I was so pumped when I saw this in my Cooking Light magazine. Queso is my weakness so finding a way to make it healthy was exciting. Although I didn't expect to love it as much as I did. The FLAVORS POP and it's still plenty cheesy. The key is using butternut squash puree to cut down on the cheese and fat. My grocery store doesn't always have "butternut squash puree" but it does usually have a frozen winter squash puree which works well too. The key is making it in the cast iron skillet. I only made minor changes from the original recipe based on ingredients that are easier to find for me, because it really was perfect from the get go.
Healthy Queso Fundido
- 1 teaspoon canola oil
- 3/4 cup diced red onion
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup unsalted chicken stock
- 1 (10-ounce) package frozen butternut squash puree (or winter squash puree), thawed
- 1 tablespoon minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, plus 2 teaspoons adobo sauce
- 3 ounces shredded Oaxaca cheese (about 3/4 cup), divided
- 3 ounces shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese (about 3/4 cup), divided
- 1/3 cup very thinly sliced radishes
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 3 tablespoons sliced green onions
- 1 thinly sliced jalapeño
- blue corn tortilla chips for serving
- Celery and carrot sticks for serving
- Heat oil in a medium cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add red onion; cook 5 minutes or until softened.
- Preheat broiler to high while that cooks
- Add garlic, cook for one minute.
- Add flour; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add stock, squash, chipotle, and adobo sauce; bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low; add 2 ounces Oaxaca cheese and 2 ounces cheddar cheese; cook 2 minutes or until smooth, stirring until cheese melts.
- Sprinkle remaining cheeses over top. Broil 2 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned. Top with radishes, cilantro, green onions, and jalapeño. Serve with chips and celery and carrot sticks.
