Recipe

Texas-Style Green Chile Chorizo Queso

Feed the masses with this tried and true party grub

Recipe by Jen Hatmaker

February 8, 2023

Photo: Mackenzie Smith Kelley

One of the greatest days of my life was when my son Gavin got a job at Torchy’s Tacos, where he worked for three years in college. Sure, he was busy getting a degree for a professional career, but he became an insider on Torchy’s queso, which, by a margin of one thousand, is my favorite queso in the land. (Other children, take note: impressing your mother doesn’t require anything more than working at her favorite restaurants. Turns out college is like, fifth place.)

In Kansas, where I grew up, “queso” meant Velveeta and a can of Ro-Tel. And that was the end of the tale. But then I moved to Texas in 1998, and I got converted and saved. Praise the Spirit for the Lone Star State when it comes to melted cheese snacks. Break out the tambourines!

This is a mash-up of the two best quesos in Austin: Torchy’s and the Bob Armstrong dip at Matt’s El Rancho. No additional commentary needed. If you know, you know.

Also, by the way, this makes a huge batch. These are party quantities, because I’m assuming you’re making this for Football Saturday or Football Sunday or Football Monday. Cut it in half if you’re planning to eat something other than cheese dip or feeding fewer than the million people who live in my house. But all leftover queso tells me is that I have something awesome to spoon over my eggs the next morning. A word on chorizo: When readers ask me what chorizo is, I have to go into my prayer closet, because these poor souls are living in a state of deprivation. In short, chorizo is life. In long, chorizo is spiced ground pork, quite possibly the perfect food. Please do not buy the chorizo made from earlobes and assholes that’s sold in a tube. It will ruin your day. If you can’t get fresh ground chorizo or high-quality chorizo, just use ground hot Italian sausage. —Jen Hatmaker, from her new cookbook, Feed These People: Slam-Dunk Recipes for Your Crew

Get Hatmaker’s Pimento Cheese with Candied Jalapeños recipe here.

Ingredients

Texas-Style Green Chile Chorizo Queso
- 1 lb. ground chorizo (or ground hot Italian sausage)
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 jalapeños, seeded and diced
- 4 garlic cloves, diced
- 1 (10-oz.) can diced tomatoes and green chiles, (“FINE, I USE RO-TEL,” Hatmaker writes), with their juices
- 2 (7-oz.) cans mild green chiles
- 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
- 1 (26-oz.) block processed cheese, cubed (“FINE, I USE VELVEETA,” she writes)
- 1 (12-oz.) can evaporated milk
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 2 tbsp. hot sauce
- 1 tbsp. ground cumin
- 1 tbsp. chili powder
- Juice of 2 limes
- 1 to 2 cups water

Preparation

You can obviously tell just by looking at this ingredient list that you have stumbled upon the holy grail of queso. Of all the recipes in this book, I “tested” this one the most, mainly because I wanted to eat it the most.

Brown the chorizo in a skillet over medium heat, 6 to 8 minutes, drain in a colander, and set aside (chorizo renders a lot of fat, and no one wants greasy queso). In the same skillet, combine your olive oil, onion, and jalapeños and sauté for 6 to 7 minutes, until the veggies start to brown. Add the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes more.

I cook queso in my Crockpot like our ancestors intended, because it stays nice and warm and I can eat it for the next 6 hours. Combine the sautéed veggies and browned chorizo in your Crockpot, then add everything else on the list. How much water you add is up to you; it depends on however thick or not-quite-as-thick you want this queso to be. Cover the Crockpot and set it on High to speed up the melty process. As the cheese starts to melt, stir to combine. When you have it like you like it, turn your heat to Low and leave this on your counter aaaaaaaaaaall day.

We like to drizzle a little Cholula on top because we play for keeps in Texas.

I would serve this to Jesus if he came over for Football Saturday.