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It’s never too early to start dreaming about cooler fall weather, yummy dips, and college football. AmIright? I’ve experimented with different variations of a cheesy hamburger dip, what most call Velveeta queso or Chile con Queso. Today, I’m sharing secrets of what I found to be a slightly healthier but just-as-tasty, easy queso dip recipe to please even the pickiest snackers.
WHY CHEESE DIP WITHOUT VELVEETA?
Let me set a couple of things straight here…
#1 – I’ve made my “hamburger dip” on game days with Velveeta cheese for years. Throw in some Rotel, ground meat and chips with Velveeta and you’ve got a football appetizer in five.
I don’t want you to think that I’m getting all snobbish about junk food – nope, just trying to improve. I will probably still make the original version of Velveeta dip on those days I’m being super lazy.
#2 – I’m not saying that this dip without Velveeta is necessarily healthy. It’s just a more whole foods approach to football food. 🙂
Easiest Homemade Hamburger Helper
You can’t make every one happy, you’re not queso!
INGREDIENTS AT A GLANCE
- cream cheese
- shredded or block cheese
- salsa
- ground meat
- homemade taco seasoning
- optional jalepenos
CHEESE DIP FAQS
Technically, queso means cheese in Spanish. But if you’ve ever eaten at a good Mexican restaurant, you know that there is much more than cheese in those yummy bowls they bring you with those warm tortilla chips!
Did you know that most authentic Mexican restaurants serve what’s technically known as Chile con Queso? The name has been shortened to queso normally mixes a variety of white American cheese, queso fresco, blanco, chiles, and/or jalapenos?!
Both are Mexican cheeses but queso fresco is known as fresh cheese and made with rennet and culture, very creamy, doesn’t melt well, but crumbles easily like feta. Queso Blanco is also creamy, doesn’t melt well, and does better sliced.
HOW TO MAKE RECIPE STEP-BY-STEP
- Soften cream cheese for 30 minutes at room temperature or place in microwave for 10 seconds.
- Spray inside of crockpot with cooking spray.
- Place all ingredients in crockpot.
- Set crockpot to medium/high setting for 20 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, stir ingredients until creamy.
- Turn down the setting to low and enjoy!
- Stir frequently so it doesn’t stick to sides or burn.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 pounds cooked ground meat
- Large jar of salsa
- 1 block of cream cheese
- 1/2 block cheddar cheese or bag of shredded cheese
- 1 dash each of salt and pepper
- 2 dashes of garlic powder and chili powder
DIP VARIATIONS
Here’s the break-down of what healthier alternatives are replaced from the original dip with Velveeta recipe.
- Velveeta is replaced with cream cheese or Greek yogurt cream cheese and high-quality shredded or block cheese.
- The can of Rotel is replaced with a jar of high-quality salsa.
- Ground meat is either high-quality lean ground beef, turkey, or venison.
- A packet of taco seasoning is replaced with a homemade taco seasoning version of garlic powder, salt, pepper, and chili seasoning.
Now go and enjoy that game (or whatever else you like to watch) with your people!!
Related:
- CHEESEBURGER PIE: LOW CARB + EASY + YUMMY
- EASY OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES FOR BREAKFAST!!
- PUMPKIN MUFFIN RECIPE
What do You like to watch while enjoying queso dip at home?
Published on HuffPost, Okefenokee Living Magazine, and more, Shan is a Family Travel Journalist with a passion for helping women lose the overwhelm of planning family-friendly trips in the south. She shares travel reviews & insider secrets that Women REALLY want to know about Georgia, Florida, & the Carolinas vacations.
☕️ It’s THE REAL DEAL around here ☕️
Yum! This looks so good Shan! Will have to do this next time we have people over!
This is an excellent recipe for cheese dip!! So good!! My family loves it!
Author
Thanks, Shayla. Hope y’all enjoy it!
shan
This is perfect especially with football season just around the corner! Who doesn’t love a good queso dip!?
Author
Right, Lori?! Those were my thoughts!
shan
I’m a glutton for this kind of dip. Looks so very yummy. I’d eat the whole thing…
Author
It’s hard to stop, that’s for sure. So you aren’t alone, Julie! haha
shan
Chips and quest is the perfect snack. I haven’t tried making it at home in ages. Looks like I know what I’m doing tomorrow!
Author
I’m ready for some too. I may have to pretend it’s already football season and make some this weekend!
shan
It looks delicious, I’ll have to try it at home!
Author
Yay! Let me know what you think, Paula!
shan
Omg, this looks delicious! I love a good cheese dip. Thank you for this simple recipe. I will have to pin this for later.
Author
You are certainly welcome, Yanna!! We love cheese around here too! 🙂
shan
I could live off of a good cheese dip! I can’t wait to try this! How does it work with low-fat or fat-free cheese?
I recently went gluten free and I was thinking I should make something like this for myself and the family. This looks so good!
THANK YOU for this recipe. I love queso but Velveeta grosses me out. Hoping to try this recipe out this weekend!
Author
Thanks, Amanda. Hope you have a great week!
shan
Yummy!!! One of my favorite dips! Came on to the blog to give my friend some love and support! ❤️
Hi, Shan, I had a dip something like this at friend’s party, so I was happy to come across your recipe, but I have one question what do consider a large jar of salsa, there are so many different sizes out there.
Author
Hey there! That’s a great question. I use a 32 oz. jar of salsa. You can choose mild or spicy and smooth or chunky depending on your preference. Enjoy!
-shan
Hi Shan do you cook your hamburger before you through it into the crockpot?
Author
Hey there and thanks for your question! You DO add “cooked and drained” hamburger meat into the crockpot. I am noticing that I said “cooked” meat within the ingredients but I need to make that more clear throughout the rest of the post. Thanks so much and ENJOY!!
-shan