This Spinach Queso Blanco from The Homesick Texan’s new cookbook brings some green into the mix via baby spinach sautéed with garlic and roasted Anaheim chiles. Buy a chunk of white American cheese from your grocery store deli for the best flavor and meltable texture. Fresh pico de gallo brings a little juicy crunch to the warm, gooey queso, and avocado lends extra silkiness. Tortilla chips are mandatory for dipping. Try Chilled Chile Con Queso with Avocado and Indian Queso with Jalapeño Chutney too.

  • Yield: 6 to 8 servings
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Total: 30 min
  • Active: 30 min

Ingredients (22)

For the queso:

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup chopped fresh baby spinach
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 pound white American cheese, shredded
  • 4 Anaheim chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded, and diced
  • pico de gallo, for topping
  • 1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and sliced
  • tortilla chips, for serving

For the pico de gallo:

  • 2 1/4 cups diced grape tomatoes
  • 2 jalapeños, seeded and diced
  • 1/4 cup diced red onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

Instructions

To make the pico de gallo:

  1. Mix together the tomatoes, jalapeños, onion, garlic, cilantro, salt, cumin, lime juice, and olive oil until well combined. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if you like. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

To make the queso:

  1. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the spinach and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 5 minutes. Season with the salt and cayenne, then drain the spinach in a colander.
  2. Rinse and wipe out the saucepan, then add the cornstarch, milk, and water and whisk until well combined. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, and cook for a couple of minutes, until the mixture begins to thicken. Add the cheese, turn down the heat to low, and cook, stirring, until the cheese has melted. Stir in the spinach and Anaheims. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if you like.
  3. Transfer the queso to a serving bowl, a small slow cooker, or a chafing dish over a flame. Top with the pico de gallo and sliced avocado. Serve warm with tortilla chips.

Reprinted with permission from Queso by Lisa Fain, copyright © 2017. Published by 10 Speed Press. Photograph courtesy of Aubrie Pick.