Queso Fundido With Poblanos
Queso fundido literally means “melted cheese” in Spanish. It’s a traditional Mexican dish made by melting cheese until it’s gooey and bubbling.
Ingredients
- 2 large poblano peppers
- 8 oz Mexican pork chorizo
- 1/2 medium white onion, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 8 oz monterrey jack, grated
- 12 oz Oaxaca cheese, grated
Instructions
- Roast poblano peppers on a comal or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until blistered and blackened on all sides. Transfer to a plastic bag, seal, and let steam for 5–10 minutes, then uncover and let cool.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Once peppers are cool enough to handle, peel off the loosened skin, remove stems and seeds, and slice into thin strips (rajas). Wear gloves if needed.
- Heat a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Remove the casing from the chorizo and cook, breaking it apart, until browned and fully cooked, 6–8 minutes. Add a little oil if needed.
- Stir in onion and garlic; cook until softened, about 3–4 minutes. Remove from heat and mix in the poblano strips.
- Combine the Monterey Jack and Oaxaca cheese until well incorporated.
- Lightly grease a 6x9-inch baking dish. Layer one-third of the cheese, half the chorizo mixture, another third of the cheese, the remaining chorizo, and finish with the last third of cheese.
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until melted through. Switch oven to broil on high and brown the top, about 2 minutes, watching closely.
- Remove from oven and serve with flour tortillas.
Notes
- Let the peppers steam just long enough to loosen the skins—any longer and they’ll get too soft.
- Poblanos can be mild or carry a bit of heat, so gloves might come in handy when peeling.
- If you’d rather skip pork, both beef and chicken chorizo make excellent substitutes.
- Chorizo usually has plenty of its own fat, but a drizzle of oil will help if the pan feels too dry.
- Oaxaca cheese is more traditional, though mozzarella works as well.