Listen, say what you will about cottage cheese and how it's experiencing its 15 minutes of fame thanks to social media...it's a brilliant rebranding. I've always loved cottage cheese but also have always understood peoples' apprehension about it. I promise you can't even tell that it's the star ingredient in this cottage cheese queso!
If you are a curious little cat and always want to know more about something you're interested in, Serious Eats wrote "What's Going on With Cottage Cheese?" and TIME recently came out with the article "What's So Great About Cottage Cheese?" — some light, cheesy reading for you!
So cottage cheese has gotten the glow up of the century and it seems like every week I stumble upon a new use case for it, like this cottage cheese queso. I had gotten so used to using cottage cheese in bread and egg bites, that it didn't even occur to me to use it as a heated dip! So I got to mixing, found my perfect ratio of taco seasoning and cheese combo, and now this is a tried and true member of the weekly meal plan.
Ingredients
- Cottage cheese (low-fat or full-fat)
- Taco seasoning (I buy this stuff from Costco)
- Shredded Mexican blend cheese
- Cheddar cheese (I use a block and shred it myself)
The actual best part of this recipe is that it takes all of 5 minutes to prepare, but tastes so creamy and indulgent that it feels fancy enough to serve to a group. And I even take a shortcut and don't pre-shred my cheddar cheese because I make this in my 12-year-old workhorse Vitamix blender and it makes short work of a chunk of cheese. So unless you're using a Vitamix, too, I would highly recommend shredding the cheddar cheese yourself.
I have made this with a full cup of shredded cheddar cheese when I was craving it and didn't have any Mexican blend cheese in the fridge, and it has worked just as well, FYI! I just prefer it with ½ cup of the blended cheese, so wrote the recipe to reflect that.
How to Serve
- As a dip: Pair with tortilla chips, cut up bell peppers, carrots, cucumber, or radishes for an easy, filling, protein-rich snack. See below for notes on how to amp the queso up even more!
- As a cheesy topping: This is typically how we use this — on burrito bowls (see photo below), taco night, and on breakfast burritos.
📖 Recipe
Cottage Cheese Queso
Equipment
- 1 blender
Ingredients
- 1.5 cup cottage cheese I usually opt for low-fat
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning heaping tablespoon
- ½ cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Into the bowl of a powerful blender (or food processor), combine 1.5 cup cottage cheese, 1 tablespoon taco seasoning, ½ cup shredded Mexican blend cheese, and ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Blend until thoroughly combined, and taste to adjust seasoning. I make this for my family, which includes a 2 year old and 4 year old, so I don't make it TOO spicy, but you may want to add more taco seasoning.
- Pour into a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 30 seconds, stir it up, and another 30 seconds if you'd like. Serve with tortilla chips, cut veggies, or on taco night!
Notes
- Optional: Add cooked ground beef to bulk it up and make it a heartier dip if you have company over.
- Go crazy with toppings and mix-ins to personalize it: diced tomatoes, jarred jalapeños, diced red onion, bell pepper, cilantro if you like it (which I don't, sorry!), etc.
-
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days, if it lasts that long in your house!
- I love using this for a sauce on taco night, to top burrito bowls, as a dip with tortilla chips and sliced veggies, with breakfast burritos, and more.
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