This cowboy queso is a cheesy, meaty, stick-to-your-ribs queso. Feel free to use chicken broth or beef broth instead of beer. I grew up with sliced black olives in many dishes so they work for me, but omit them if they’re not your thing. I like to serve this in individual cast iron skillets for the full “cowboy” experience but any serving dish will work.
Preparation Details
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 30 mins
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 small jalapeno, diced
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 6 ounces beer
- 1 pound processed cheese food (such as Velveeta® )
- 3/4 cup shredded pepper Jack cheese
- 1 (15 ounce) can seasoned black beans, drained
- 1 (10 ounce) can mild diced tomatoes with green chiles , undrained (such as RO*TEL®)
- 1 (2.25 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained (optional)
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
Steps
- Crumble ground beef into a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook and stir until browned, about 5 minutes; drain.
- Place drained beef back in the skillet. Add salt, pepper, jalapeno, red onion, and beer. Cook until onion is translucent, about 3 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium-low. Add Velveeta and pepper Jack cheese. Cook, stirring, until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.
- Add beans, RO*TEL®, and black olives. Cook until hot, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Transfer to serving bowls, garnish with chopped cilantro, and serve.
