Jaw-dropping. As soon as you set it on a table it will fly off. Guaranteed. Especially if I am around!
Queso fundido is the epitome of an antojo. What we Mexicans call a food craving that can be eaten anytime of day as a quick snack, or a full meal if eaten in a big enough amount. Antojo literally translates to craving, and I don’t know a single Mexican that doesn’t drool over the thought of a queso fundido.
Queso fundido is not a cheese dip. Queso fundido is not a cheese sauce. Queso fundido is the real deal. It is real cheese. Tons of it. You throw a combination of deliciously flavorful melty cheeses onto a baking dish or a traditional earthenware cazuela. Then place it on a heat source — it can be on a burner, in the oven, under the broiler — until the cheese not only melts, but becomes super bubbly on top and starts making a crust all around the edges.
Wait. Then come the toppings. The most typical and popular toppings in restaurants in Mexico City, where I grew up, are poblano rajas, chorizo and mushrooms. They are separate offerings, so you choose if you want your queso with chorizo or with rajas or mushrooms. Different restaurants have their variations, for example, it can be rajas with caramelized onions, different kinds of chorizo, cultivated or wild mushrooms cooked with epazote or dried chiles, to name some.
When I make queso at home, I like to make a combo of my favorite toppings. No one can stop me and no one should stop you! My take combines caramelized onions and poblano chiles, throws in a bit of seeded and diced tomato for an added juicy bite and tons of crisp chunks of flavorful chorizo.
Most people I know like their queso fundido on flour tortillas. But it is you and your guests’ choice if they want corn tortillas, too. If you have some some salsas and guacamole, place them on the table for optional add ons.
If you are planning to have friends and family over during the holiday season, this is a crowd pleasing appetizer to have up your sleeve when guests arrive. Also have your Gran Centenario Añejo Tequila out to toast and to wash down that queso fundido. I like to serve it neat or on the rocks as it has such a smooth taste.
Once everything is on the table, all bets are off. Run for it, if you want a chance to make a queso fundido taco before it disappears.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more to grease the baking dish
- 1/3 pound Mexican chorizo, casings removed, coarsely chopped
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/4 white onion, halved and thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
- 1 poblano chile, roasted, sweated, peeled, cut into strips
- 1 ripe Roma tomato, cored, seeded, cut into small dice
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, or to taste
- 1 pound (or 4 cups) combination of shredded Mexican-style melty cheeses, such as Asadero, quesadilla and Oaxaca (can sub with mozzarella, Muenster and Monterey Jack)
- 8 to 10 flour or corn tortillas
- 1 ripe avocado, sliced
- Serve with salsa of your choice, optional
- Pair with Gran Centenario Añejo Tequila, neat or on the rocks
To Prepare
- Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chorizo, cook for 4 to 5 minutes, breaking it into smaller pieces with a couple of spatulas or wooden spoons until crisp and brown. Remove from the heat and scrape into a bowl.
- Set a rack on upper third tier of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Return the skillet to medium heat, add the butter and once it melts, add the onions. Cook, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the pan, for 6 to 7 minutes, until they have wilted and begun to brown around the edges. Add the poblano pepper strips, tomato, and salt, and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl.
- Place shredded cheese in a gently oiled shallow baking dish that can comfortably hold it. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until completely melted. Remove from the oven. Top with the crispy chorizo and poblano rajas mixture. Place back in the oven and bake for another 7 to 8 minutes, until cheese is oozing and browned along the edges and part of the top.
- Meanwhile, preheat a comal or large skillet over medium-low heat. Heat the tortillas, making sure they are not on top of each other, until completely warmed, puffed and slightly browned. Place in a tortilla warmer or wrap in a clean cloth or kitchen towel.
- Remove the queso from the oven and place on the table along with the warm tortillas, ripe avocado slices, and salsa of choice, if desired. Let everyone assemble their tacos!
This is delicious, and we gobbled it down! When will you write another cookbook, Pati? Please include this recipe in it.
I’m working on a new one now, Meg!
This was delicious! Simple, quick, and different for a weeknight dinner – the whole family enjoyed it. Thanks!
I hope you have lots more yum family dinners, Angela!
Me encanta su programa de tv, sólo le falta que pongan música mexicana, no es justo que usen música cubana o flamenca, siendo tan rica y variada la música mexicana , incluso en cada región del país. Por ejemplo, la musica veracruzana, el mariachi, la marimba, etc. Saludos.
Gracias por ver mi programa, Daniel! Y gracias por la sugerencia.
My family loves this most delicious dish! This dish is so good, we can’t stop eating it.
It’s so easy to prepare and it doesn’t take long to get a delicious meal on the table on a busy weeknight.
It has become a hands down family favourite!
A family favorite…awesome!
Hi Pati,
Made my first corn tortillas based on your blog with the press you recommended to me and made your potato, chorizo and onion tacos last night and they were great. Going to try the poblanos and chorizo fundido tonight.
Awesome! Have fun making the fundido, Kevin.
Hi Pati; this recipe looks delicious and I cannot wait to try. I am hoping to find a recipe for taquitos de papa.. so simple I am sure but I’ve never tried making them. Whe I was younger we would visit my grandma in Chihuahua and next to her lil home was a stand that sold them.. So yummy and the sLsitas they served with them were the best..
Oh why don’t you give these a try, Lena: https://patijinich.com/recipe/potato-scallion-chorizo-crispy-tacos/ I hope they bring back great memories for you.
Hola pati, your recipes are as beautiful as you. I am Mexican Chef in India and your recipes help me alot thank you Pati.
Thank you Harish!
Happy New Year Pati! I made your Queso fundido with rajas for our appetizer tonight. Delicioso! Thank you for being such a wonderful teacher.
Aww thank you Cathy! I hope you have a 2019 full of many more fun kitchen adventures.
We also bought the Centenario Tequila. Smooth!👌🏾😊
👍
muchas gracias Patti , yo me llamo Perla y vivo en Texas ……en unos d tus programas vi q hiciste huevos ahogados
me podrias mandar la receta d nuevo ,muero por hacerla la misma manera q tu ;)…muchas gracias
Por supuesto, Perla! Aquí están las recetas: https://patijinich.com/es/recipe/huevos-en-salsa-martajada/ https://patijinich.com/es/recipe/huevos-rabo-de-mestiza/
Estimada Pati.. es usted una inspiración. Gracias por sus recetas y su personalidad… usted me ha inspirado a cocinar la comida de mi tierra, aun estando tan lejos.. felices fiestas!
Uy mil gracias, Alejandra 💕
Hola Pati, I plan on making this queso fundido for my family this Christmas. I love to watch you cook! You put so much love into it.❤️ Happy Holidays to you and your family.
Thank you for the yummy recipe.
Thank you so much 💙 I hope you have a very Merry Christmas, Rosa!
❤️
Absolutely. A food craving that can be eaten anytime of day. And the añejo sorta rounds it out, nicely. Great recipe for this time of year. Made it. Loved it. Will make it again. Thanks very much
So glad to hear you enjoyed the añejo with it, Jim.
This sounds wonderful. I will definitely try this over the holidays.
Awesome! Have a yum holiday, Eleanor.
Hi Pati, Mexican recipes are too long and too many ingredients.
Also, I’m not too familiar with the ingredients. I love Mexican food!
I guess I need to try to make it.
Anyway to simplify it?
Thanks
Yes give it a go, John! You’ll have lots of fun in the kitchen and something yum to eat at the end 😉
Ola. O my. Delicious. Thank you. Gracias
Gracias, Norma!
I was so inspired by your facebook live of this recipe yesterday that I made it for my family tonight. So delicious! You weren’t kidding, the crispy edges of the cheese are worth fighting over!
Oh the crispy edges…mmmmmmm. So glad the whole family loved it, Leana.
Looks good. I will have to make this. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Arlene! Have fun making the fundido.
I don’t eat pork, so am wondering if the other toppings will be adequate for flavor, or should I add something to compensate for the lack of spicy meat? I was thinking that I might sauté’ more mushrooms, peppers and onions, spicing them up a bit. Should I add something to the cheeses before baking?
That’s a great way to make it vegetarian, Marilee!
Pati I love you!! I moved to The Yucatan 2 years ago and the food here is so bland compared to Mexico City so I always use your recipes to jazz things up! Thanks Pati, Happy Hannukah!!
So happy to hear you enjoy the recipes, Paula! Happy Hanukkah to you and have a Happy New Year!
YUM! Hola Pati! I also love your show and hope to see you in the Pacific Northwest one day. Your food is fresh, delicious and never too complicated. I’ll be making this recipe this weekend. ❤️
Oh I hope to come to the Northwest soon, Laura. Enjoy the queso fundido!
I will try it this Christmas with my family. Looks delicious and not hard to make. Thank you Pati for this wonderful recipe.
Merry Christmas to you and your family!!!
Ps I watch on Facebook today preparing this deliciousness 🤗
Have a yum Christmas and have the happiest of New Years, Carmen!
I watched on FB live today. I would have spread the toppings over the entire baked cheese. That way, everyone would have some of everything! ❤ U
Jane
Thank you for the suggestion, Jane 😄
We just had delicious quedo fundido con chorizo last week on vacation in Mexico! We loved it, and i had no idea how to prepare it….until now! Thank you, Pati ♡
Oh good timing. Enjoy making it at home, Kim!
I do not know how to connect to this facebook video. Help!
Oh I’m sorry you had trouble, Patricia. You can click on the video and you’ll see it.
I absolutely love your show and recipes. Thank you for sharing
Thank YOU Sally.
Love your show Pati! I’m from Zacatecas live in Cali since I was 10. I 💘 our Mexican food and always wanted to learn more recepies from different parts of our beautiful Mexico. Thanks to you now I’m able to do that. God bless you
Oh thank you so much Delta! 💕
Ahhh! This is a favorite of the Wife’s when shopping in Mexicantown (SW Detroit)…(a surprise is in the making this weekend.)
Thanks Pati, and your Team, for such enticing AND doable recipes.
Keep up the pace in the New Year!!!
Thank YOU Robin. Have a wonderful 2019!
Love your show Pati. You are such a wonderful person. A breath of fresh air on tv. You give me inspiration.
Aww gracias, Janet!
This sounds delicious and I can’t wait to fix this for my family!
Hope the whole family loves it, Terry.
If you decide to visit phoenix, arizona you have to visit the new
Enchilida and soup restaurant by the name Gadzooka. Assorted meats like bison, pork, carne asada
Your choice of so many toppings!
Five stars – fantastic enchiladas cooked in cazuelas while in an open pizza-like oven!! I’m making myself drool!!!😀
Thank you for the tip, Yolanda. Sounds yum!
OMG Pati.
I could barely get through reading this recipe. My mouth is watering. I have homemade Chorizo in the freezer. I will be making this very very soon.
If you EVER visit the Pacific Northwest I want to know!
Oh homemade chorizo…yum! Enjoy, Lucia…and I’ll try to make it to the NW soon.
Loved Pati’s tv show as I watched every show.
Thanks and looking forward to emails etc.
Thank you for tuning in, Peggy!
I think maybe of having Guacamole in place of plain avocado slices.
Go for it, Jerry!
Thank you, Pati! This Fundido recipe is perfect for a different New Years dish. We may have to make it a time or to before the holiday to “check it out”!
Hahaha yes….it’s always necessary to test it out a few times 😉