Description
What could be better than dairy free queso fundido with ground beef?! The ultimate snack dip made of melty cheese (in this case, cashew cheese), crispy ground beef, smoky spices, and pico de gallo for a pop of bright, zippy flavor. No dairy means this version is Whole30 compatible, paleo, and gluten free. Can also be made vegan if you swap the meat for a meatless crumble!
Ingredients
For the queso fundido
- 1 cup raw cashews
- hot water to soak
- 2 tablespoons avocado or olive oil
- 3/4 pound ground beef
- 1/2 cup finely diced onion
- 2 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup just boiled water
- 1/2 teaspoon dried mustard or 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1/8 teaspoon turmeric, optional – for color
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1/2 cup pico de gallo or 1/4 cup mild chunky salsa
To garnish
- Thinly sliced green onions
- Cilantro
- Pico de gallo
Instructions
- Soak raw cashews. Cover raw cashews with hot water in a heatproof bowl to soak. Set aside.
- Cook ground beef. In a large skillet heat avocado oil over medium heat. Add ground beef and finely diced onion and cook, breaking up meat with the spatula, until meat is browned and onions are soft – about 6 minutes. If there’s a lot of fat in the pan after it’s cooked you can remove some of it.
- Spice it up. Add chili powder, cumin, paprika, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt to the skillet and continue to cook for another minute or two, stirring constantly, until spices are aromatic and start to stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Make cashew queso. Drain and rinse raw cashews. Add to blender container with 1 cup just boiled water, mustard, lime juice, nutritional yeast, turmeric, hot sauce, and kosher salt. Blend on high for 1-2 minutes – until completely smooth and creamy and no pieces of cashew remain.
- Bring it all together. Move skillet with ground beef back to the stove over low heat. Pour the queso into the skillet and add 1/2 cup pico de gallo or 1/4 cup mild chunky salsa. Stir to combine until warmed through. It will thicken slightly if you let it gently simmer for a minute or so.
- Garnish and serve. Season to taste with salt. Top with cilantro, green onions, and pico de gallo if desired. Serve warm with chips and veggies for dipping and enjoy!
Notes
See section in the blog post about other meat and non-meat options instead of ground beef.
Storing: This queso fundido can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Reheating: To re-heat, gently warm on the stove in a small sauce pan, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Can also be warmed in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, until hot. It will thicken in the refrigerator, but should thin out as it’s warmed. If it’s still too thick once hot simply thin it out with a little water until desired consistency is reached.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: appetizer
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: mexican