Sure this is a wellness lifestyle focused blog, but over here we are all about balance! This time of year, Sundays are for the boys. I’m not a big football fan, but I am always down to be a little extra. I like to make some fun apps and snacky foods for Ev and the kids, and they watch the games. Of course I am just here for the snacks! My go to football Sunday app is this gluten free queso.
My version is a spin off of THIS RECIPE from The Cozy Cook. The original recipe calls for beer. While I have made this many times with gluten free beer, I am just not a beer drinker. So keeping gluten free beer in the house just to use a little for this recipe is a waste in my opinion. Rather than drain the Rotel, I leave the juice from the can in the queso instead. This replaces the beer to break up the queso a little bit. If I am making this for kids, I leave out the red pepper flakes and pepper jack in the OG recipe, using some sharp cheddar instead. One change I made and love is adding my GO TO gluten free taco seasoning to the meat. I go light on the red onion (onion’s a must but I just don’t want it overpowering.) And finally we love our cilantro over here so we pile it on.
Best Gluten Free Queso Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1/2 lb ground beef
- 1/2 packet Siete taco seasoning (and a splash of water to go with it)
- 1/2 cup freshly shredded sharp cheddar
- 1 can of fire roasted Rotel (don’t drain)
- 1/2 cup black beans, drained & rinsed
- 1/8-1/4 red onion, super finely minced
- cilantro, measure with your heart
- 10 oz of Velveeta cheese, cubed
Directions
*You will want a high walled skillet for this. I’ve also made it many times in a crock pot if I am serving it to a crowd. Use a crock pot liner to reduce clean up time!
- Brown the beef, breaking up with a wooden spoon. In my opinion, the less chunky the meat the better.
- Once browned, drain the meat and return to the pan. Add your taco seasoning and some water. Stir to mix well and let bubble to reduce the water.
- Add the Rotel and cheeses, using the spoon to stir and help melt the cheese.
- Once melted and smooth, add in all the other ingredients.
If you are using a crock pot, simply add all the ingredients to the crock pot and cover, cooking on high until mixed well. Then turn heat down to the “warmer” setting.
Serve with your favorite sturdy gluten free tortilla chips. I like to jazz mine up sometimes with some slices olives, a dollop of sour cream, a little avocado, or some extra cilantro to make it pretty.
