I came up with this recipe last year when I wanted to make something fun with a Mexican twist for a party I was attending. There really is nothing better than melted cheese dip, served with warm corn tortillas. So I took the basic queso recipe and kicked it up a notch with roasted cauliflower, onions and shallots and spicy Portuguese chorizo sausage. The best part – you can almost convince yourself that it is a really healthy snack thanks to the cauliflower! (Hey we all can afford to indulge a little now and again!)
Cauliflower Chorizo Queso Fundito Recipe
Prep time: 10 minutes; cook time: 30 minutes for cauliflower and then 30 minutes for completed dish; total time: 1 hour 10 minutes; Serves: 12 as an appetizer
Ingredients
- 1 large head of cauliflower – cut into small florets
- 2 medium onions – peeled and diced
- 4 medium shallots – peeled and diced
- 2 tbsp of olive or grape seed oil
- Salt an pepper to taste
- 12 ounces of fully cooked gluten-free chorizo sausage (I like Wellshire Farms brand sold at Whole Foods due to their use of natural ingredients and attention to Celiac)
- 1 pound of shredded cheese – mix of any/all of these: cheddar, Asiago, Fontina and Monterey jack
- 1/2 bunch of cilantro – washed and chopped, stems and all
- Corn tortillas or tortilla chips for serving – make sure you read the labels as not all are gluten-free!
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 425°
- Add cauliflower, onions and shallots to a heavy roasting pan or cookie sheet and toss with oil, salt and pepper and roast until caramelized, stirring several times so that the onions do not burn – about 30 minutes.
- Chop the chorizo into small dice and saute in a large heavy bottomed pan, stirring frequently, until sausage has browned somewhat, about 6-8 minutes. Drain sausage on paper towels and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine roasted vegetables, chorizo, cheese and chopped cilantro. Stir to combine.
- Pour mixture into a deep souffle dish or casserole dish and cook at 375° for 30 minutes until the top is browned and bubbly. Serve immediately with warm corn tortillas* or tortilla chips.
*To warm tortillas wet a bunch of paper towels with water and squeeze out until just damp. Layer paper towels and tortillas in a stack (one paper towel between each) and microwave for 30-45 seconds or warm in the oven at 325° for ten minutes.
Enjoy!!