Real Cheese Queso Dip with Sausage Recipe
The Super Bowl is on February 3rd this year (2013), so I of course had to get at least one dip recipe in. One of my favorite dips for the Super Bowl, and any time really – but especially this time of year, is a nice warm and slightly spicy queso dip. I would normally use a block of Velveeta cheese, but as I’m sure you know it is more of a cheese “product” than real cheese, as tasty as it is. One of my healthy goals this year is to continue to cut down on how many processed foods I’m eating, so that meant no block of cheese product this year. Instead, I opted to come up with a real cheese queso dip with sausage recipe.
I love adding sausage to this queso dip to make it a bit more hearty and filling – not to mention it’s certainly a man-friendly food. We like our cheese dips spicy, so I opted to use a chorizo along with the hot version of Ro*Tel. If you like foods on the tamer side, you can of course use a mild sausage (turkey sausage also works great) and just a can of plain chopped tomatoes and onions. On the other hand, if you want to make it even more spicy, you can add in some cayenne peppers or chopped jalapeno.
The cheese is perhaps the most important part of the recipe. You want a cheese that can melt nicely without being grainy, so I opted for half mild cheddar and half of a Mexican style blend from Costco that contains monterey jack, cheddar, queso quesadilla, and asadero cheeses. The boyfriend said that while good (and he had no problem scarfing the bowl in the picture down 
, he thought the cheddar was a bit overpowering, but I really liked the flavor it added. Either way, I would suggest any sort of cheddar, jack and/or American cheese.
Check out my Candied Bacon Footballs and Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Footballs for more Super Bowl recipe ideas in addition to this real cheese queso dip with sausage recipe!
This queso dip recipe is a nice alternative for those who wish to use real cheese instead of popular cheese block products.
Ingredients
1-2 pounds sausage (I used chorizo)
3 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon granulated (powered) garlic
1/4 teaspoon graulated or dried onion
1 10-ounce can Ro*Tel or any other canned tomato/onion/peppers/chilies of choice
1.5 cups milk (suggest 2% or whole as you are making a sauce from a roux)
9 cups shredded cheese (recommend cheddar, jack, american)
3/4 - 1 cup sour cream
1 - 2 teaspoons salt (I used sea salt)
Optional for extra spice: cayenne pepper, diced jalapenos or other peppers
Instructions
- Crumble and brown sausage in a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels if needed once done.
- In the mean time, melt butter over medium-low heat in medium to large saucepan.
- Once butter has melted, add flour and whisk together completely. Allow to cook for 1 - 2 minutes so final dip doesn't taste floury.
- Add in garlic, onion and Ro*Tel or other tomatoes and whisk until completely combined. Mixture will be thick. Allow to cook for another 1 - 2 minutes, stirring often.
- Slowly whisk in milk and allow to cook another 2 - 4 minutes, stirring often.
- Whisk in cheese 1 cup at a time, making sure cheese is thoroughly melted in before adding another cup. If it is taking a long time for cheese to melt, you can turn up the burner heat slightly.
- Once cheese has been mixed in, whisk in sour cream to desired creaminess.
- Stir in cooked sausage.
- Taste for seasoning and add as much salt as desired. I leave this until the end because some cheeses are saltier than others.
- Stir in or top with optional seasonings such as jalapenos or cayenne, if desired.
- Serve with tortilla chips, pita chips, pretzels rods, bread sticks or whatever meets your fancy.
- You can keep the dip warm for an extended period in a slow cooker set to low or over low heat on the stove as you need to refill. Store leftovers in air-tight container in the fridge and reheat over low heat, adding a bit of milk as needed.
Notes
All sorts of sausage can be used in this recipe including breakfast, Italian,turkey, chorizo, etc. Also feel free to add a variety of peppers, onions, etc. for extra spice and flavor.
What would you add to this real cheese queso dip with sausage recipe?
About Money Savvy Michelle
Yum! Definitely a great recipe for the game. I’ve typically used the Velveeta, but this sounds so much better for you.
This sounds yummy! Great idea for Superbowl Sunday. I just pinned it so I can make it later!