I’m turning this into a thing.
QUESO FUNDIDO TACOS. Seriously — these are incredible. Gooey, melty queso fundido becomes the glue that holds a hard taco shell and a soft tortilla together, creating a handheld taco with the best texture combination: crisp, crunchy edges and a soft, warm interior.
Instead of merely dipping tortillas into queso, this idea builds an entire taco around it. The concept is simple: a layer of queso melds a soft tortilla to a hard-shell taco. It’s indulgent, cheesy, and absolutely satisfying.
The filling is straightforward and delicious: crumbled chorizo browned until it’s slightly crispy, then topped with a quick mix of chopped onion, fresh cilantro, and lime juice. The contrast of the bright, acidic toppings with the rich, spicy chorizo and molten cheese makes each bite perfect.
This recipe isn’t dairy free — the cheese is essential. The queso is a mix of sharp white cheddar and Monterey Jack melted with a touch of butter, garlic, half-and-half, and a cornstarch slurry to create a smooth, velvety sauce. Once warm and stretchy, the cheese is spread on a small flour or corn tortilla and wrapped around a hard-shell corn taco, which seals as the cheese cools slightly.
The idea came from my cousin Lacy, who has a knack for brilliant, simple food ideas. I knew I wanted the shells to stick together with melted cheese, and Lacy’s filling concept — crumbled chorizo plus a fresh onion-cilantro-lime topping — is perfection. This is the first of several taco variations I’ll be sharing soon.
If chorizo isn’t your thing, use any simple filling: ground beef or turkey, carnitas, shredded chicken, or roasted sweet potatoes and beans for a vegetarian option. The key is keeping the filling relatively straightforward so the queso and crunchy-chewy shell combination take center stage.
Queso Fundido Tacos
4
45 mins
Ingredients
Queso
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1 1/2 cups half and half
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 16 ounces sharp white cheddar, freshly grated
- 8 ounces Monterey Jack, freshly grated
Tacos
- 1 pound chorizo
- 1/2 sweet onion, diced
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 8 4-inch flour or corn tortillas
- 8 hard-shell corn tortillas
Instructions
Queso
- Heat a saucepan over medium heat and add the butter. Stir in the garlic, salt, and pepper and cook about 60 seconds. Slowly stream in 1 cup of the half and half while whisking. In a bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup half and half and cornstarch to make a slurry. Stir the slurry into the saucepan and cook for a minute until the milk thickens. Reduce heat to low.
- Stir in the grated cheeses a handful at a time until fully melted and smooth.
Tacos
- Heat a large skillet over medium and add the chorizo, breaking it apart with a spoon. Cook, stirring and crumbling, until browned and slightly crisp, about 6 to 8 minutes.
- In a bowl, combine the diced onion, chopped cilantro, lime juice, and a pinch of salt.
- To assemble: spread a few tablespoons of warm queso onto a small flour or corn tortilla, then wrap it around a hard-shell tortilla so the cheese seals them together. Fill the hard shell with crumbled chorizo and top with the onion–cilantro mixture. Repeat and serve with extra queso for dipping or drizzling.
Did you make this recipe?
If you tried these tacos, share a photo and tag your post appropriately. I appreciate you so much!
Now the real question is: beer or margaritas?