Ingredients
Taco Meat
1lb ground beef
2 Tbsp chile powder
1 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp oregano
Queso
1/2 pound American cheese
2/3 cups milk
1/2 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon diced jalapenos (I usually do about two tablespoons, but vary it how you like it)
1/2 teaspoon chili powder (heaping)
1/2 teaspoon onion powder (not quite full)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (not quite full)
Cook the Taco Meat
Add 1lb ground beef to a skillet, I usually use my larger skillet. Once mostly browned, add the 2 Tbsp chile powder, 1 tsp cumin , 3/4 tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp oregano. Add enough water to stir the seasonings and distribute them completely. This is usually 3 oz or so of water, depending on how much liquid was still int he skillet. Once evenly distributed and there’s no more liquid on the bottom, remove to a container you will refrigerate the extra in.
Cook the Queso
Prepare the jalapenos and powders first, if you get distracted doing them while the cheese melts, you won’t be stirring enough. Place cheese, milk, and butter in a small non-stick saucepan over low heat (4 on our electric stove, which goes up to 10). Stir almost constantly until cheese is completely melted. This will take a little while, but you need to keep stirring it. Don’t walk away, it will all of a sudden melt faster than you thought it would and you’ll mess it up. Stir in jalapenos, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder.
To make this even better, also add 1/2 pound beef taco meat. Stir this in with the jalapenos and powders. If the taco meat is leftover (cold), keep stirring the queso for an extra minute or so to get it all heated thoroughly.
When all the cheese is melted, it will look way too thin and you will think you didn’t do it right or this isn’t the same as the one you’ve had before, but it’s thicker than it looks at first and gets MUCH thicker when refrigerated and eaten the next day. We store leftovers in a round glass tupperware so it can microwave in the container and heats evenly. Microwave on high for one minute at a time, stirring after each minute to mix (as best as you can, which will only be the edges at first) and to check for doneness.
Why
American Cheese
American cheese is the best melter. It also has a very mild flavor. In this dish, there is so much flavor coming from the spices and other ingredients that using a more flavorful cheese typically thought of for Mexican food, such as pepper jack, simply would not come through.