Beer Cheese Nacho Sauce

A spicy cheese sauce made with beer.  Great as a dip, on nachos, tacos, or veggies.

Beer and cheese are staples while watching football.  At least that's the case in my house. We drink plenty of beer while watching the game(s) and I love to add cheese to any (and just about all) gameday snacks.  So when I was making my gameday snack(s) I decided to combine the two.

Beer and cheese make great gameday snacking.  [Tweet this]

If you don't like the taste of beer you won't like this (or any) beer cheese dip.  The cheese is melted in a beer sauce.  So the main flavors are cheese and beer...gooood.  I used my favorite sharp cheddar that I shredded myself (in my food processor).  I would suggest doing this because usually blocks of cheese have better flavor than the pre-shredded kind (and sometimes the pre-shredded cheese doesn't melt right...I think they add something to keep it from clumping).  I used a Coor's light for the beer in this dip (it's what we had that day) and it was good but next time I make this I will use a better, more flavorful beer...maybe something local.

Beer Cheese Nacho Sauce is only as good as the beer and cheese used to make it.  [Tweet this]

One thing to note...unprocessed cheese doesn't stay smooth in sauce like processed cheese (a.k.a American cheese).  However, you sacrifice flavor by using American versus cheddar (unless you really love American cheese; then use it).  It may not be as smooth as store bought nacho cheese sauce, but it's real (no fake cheese flavoring) and really tasty.  I did some research and apparently if you add sodium citrate you can melt any cheese like it's Velveeta and make awesome nacho cheese sauce.  Eventually, I'm going to buy some sodium citrate from Amazon(.com) and try my hand at molecular gastronomy.  Until then this will do.

Beer Cheese Nacho Sauce

Cook time:  20-30 minutes
Servings:  6

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 12-oz beer
1 cup milk
1/4 cup minced pickled jalapenos
12 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
dried hot green chili flakes (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan over medium heat melt the butter.  Stir in the flour and keep stirring for a few minutes until the flour just barely starts to turn golden.

Then pour in the beer, milk, and jalapenos.  Cook, stirring often until mixture begins to boil.  Keep stirring until sauce thickens to coat the back of a spoon.  Remove from heat and stir in the cheese, a cup at a time, until it's melted and as cheesy as you like it.  Taste and adjust seasoning.  I wanted my sauce spicier so I added hot green chili flakes until I was happy.

While still warm pour into bowls to serve or over chips, vegetables or whatever.  Pour any leftover sauce into a jar to cool then refrigerate.  It solidifies when it's cold, but I just microwaved mine 30 seconds at a time until it was hot and liquefied (use a towel or pot holder to lift it gets very hot).

Makes about 6 servings (of about 1/2 cup each).

Enjoy.

For more dips like this one check out:

Blue Cheese Dip/Dressing

Blue Cheese Buffalo Chicken Dip

The Best Queso Dip

Linked to:  J&J, 2 Cup, Lou Lou Whimsy, Wonderful, Tickle My Tastebuds, Wake Up, Full Plate, Freedom, Food Friends, Best of the Weekend, Pretty Pintastic

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Greek Nachos

Nachos with a Greek twist.  Pita chips topped with lamb, olives, tomatoes, and feta.

I've had this idea in the back of my mind for a while.  When I cooked Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb and had so much left over I finally had the most important component of this dish.  The goal was to make this as much like regular nachos as possible but with a Greek or Mediterranean twist.  Instead of tortilla chips I used pita chips.  Instead of cheddar or Mexican blend cheese I used feta (and a little monterey jack cheese to hold things together). I used lamb, red onions, tomatoes, and olives and topped it all with a dollop of Tzatziki instead of sour cream or guacamole.  It was fantastic.  If you like Greek/Mediterranean dishes this is a different take on nachos that you will love.  These nachos make a great snack or dinner.

Greek Nachos

Ingredients:

Pita chips
Monterey jack cheese
Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb, chopped (or any kind of lamb)
Red onion, sliced
Tomatoes, seeded and chopped
Olive slices
Feta crumbles
Tzatziki

Spread a single layer of chips on the bottom of a baking pan.

Top the chips with a thin layer of monterey jack cheese.  Then add  some lamb, onions, tomatoes, and olives.  Top with feta and another layer of chips.  Repeat this step once or twice.

Bake the nachos at 300F for 15-20 minutes then broil until the top layer of cheese is melted (feta doesn't melt but the monterey does).

Remove from oven and top with a large dollop of Tzatzikki.

Enjoy.

Linked to:  Pretty Pintastic, Best of the Weekend, Snickerdoodle, 2 Cup, Lou Lou Girls, Teach Me, Wonderful Wed, Cook Craft Share, Full Plate, Freedom, Foodie Friends

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Chicken and Black Bean Salsa Nachos

Crunchy tortilla chips layered with leftover rotisserie chicken, black bean and corn salsa, and shredded cheese.

Nachos are always a great gameday snack, or even dinner.  In my house anything can be used for nachos.  We've made Bacon Nachos, left over prime rib Nachos, plain cheese and jalapeno nachos, and many more varieties.  This time I had left over rotisserie chicken and left over Black Bean and Corn Salsa so I used these to make nachos.  All nachos are tasty and these did not disappoint.  The chips were crunchy, the cheese melted perfectly, and every chip had toppings on it.  We've got nacho making down to an art.

Chicken&BlackBeanSalsa #Nachos are a great #gamedaysnack  [Tweet this]

Chicken and Black Bean Salsa Nachos

Ingredients:

Tortilla chips
Shredded cheese
Black Bean and Corn Salsa
Leftover rotisserie chicken
Guacamole

On an oven proof platter lay down a layer of tortilla chips.

Top the chips with cheese, chicken, and salsa (I put a little cheese below the other toppings and then again on top so when melted it would help hold everything on the chip).  Then top with another layer of chips and toppings finishing with a sprinkle of cheese.

Bake at 200F for about 10-15 minutes to melt the center cheese, then broil for  few minute until the top cheese is melted.

Servings depend on the size of the platter and how many layers you make.  We use a roughly 9x12 pan with 2-3 layers for 2 people.

Top with a dollop of guacamole or sour cream and serve with more guacamole, sour cream, and/or salsa.

Enjoy.

Linked to:  Best of the Weekend, Sat Night Fever, See ya in the Gumbo, Two Cup, Teach Me, Lou Lou Girls, Tickle my Tastebuds, Tasty Tues, Whimsy

Recipes mentioned in this post:

Black Bean & Corn Salsa

Great Guacamole

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Bacon Nachos

Crunchy tortilla chips spread with melted cheese, crisp bacon and spicy jalapenos.  A great dinner for two or a snack.

I have posted about nachos before but these deserved their own post.  Why?  Because these nachos are bacon nachos.  My husband just opened a new bag of chips and I had some bacon in the fridge and cheese so I suggested bacon nachos.  These are fabulous nachos.  They may not be very healthy but they are so good (it doesn't hurt to splurge every once in a while).  This was our late 'Father's Day' dinner (we don't have children but we have a turtle).

Ingredients:

Tortilla chips
1/2 pack of bacon
2 cups shredded cheese
1/4 cup diced jalapenos

Cut the bacon into 1/2 inch pieces and fry until crisp then drain.

Assemble the nachos.   Place a layer of chips on a baking dish then top with 1/3 of the cheese, bacon, and jalapenos.  Continue layering chips, cheese, bacon, and jalapenos until you run out of toppings.

Bake the nachos at 200F for 20 minutes then broil for about 5 minutes until cheese is melted.

Serves 2 as a dinner, or more as a snack.  Enjoy.

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Nachos

Crispy, crunchy nachos made with tortilla chips, cheese, jalapenos, and leftover prime rib.  A terrific and filling snack while watching the Rose Bowl (and Orange Bowl).

 Again I have to give credit to my husband.  It was my idea to make nachos with some of the leftover prime rib but he is the one who executed it. 

I usually leave the nacho making to my husband he just does it better than I do.  I either put too much or not enough cheese and they are disappointing.  Hubby has nacho making down to an art.  He always gets the perfect amount of cheese on them and a great balance of toppings so that every chip is tasty.  Here are his tips for great nachos.

1. Patience.  Take your time and pay attention to each chip.  You don't want all of the toppings on just a few chips and none on the rest.
2.  Strategically place chips.  Keep the chips spread, rather than in a pile, so they can each get the attention they deserve.
3. Cheese first.  Always put the cheese on top of the chips before adding any other topping.  This helps everything else stick to the chip once the cheese melts.
4. Put toppings on each layer.  There is nothing more disappointing than eating great nachos only to find a bunch of empty chips on the bottom of the stack.
5. Use shredded cheese.  You can use your favorite flavor, but liquid nacho cheese always makes soggy nachos.
6. Cut meat small.  You want a good ratio of chip to meat and other toppings.  Keeping the meat small makes sure that each chip has a good bite of meat and prevents sogginess.

So with all of these tips in mind my husband sets out one layer of chips on a baking pan.  He adds cheese, meat and chopped pickled jalapenos.  The chopped jalapenos are mostly for my benefit because my husband would have no problem with a whole jalapeno ring on each chip.  Then he adds a second layer of chips and toppings.  He bakes this in a 200 degree oven for about 20 minutes to get the meat warm and the bottom layer of cheese melted.  Then broils for a couple of minutes to melt and brown the top layer of cheese.  Then the nachos are served with a side of salsa for dipping.

This basic recipe can be used for any left over meat you may have.  We've made nacho's with pork, chicken, and turkey with similarly delicious results.  You can also go with no meat and they are just fine (the meat makes them more filling, maybe use some beans to get similar results).  I hope you are inspired to make you own nachos.  Enjoy.

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