Cottage Cheese Queso Is The Tasty Trend To Revamp Your Go-To Dip

Cottage cheese was once one of the most hated foods in the U.S., but thanks to social media, the curdled milk product is experiencing a resurgence. And amidst trending foods like cottage cheese ice cream and pasta, an updated recipe for queso featuring the cheese of the hour has gone viral.

Why is the upgraded recipe garnering so much recent attention? Cottage cheese in general is making waves for being an easy-to-use, high-protein ingredient, as a half cup of the stuff has a whopping 14 grams of protein. Plus, it has a mild flavor and creamy consistency, perfect for turning into a dip. 

When used to make queso, cottage cheese provides an upgrade to your favorite cheesy sauce that's packed with protein — but you still use plenty of regular cheese and a few other tasty ingredients, so you'll end up with a crave-able snack. You can use it to dip everything from veggies to chips, although it would also be perfect drizzled over tacos, nachos, a burrito, or even some fries or pretzel bites.

To make this yummy dip, you just need a few ingredients (which are less than what you'll find in a typical queso recipe): cottage cheese, shredded cheese, and seasonings. For the latter, you can use premixed taco or fajita seasoning, throw in some garlic, onion, or chili powder, or add a dash of a hot sauce like Cholula. Feel free to throw in some fresh ingredients too, like cilantro, jalapeños, diced green chilis, or chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. And don't forget shredded cheese like a Mexican blend, a triple cheddar mix, or pepper jack — whatever sounds tastiest to you.

Once you've got your ingredients, all you need to do is throw everything into a blender. Any lumps in your cottage cheese will turn smooth once blended, and you'll get a creamy, cheesy, (potentially) spicy sauce. To make the dip resemble true queso, microwave the resulting mixture in 30-second intervals, stirring in between. Then, feel free to add more delicious toppings like pickled onions, diced fresh tomatoes, or even a little (cooked) ground meat.

If you'd like to sub the shredded cheese, you can use nutritional yeast for a similar but plant-based flavor. No matter which way you make it, as long as you've got a healthy scoop of cottage cheese, you'll end up with a deliciously creamy dip.