Slow cooker white queso
Silky, restaurant-style white cheese dip with green chiles, melted low and slow and kept warm in the pot all evening.
- 110 min total
- 10 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 12
- About $0.92 a serving
- 360 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. Whatever’s left keeps for tomorrow.
Ingredients
For 12 servings.
- 1 lb American cheese slices, white, from the deli counter
- 8 oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 can diced green chiles, with their juice
- 2 tbsp pickled jalapeños, chopped (optional)
- 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped (optional)
- 13 oz tortilla chips
From your pantry
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
Each serving has about 360 calories, 14 g protein, 24 g carbs and 23 g fat, and costs about $0.92 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No milk? Half-and-half works.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Tear the American cheese into small pieces and drop them into the slow cooker.
Dolly’s tip: Ask the deli counter for a pound of white American cheese. It melts smoother than any other cheese.Add the Monterey Jack, milk, green chiles with their juice, cumin and garlic powder, and .
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Cover and cook on Low for 1½ to 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes, until completely and smooth.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Timer: 90 min
Dolly’s tip: Stirring keeps the edges from scorching. Don’t worry if it looks lumpy at first.in the jalapeños if you like heat, plus more milk if it’s thicker than you want.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Splash. A splash is a small, quick pour, about a teaspoon to a tablespoon. It’s there to loosen or brighten a dish, so the exact amount doesn’t matter.
How you’ll know: The dish looks a little looser or tastes a little brighter, not soupy.
Dolly’s tip: Made ahead? Chill it up to 2 days, warm it on the stove with a splash of milk until it’s steaming, then keep it warm in the slow cooker.Turn the slow cooker to Warm, scatter the cilantro on top, and serve with the chips.
Dolly’s tip: On Warm it stays safe and scoopable for hours. Give it a stir now and then.Food safety: Put leftovers in the fridge within 2 hours and eat them within 3 to 4 days. Reheat until steaming hot, 165°F.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
When you host a dinner, Dollop builds the menu around your guests’ allergies, works out a cooking timeline back from when everyone sits down, and puts it all on one grocery list.
