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This Cottage Cheese Queso would be great for game-day. Blend cottage cheese until smooth and creamy, then mix it with shredded cheddar, salsa, and a bit of cream cheese. Spice the ground beef with taco seasoning and add it to the cottage cheese mixture, top with cheese and bake until bubbling. Serve this with chips for a delicious game-day appetizer or a meal for your family!
Today’s post is sponsored by the Ohio Beef Council. As always, opinions are 100% my own.
This Cottage Cheese Queso (with ground beef) is similar to my Beef Taco Dip Recipe but use cottage cheese to create the queso. You might have seen this dip on tiktok. It was a viral recipe that a lot of people started making and I had to try my own version!
The queso is made from blending cottage cheese, cream cheese, salsa and shredded cheese. This is then added to ground beef, topped with cheese and baked until bubbling. An added bonus is that ground beef helps you stretch your budget for your upcoming tailgate with favorites that don’t sacrifice flavor, like today’s dip, or this beef chili recipe or even my taco sliders.
I love to garnish this dip with fresh tomatoes, green onion and fresh cilantro. You can serve this dip with chips, like these homemade tortilla chips or even homemade pita chips.
If you like game-day beef recipes you also might like this Beef Enchiladas, Beef Enchilada Casserole, Slow Cooker Taco Soup Recipe or these Taco Beef Sliders.
Why We Love this Cottage Cheese Queso Dip
- Simple to prepare. I like this recipe because it is so simple and hard to mess up! It makes a great game-day recipe because you know you can quickly prepare this and have a warm, hearty dip on the table. You also can prep this ahead of time and reheat when you are ready to serve.
- Protein packed. The cottage cheese and ground beef makes this a high protein dip. It is a great snack or appetizer to help keep your guests feeling satisfied and full.
- Easy to customize. You can easily customize this dip depending on your tastes or what you have on hand. You can use a variety of veggies like poblanos, bell peppers or green chiles to add more flavor to the dip or switch the cheese to cotija cheese.
Love ground beef recipes? This these Taco Beef Sliders, Beef Kafta Meatballs, Beef Kafta Kabob Recipe or this Ground Beef Layered Hummus.
Ingredients Notes
You will love this beef taco dip for a game‑day spread and the simple ingredients it uses. It is one of my favorite recipes!
- ground beef is one of the main ingredients that adds protein, flavor and matches perfectly with the spices, salsa and queso. One tip when you buy beef is that you can freeze beef in its original packaging up to two weeks. For longer storage, wrap in heavy-duty aluminum foil or place in plastic freezer bags, removing as much air as possible.
- the taco seasoning is a simple way to add flavor to this dip. You can buy a store-bought version or use this homemade taco seasoning recipe.
- low-fat cottage cheese is blended with the cream cheese and salsa to create the creamy texture. It is such a nice way to add creaminess that is still light. You won’t even know the cottage cheese is in this dip because the other Southwest flavors will shine through.
- cream cheese and shredded cheese are also added to the queso mixture. I like to use shredded cheddar cheese and pepper jack but you can use your favorite shredded cheese. If you have time I suggest shredded your own block of cheese to make it even fresher.
- salsa is added to the queso to flavor the beef queso dip. You can use your favorite store-bought salsa or make this Homemade Salsa or try a green salsa and make this Tomatillo Salsa Verde.
Pro-Tip: Fresh Ground Beef can be stored in the refrigerator for 1-2 days (3-4 days if cooked) or in the freezer for 3-4 months (2-3 months for cooked). To thaw frozen Ground Beef, refrigerate for 12 hours or microwave using our simple steps.
Ways to Vary this Recipe
- add more veggies: you can easily add more fresh veggies when you sauté the red onion. Some options I like are diced poblanos, jalapeños, bell pepper or diced chiles.
- cheese: you can sub in other shredded cheese like mozzarella or monterey jack cheese or try cotija cheese.
- spices: you can skip the taco seasoning and use a variety of other spices like chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano and cayenne red pepper instead. This helps you control the salt in the spice blend. You also can use my homemade taco seasoning recipe.
- fresh herbs: I love adding fresh herbs to my dips as a finishing garnish. It helps brighten the dish but also add flavor. Try fresh cilantro, fresh parsley or oregano.
Recipe Tip: If you like smoky flavor add in chipotle chili peppers in adobo sauce. You can chop them or you can blend them into a puree. Another option is to add 1 teaspoon of dried ancho chili powder.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 1: Cook Vegetables and Beef: Heat a cast iron skillet or oven-safe large skillet over medium heat and add olive oil. Add the onion and garlic to the skillet and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the ground beef and 2 teaspoons taco seasoning and cook until the ground beef is cooked through.
Step 2: Blend the Queso Mixture: In a blender or food processor add the cottage cheese, 2 teaspoons taco seasoning, salt, pepper, salsa, cream cheese and pepper jack cheese and blend until smooth.
Step 3: Add Cottage Cheese and Beef to Skillet: Pour the blended cottage cheese mixture in with the ground beef into the skillet and stir. Top the beef skillet with the shredded sharp cheddar cheese.
Step 4: Bake: Put the skillet into the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and garnish with fresh tomatoes, cilantro, red onion and green onion. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips.
Step 4: Bake: Put the skillet into the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and garnish with fresh tomatoes, cilantro, red onion and green onion. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips.
Ways to Use This Dip: This dip also makes a great addition to nachos or a filling in tacos, burritos or enchiladas. If I have leftover queso I will even add a few scoops to my beef nachos!
Storage Tips
Store the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge. To reheat you can heat in the microwave or heat in the oven. You might want to add more shredded cheese before re-baking.
Recipe FAQ
You can sub Greek yogurt for the cottage cheese to help create the creamy, queso texture. You also could do 1/2 cottage cheese and 1/2 Greek yogurt and blend that to create the queso mixture.
You can use low-fat cottage cheese in this recipe for a lighter version. If you use whole-fat cottage cheese it will be richer and creamier.
I like ground beef best but you could easily use leftover dry rubbed flank steak or even leftover shredded beef brisket in this recipe.
More Appetizer Recipes
Appetizers
Lemon Spinach Artichoke Dip
Mediterranean
Layered Greek Dip
Mediterranean
Lemon Whipped Feta Dip
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Cottage Cheese Queso (with ground beef)
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound of ground beef (I used 80/20), cooked and drained
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup red onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 teaspoons taco seasoning, divided
- 16 ounces low-fat cottage cheese (about 2 cups), you also can use whole-fat cottage cheese for a creamier, richer version
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup of mild salsa
- 1/4 cup cream cheese
- 1/2 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- Fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish
- Green onion, chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Heat a cast iron skillet or oven-safe large skillet over medium high heat and add olive oil.
- Add the onion and garlic to the skillet and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the ground beef and 2 teaspoons taco seasoning and cook until the ground beef is cooked through. Drain fat from the beef {do not put fat down the drain} and then add the beef back into the skillet.
- In a blender or food processor add the cottage cheese, 2 teaspoons taco seasoning, salt, pepper, salsa, cream cheese and pepper jack cheese and blend until smooth.
- Pour the cottage cheese mixture in with the ground beef into the skillet and mix well. Top the beef skillet with the shredded sharp cheddar cheese.
- Put the skillet into the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and garnish with fresh tomatoes, cilantro, red onion and green onion. Serve with chips.
Notes
- Store the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge. To reheat you can heat in the microwave or heat in the oven. You might want to add more shredded cheese before re-baking.
- What can I sub for the cottage cheese? You can sub Greek yogurt for the cottage cheese to help create the creamy, queso texture. You also could do 1/2 cottage cheese and 1/2 Greek yogurt and blend that to create the queso mixture.
- What type of cottage cheese is best to use? You can use low-fat cottage cheese in this recipe for a lighter version. If you use whole-fat cottage cheese it will be richer and creamier.
- I like ground beef best but you could easily use leftover dry rubbed flank steak or even leftover shredded beef brisket in this recipe.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
