can evaporated milk
- 3/4 cup half and half
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup of shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
- 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
- Optional garnishes: sliced olives, additional diced chile and tomatoes, fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Place a medium-size cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add the butter, and when melted and sizzling, add the garlic. Stir garlic around in hot butter for approximately 1 minute.
- Add in the tomato, Hatch green chile, salt, cumin, green chile powder, onion powder, and chipotle powder. Stir and cook for 2 minutes, then pour in the evaporated milk and half and half.
- Stirring constantly, heat the mixture up to almost boiling (it should be putting off a lot of steam). Turn off the heat and immediately stir in the cheese, one handful at a time, until melted and smooth. Serve warm with tortilla chips.
Notes
This queso reheats well- place back into skillet and set over low heat, stirring often, and it will become smooth again.
