Cottage Cheese Queso Dip
Cottage Cheese Queso dip is a hearty, crowd-pleasing appetizer that keeps guests happily dipping all night long.
Ingredients
- 1 tsp olive oil
- ½ pound lean ground beef
- 2 Tbsp taco seasoning, divided
- 16 oz low-fat cottage cheese, about 2 cups - I use Good Culture
- ¼ cup Rotel, drained
- ½ cup grated sharp cheddar
- ½ cup Mexican grated cheese, or Pepper Jack
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast, optional, see notes
- Salt to taste
- 1 Tbsp chopped cilantro, for garnish
- tortilla chips, protein chips or crudités, such as cucumber slices, celery stalks, and radish slices - for serving
Equipment
- Skillet
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the ground beef and break apart with a spatula, cooking until no longer pink.
- Stir in 1 Tbsp taco seasoning, then drain excess fat.
- Set the skillet aside (or transfer meat to an oven-safe dish).
- In a small food processor or mini blender, combine the cottage cheese with the remaining 1 Tbsp taco seasoning.
- Purée until silky and lump-free.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- To the skillet or baking dish with the meat, add the blended cottage cheese, drained Rotel tomatoes, grated cheeses, and nutritional yeast (optional).
- Stir everything together until evenly mixed.
- Bake uncovered for 10 minutes, until hot and bubbling around the edges.
- Sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro to taste.
- Serve warm with tortilla chips, protein chips, or fresh veggie dippers like cucumber slices, celery sticks, and radish rounds.
Notes
Sandy’s tips:
- Storage: Store leftover cottage cheese queso dip in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. I don’t recommend freezing this dip as the creamy texture can change.
- Drain grease: Even with lean beef, there will be some rendered fat. If you don't drain it, the oil can separate on top of the baked dip and make it greasy.
- Avoid fat-free cottage cheese: fat-free versions have more added water and stabilizers, which break down in heat and turn the dip runny. Stick with low-fat (2%) or full-fat for the thickest, creamiest outcome.
- Rest after baking: The dip will be molten-hot and loose straight from the oven. A short rest allows it to thicken slightly as it cools, so it clings better to chips and veggie dippers without dripping.
Nutrition Facts
Calories: 192kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 23g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 45mg, Sodium: 531mg, Potassium: 280mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 284IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 181mg, Iron: 1mg