Tortillas are a staple in my kitchen. Between making chicken burritos, breakfast burritos , tortilla chips and soft tacos as a quick meal I make sure I always have tortillas on hand. I was searching for a new way to use tortillas when I just happen to come across a delicious looking Mexican dish that included tortillas. I had never heard of Queso Fundido which means “melted cheese”. I discovered that Queso Fundido is actually a very popular dish even in the states.
In most areas Queso Fundido is made as an appetizer but my research showed some folks like to turn it into a sandwich. Since I was new to making the recipe I thought I had better stick to making it an appetizer. There were so many different recipes out in the cooking sphere I decided to find a basic recipe then add my own little twist. The standard ingredients for any Queso Fundido is spicy sausage, tomatoes and cheese. After that you can add whatever seasonings you like. Chorizo is the sausage of choice in most recipes because of the level of heat and spice. If you are not into spicy sausage, you can still make this dish but use a milder Italian sausage. Nobody will care. Use whatever makes you happy. But if you want the Queso Fundido to be authenic, use the chorizo.
Be prepared for this dish to disappear quickly. If you have cheese lovers in your house, they will definitely love Queso Fundido. Serve it up while it is hot and bubbly along with warm tortillas. Talk about Yummy!
Queso Fundido
Ingredients:
1 pkg ground chorizo or spicy Italian sausage
6 flour tortillas
1 jalapeno seeded and chopped
1 clove garlic chopped
2 plum tomatoes seeded and chopped
2 cups mozzarella or Mexican cheese
¼ cup diced onion or scallions
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp cilantro chopped
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp ground cumin
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Heat olive oil in medium sized skillet. Brown chorizo until cooked and slightly crisp. Remove sausage from the pan and drain on paper towels. Add garlic, onions, jalapeno tomatoes and seasonings to the skillet. Stir to mix well. Reduce heat and cook for 3 – 5 minutes until veggies are soft. Add sausage to the mixture and stir to combine.
Spray a pie dish with cooking spray. Sprinkle ½ of the cheese in the bottom of the dish. Layer ½ of the chorizo and vegetable mixture over cheese. Sprinkle a little more cheese over the chorizo mixture then top with remaining cheese.
Bake for 20 – 25 minutes until cheese melts and dish is slightly browned and bubbly. Serve with warmed tortillas.
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