Happy Farms Queso Blanco

One of my personal favorite Mexican dishes is the chimichanga. There’s a sublime Mexican restaurant near my home that makes outstanding chimis, with meat in the middle (I get steak) and a collection of peppers and other goodies above. The restaurant serves rice, beans, sour cream, lettuce, and guacamole on the side. It’s heavenly.

But what makes it all come together, in my view, is a layer of queso blanco cheese on top of the chimi. I’ve been to some restaurants that don’t put queso blanco on their chimis, and in my view, having the cheese is a game-changer.

I think queso blanco is a game-changer with many Mexican dishes. It’s terrific with chips and works great on tacos and burritos, too. Fortunately, you can find queso blanco at grocery stores. Even more fortunately, Aldi is one of those stores.

Happy Farms Queso Blanco is an Aldi Regular Buy, which means you can find it in stores all the time. It comes in a 12-ounce plastic container. At the time of this post, it cost me $2.89, or about 24 cents an ounce. It’s part of a mixed case that also includes Happy Farms Salsa Con Queso.

The queso can be found in the store’s refrigerated section. It should be kept refrigerated when not being used.

I suppose that you could technically eat it cold, but it’s meant to be warm. To do that, you simply need to scoop some into a microwave-safe dish and heat it until it’s at the desired temperature. (Do not microwave the dip in the plastic container it’s sold in.) Anyone who has microwaved cheese knows it can get messy if it’s overheated, so you might consider just heating it a few seconds at a time and then checking on it.

Everyone in my family liked this cheese. A lot. We found it to have a rich flavor, with a blend of cheese and peppers that is just right. It’s a thicker consistency than what I’d get at a restaurant, but it scoops well and is an excellent topping on Mexican dishes.

Nutritionally, there’s a fair number of ingredients. There’s also plenty of fat and sodium. A 2-tablespoon serving has 50 calories, 3.5 grams of fat (4% DV), 2 grams of saturated fat (10% DV), and 450 mg of sodium (20% DV).)

On the allergen front, this obviously contains milk.

Nutrition and ingredients, Part 1. (Click to enlarge.)

Nutrition and ingredients, Part 2. (Click to enlarge.)

The Verdict:

Happy Farms Queso Blanco is a good way to get a queso blanco fix. The taste and consistency are both great, and this dip pairs well with chips. I’m a fan.