Styled after a similar spinach queso dip at The Blue Moose in East Grand Forks, Minnesota, this is a very tasty, creamy appetizer that goes well with tortilla chips. It has a little kick, but not enough to make your eyes water. Of course, for the heat lovers, you can kick it up a notch if desired. This has become an instant family favorite and one of my most requested appetizers.
Ingredients
- olive oil: 1 Tbsp
- butter: 1 Tbsp
- onion: 0.5 cup (chopped)
- clove garlic: 1 piece (minced)
- red bell pepper: 1 cup (chopped)
- jalapeno pepper - seeded, membranes discarded, and pepper: 1 piece (chopped)
- ½ pounds pepperjack cheese: 1 piece (cut into cubes)
- frozen chopped spinach - thawed, drained, and squeezed dry: 1 pack (10 ounce pack)
- evaporated milk: 2 cans (12 fluid ounce cans)
- salt: 0.25 tsp
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Heat olive oil and butter together in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat; cook and stir onion until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir red bell pepper and jalapeno pepper into onion mixture; cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
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Reduce heat to low and mix pepperjack cheese and spinach into onion mixture; cook, stirring constantly, until cheese is melted and mixture is thick, 5 to 10 minutes. Slowly pour enough evaporated milk into the cheese mixture, stirring constantly, until desired consistency is reached; season with salt. Continue to cook and stir over low heat until warmed through, at least 5 minutes more.