Chile con Queso with Meat

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(about 3 1/2 cups)

I was asked to make this dip for a bar-be-que I was invited to. The hostess was quite specific; it was to be made with Velveeta cheese (/shudder, I'm highly suspicious of any "dairy" product that can sit on a shelf for years on end), Ro*Tel diced tomatoes and green chilies, and Jimmy Dean Sausage  (I used hormone free turkey sausage instead, hehe). I ended up doubling the recipe because all I could find was a 2 lb brick of Velveeta at the grocery store. This actually worked out well - all of it got eaten.

This stuff  does taste quite good (it's salty and wonderful with cold beer, to wash it down) and is very popular in Texas. A California native recently mentioned to me they don't use Velveeta there when they make it. At some point I will try to duplicate this dip using "real" cheese.

1 -2 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 lb Jimmy Dean sausage meat, (I used turkey sausage)
1 10 oz can Ro*Tel diced tomatoes and green chilies
1 lb Velveeta cheese, cubed
hot sauce, to taste
small handful of cilantro, chopped

corn chips

Heat the oil in a large skillet and add the garlic. Fry for 1 minute, then add the onion and jalapeno pepper. Lower the heat a bit and saute until the onion softens and turns a light golden brown; about 10-15 minutes. Add the sausage meat and cook, breaking the meat up, until it's cooked through; about 10 minutes.

Stir in the entire can of Ro*Tel (liquid and all), then add the Velveeta. Cook, stirring for another 5 minutes or so until the cheese has melted and the dip is hot. Add the hot sauce to taste and stir in the cilantro. I added no salt to this as it was pretty salty already.

Serve immediately with corn chips. If you double the recipe and make a huge amount as I did, you might consider transferring the queso to a slow cooker or fondue pot to keep it warm - otherwise this stuff congeals rather quickly, lol. Even when kept warm, you have to stir it from time to time, otherwise it will form a skin.