Queso is great stuff. At least, I think so. One part cheese and one part peppers, a good queso dip can elevate the game of many Mexican dishes. I personally think queso dip is dynamite with nachos, but I also don’t mind putting it on a taco or burrito.
Aldi has sold a decent enough queso dip in a glass jar under its Casa Mamita brand. But recently I discovered a pair of quesos that the German supermarket sells under the Happy Farms label in its refrigerated section. This is one of those quesos.
Happy Farms Salsa Con Queso 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. This is more than the 13 cents an ounce I paid for Casa Mamita Salsa Con Queso a couple of years ago, but this Happy Farms queso also has the benefit of being refrigerated rather than jarred.
This salsa comes in a mixed case alongside a queso blanco. Both are the same price, and both should be kept refrigerated.
Making this is easy. You simply spoon some of the salsa con queso into a microwave-safe container and heat for a few seconds, or until it’s hot enough for you. Be careful, because cheese can splatter if you heat it too long. Also, do not heat the queso in the plastic container.
I was impressed with this stuff and found it superior to the Casa Mamita version. It’s thicker and has a better flavor. In terms of heat, it’s just a hair more than mild, but not quite medium. (If you want heat, it’s not hard to add some.) I found it eminently scoopable and tasty. My family did, too, because it didn’t last very long in the house.
Nutritionally, there’s a lot of ingredients. It’s also high in sodium and has a fair amount of fat as well. On the allergen front, it contains milk, as you would expect.
Nutrition and ingredients, Part 1. (Click to enlarge.)
Nutrition and ingredients, Part 2. (Click to enlarge.)
The Verdict:
I think Happy Farms Salsa Con Queso is a good take on con queso, with a solid taste, a nice thick texture, and just a little spice. It costs more than the Aldi jarred queso, but I think the difference in quality is worth it. I’ll probably buy this again.
