This scrumptious Cowboy Queso Dip is loaded with savory flavors like ground beef, tomatoes, black beans and fresh cilantro. It is perfect for tailgating, parties and Taco Tuesday!
Hey, y'all! Cinco de Mayo is this weekend and boy do I have a recipe for you! I actually feel a little guilty putting this recipe on here, it's almost like I'm betraying a long time friend by doing so.
You see, I've been making the same queso recipe for years. I call it Slammin' Queso Dip and it is absolutely delicious! It's a creamy combination of queso, cream cheese, Rotel, and ground sausage. I've made it for every single party I've ever hosted and it's always been a huge hit. My friends go nuts over the stuff and to be honest, I think they'd kill me if they knew I was playing around with other queso recipes behind their back.
Awhile back I was at a tailgating party that had a DIY Nacho Bar. Everyone brought their favorite nacho toppings such as black beans, fresh veggies, sour cream, guac, you name it, it was there. I was asked to bring my Slamming Queso Dip recipe.
One of my friends brought along Cowboy Salsa. If you've never had Cowboy Salsa before, it's an absolutely gorgeous combination of pinto beans, black beans, tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, avocado, and corn. All of these fresh ingredients come together to form the perfect medley of flavors.
So here I am, at the party, making a plate of nachos to munch on before the big game (and by big game I mean Florida/Georgia . If you're an SEC fan you understand.). I gathered my tortilla chips and started piling on some toppings. A bit of queso, some shredded lettuce, some Cowboy Salsa, all the works.
I took a bite and I was in heaven. The mixture of the warm queso with the Cowboy Salsa is the perfect marriage. It was then that I knew that I had to craft a brand new queso recipe combining these two great dips.
Ladies and gentlemen... may I introduce to you, Cowboy Queso.
When playing around with the recipes I went back and forth as to whether or not I wanted to use ground beef or ground sausage (like the Slammin' Queso). Both taste absolutely fantastic, but I do suggest seasoning your ground beef with salt, pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes if you choose to use that instead of ground sausage.
One of my favorite ingredients in this recipe is Pale Ale. The key to selecting which beer to cook with to is to choose one that you would typically enjoy drinking. You don't want to cook with something you typically wouldn't drink. If you aren't a beer drinker, you can always buy a single bottle of beer to use for this recipe. I went with Sierra Nevada Pale Ale since it's one of my favorites.
Ingredients: 1/2 pound ground sausage (or ground beef, see note above) 3/4 cup Pale Ale Beer 16 oz block Velveeta, cut into 1-inch cubes 1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese 1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed 1 can Rotel tomatoes, partially drained 1/4 red onion, diced finely 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions: 1. Brown sausage in a large skillet over medium heat. Drain any excess grease.
2. Add beer to the sausage mixture. Let the beer reduce for approximately 5 minutes.
3. Add in the Velveeta and shredded pepper jack. Stir occasionally.
4. Once the cheese has melted, stir in beans, red onions, and cilantro. Add in your Rotel tomatoes, with about half of the liquid from the can. (If you want your queso to be thicker, do not add the liquid).
5. Garnish with cilantro, fresh tomatoes, red onions, etc.
Be sure to pin this recipe for later, you'll regret it if you don't! Give me a like on Facebook or follow me on Twitter for more delicious recipes like this one! You can also subscribe to my weekly email!
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