Happy Cinco de Mayo! If you love “queso” you know how addictive this warm melty Mexican cheese sauce really is. That’s why I’m thrilled to say that when it comes to ooey, gooey, flavor-packed cheesy queso, this version delivers the goods! (And it does so with 1/2 of the calories, more protein, 75% less fat, and 1/3 of the points of similar homemade versions!).
You can assemble the ingredients ahead of time, but for the best quality, prepare it just before serving. When serving as a dip, keep calories in check by serving veggie dippers, warm corn tortillas, and/or baked tortilla chips. As a sauce, spoon over nachos, fajitas, taquitos, carnitas, or even fish!
MAKES 6 SERVINGS
¾ cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
½ cup low-fat milk
2 teaspoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon garlic salt
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1 (4-ounce) can fire-roasted diced green chilies
1/3 cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
½ cup seeded, chopped tomato, or Pico de Gallo
1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the first 5 ingredients (broth through cumin) over medium heat, until bubbles form and the mixture thickens.
2. Reduce heat and stir in cheddar cheese until smooth. Drain or spoon off excess juice from the green chilies and to dip. Stir until evenly incorporated, take the saucepan off the heat,
add the mozzarella, and stir just until it melts.
3. Pour the queso into a bowl, top with chopped tomatoes, or Pico De Gallo and serve.
Dare to Compare: An order of White Spinach Queso at Chili’s serves up 1510 calories, 93 grams of fat and 3,630 mg of sodium. It’s meant for sharing, but even eating half of it will have you gobbling down a meals’ worth of calories before your entrée ever arrives.
NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING (1/4 cup): Calories 90 | Carbohydrate 4g (Sugars 3g) | Total Fat 4g (Sat Fat 3g) | Protein 10g | Fiber 1g | Sodium 320mg | Food Exchanges: 1 Medium Fat Meat | Carbohydrate Choices: 0 | Weight Watcher Smart Point Comparison: Green 3, Blue 3, Purple 3
