Photo by Aimee Broussard.

In the kitchen: Aimee Broussard’s Crawfish Queso Dip

You don’t have to be preparing for a big party to break out the dip. Since COVID-19 has taken much of summer hostage, there’s never been a better time to treat yourself. What better way to do so than with some melted cheese?

The next time you’re feeling low about a canceled Caribbean vacation or the fact that your children didn’t get to spend a few weeks away at summer camp, whip up this cheesy creation by Aimee Broussard. It won’t disappoint.


CRAWFISH QUESO DIP
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. butter
½ cup yellow onion, chopped
¼ cup red bell pepper, chopped
1 tsp. garlic, minced
¼ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
1 tsp. Creole seasoning
1 lb. crawfish tails, thawed
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (plus more for topping)
1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
2 green onions, chopped (plus more for topping)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 2-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
In a medium-size pan, melt butter over medium heat. Once melted, add onions, bell pepper and garlic, and cook until vegetables are translucent and wilted. Add salt, pepper and Creole seasoning. Add crawfish; cook for 2 minutes longer.
In a large bowl, combine Monterey Jack, cream cheese and green onions; mix well. Add crawfish mixture to cheese mixture, combine well. Pour entire contents into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle top of baking dish with a bit more Monterey Jack cheese. Bake until mixture is bubbly and beginning to brown on top, about 25 minutes. Switch oven to medium-heat broil, watch closely, and remove as top of dip becomes golden brown. Top with chopped green onions and serve immediately.
Makes  6-8 servings.