We all know the story. I was on my phone with my mom, who I call almost every day, and I could hear that she was eating something. I asked her what she was enjoying, and she responded with “Queso.”
Me: “Where did you get queso?”
Mom: “I made it.”
Me: “You made queso? When? How?”
Mom: I’ve been making it for a few months now. It just takes three ingredients.”
You all, in that moment, I really questioned my mom’s love for me. Like, I have been talking to you everyday and you have hidden this queso magic from me? For why? For what?
She also sent this lovely photo with her enchiladas smothered in her queso. I mean…
I immediately shared her recipe with you all, because I do care about you and I never want you all to question my love for you.
I also made my queso a little extra with a few additional ingredients because that is how we roll over here.
No matter how you make this, you cannot go wrong!
Mom’s Three Ingredient Queso
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream or half and half
- 8–10 slices white American cheese (I got mine from the deli at our grocery store)
- 2 Tbsp salsa verde or 3 Tbsp of canned green chilies
I added the following to make it extra:
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp juice from a jar of Hot Chili Peppers
Instructions
To make my mom’s version:
- Add 1 cup cream to a saucepan over medium high heat and allow to come to a simmer.
- Add cheese slices. Allow cheese to melt and get bubbly (this will take about 2 – 3 minutes; be sure to stir to incorporate everything). Do not walk away from your pan or your stove will be wearing a new queso cape. Add salsa verde or hatch green chilies. Enjoy immediately!
To make my extra version:
- In a saucepan over medium high heat, add the butter. Once the butter melts, add the garlic and let it cook for about one minute.
- Add the heavy cream and 3 Tbsp canned green chilies. Once it comes to a simmer, add the cheese.
- Allow cheese to melt, making sure to stir so everything gets incorporated. Add the salt and the juice from the jar of Hot Chili Peppers. Enjoy immediately!
Looks delicious as usual 🙂 Do you think it’d be possible to make this ahead of time?? Or would (hypothetical) leftovers stay good in the fridge for a few days?
Yes! You can make it ahead of time and keep it in the fridge. You can just microwave it when you are ready to eat!
Have you ever had this turn out runny? Any tips on how to avoid? I ended up adding a lot of extra cheese to help thicken it up but it didn’t seem to help. The flavor was great, just runny.
Hi! Next time you can add less liquid, maybe start with just 1/2 cup heavy cream. Or, to thicken it, you can let it simmer on the stove for several minutes longer! It also gets thicker as it rests!
Can I add regular salsa (vs. verde)?
I sub in regular American cheese for the perfect mac n cheese sauce!! ????