Last night my mom had to bring food to a party. She made a new recipe...queso fundido. Sometimes it's dangerous to try new recipes at a party, but if it's from the Pioneer Woman, it must be good!
My sister hovered over it the whole time Mom was making it...it smelled so good! But, unfortunately for both her and I, it was all for the party, so no one got to taste test any.
Later, when my mom returned home, we asked how it was. She said she wasn't really sure, because everyone ate it so quickly! So, we assumed it was good based on the smell and how fast it disappeared. Not to mention the name, 'queso fundido'—'molten cheese'. How could that not be delicious?!
Lucky for us and you, there were some leftover ingredients! So tonight Elena and I helped make it. It was easy! But I warn you, you'd better share it, otherwise you might just eat it all!
Start by browning some sausage and mixing it with your black beans.
Chop up those vegetables into nice little pieces.
Grate that yummy cheese...and if you're like me, sneak some out of the bowl!
Pile it all up and sprinkle on that chili powder!
Pop it in the oven and wait till it gets all melty...
Don't worry, it doesn't take long!
Dig in! It's best straight from the oven!
Queso Fundido
Ingredients:
1/2 pound hot breakfast sausage (like Jimmy Dean Or J.C. Potter) or chorizo
1 whole medium onion, finely diced
2 whole small bell peppers (any colors), seeded and finely diced
1 pound Monterey Jack, grated (or mozzarella, or other stringy melting cheese)
sprinkle of chili powder
3 whole Roma tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Tortilla chips for serving
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
2. In a large skillet, cook the sausage until brown. Remove from skillet and drain on a paper towel. Pour off excess fat. Set aside.
*Optional: mix browned meat with black beans in a bowl and set aside.
3. Add onions and bell peppers to the skillet and cook over medium-high heat for about 7-8 minutes until the veggies are soft and golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Build the skillet: place 1/3 of grated cheese in a medium-sized ovenproof skillet. Add half the sausage. Add another third of the cheese, then the veggie mixture (you may have some extra). Add most of the remaining cheese, the rest of the sausage, then the remaining cheese. Very lightly sprinkle with chili powder.
*Depending on the size of your skillet or baking dish, there may be extra ingredients. Pole the ingredients so they reach about the top of the skillet; the cheese will melt and they will shrink.
5. Place in oven. After about 4-5 minutes start watching it; the cheese should be totally melted, hot, and slightly bubbling. It should not be hard, it should be really gooey.
6. Remove from the oven, sprinkle on the diced tomatoes, wrap a towel around the handle (so it won't burn people), and serve immediately with tortilla chips.
*Have everything ready so you can serve it right out of the oven, when it's best!
Recipe from: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2014/01/queso-fundido/
Photos: Elena and Maddie Faber
