I promised game day food so here it is! Cheese dip is a game day staple. The HIH Zesty Nacho Cheese is cheesy, creamy, and has just the right amount of kick to make it the perfect cheese for smothering or dipping your favorite game day foods! Whether your dipping tortilla chips or smothering the HIH Chicken + Sweet Potato Stuffed Poblanos, serving this at your next game day watch party will ensure a win no matter which team comes out on top!
I’ve smothered a lot of different foods with this nacho cheese. It’s incredibly versatile! The stuffed poblanos mentioned above were a part of the Honey, I’m Healthier series, so I skipped the smothering in cheese but if I’m being honest, my absolute favorite way to enjoy those peppers is smothered in this nacho cheese! I’ve also smothered breakfast burritos, enchiladas, roasted potatoes, the list could go on. Basically, what I’m saying you could dip an old shoe in this nacho cheese and it would taste delicious! It’s also flexible when it comes to the heat level. Just select the taco seasoning with the spice level of your preference. Mild to spicy, this nacho cheese gets the job done.
Keys to Success
- Mind the temperatures! Since this nacho cheese starts with a roux and includes dairy, it’s important to make sure all of your ingredients are either slightly warmed or at room temperature. Adding cold cream cheese or milk can result in a gritty texture. Nobody wants that! I did a whole blog post on how to make a great roux. Find it here.
- Add each ingredient slowly. I don’t recommend adding an entire quantity of an ingredient at once. When adding new ingredients to the roux, add in stages waiting to add more until all the previous addition has been fully incorporated. A little bit of patience goes a long way!
- Skip the sauce pan and go with the high sided skillet. When I first started making this nacho cheese, I was using a sauce pan and probably still would be if I hadn’t been in a hurry and all of my sauce pans were dirty. I subbed in a high sided skillet and won’t go back! The increased surface area helps everything heat and melt more evenly while keeping the heat as low as possible so the sauce stays creamy and silky.
- Here’s a link to my FAVORITE affordable Cuisinart Everyday Pan. It’s the perfect pan for this recipe!
- HELP, MY NACHO CHEESE IS GRITTY! Have no fear, if your nacho cheese looks gritty, turn the heat up to medium low and add a couple of tablespoons of heavy cream. The fat in the heavy cream combined with the slightly higher heat should help smooth everything out.
- Hand grate the cheese. I’ve mentioned this in several different cheese based recipes, but it can’t hurt to continue to mention. Pre-shredded cheese contains an additive to prevent clumping. This additive will result in a gritty cheese sauce. If you don’t care about texture, it doesn’t matter. If you want a silky, creamy nacho cheese, hand grate your cheese.
Zesty Nacho Cheese
Equipment
- 1 12" inch high sided skillet or everyday pan
- 1 Whisk
- Measuring cups and spoons
- 1 cheese grater
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning, 1/2 packet I prefer using the "hot" mix for a zestier sauce
- 2 cups 2% or whole milk slightly warmed. Add up to 1 addition cup for a thinner consistency.
- 2 oz cream cheese, cubed room temperature
- 8 oz pepper jack cheese, grated do not use pre-shredded cheese
Instructions
- Heat the skillet over medium heat and melt the butter
- Once the butter is melted, slowly whisk in the flour until a smooth roux is formed, cook the roux for 1-2 minutes.
- Using the whisk, stir in the taco seasoning until evenly mixed with the roux, then cook for 1 minute more.
- Slowly add the warmed milk, whisking constantly. If your milk is cold, using a microwave safe vessel, pop in the microwave for 1 min.
- Once all of the milk has been added turn the heat to low add the cream cheese, a couple cubes at a time, whisking until combined, followed by slowly adding the grated pepper jack cheese. Continue to stir until all of the cheese is melted and incorporated.
- Serve straight from the skillet or transfer to a bowl or crockpot. Will store in the fridge for up to 1 week. To reheat, use low heat or a double boiler to bring the temperature up slowly. Great as a dip or a sauce.
- Makes about 3 cups.
Nutrition
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