Whenever my son’s school needs a dish, I always stew about what to bring. Today, I came up with something that is tasty and flexible enough to share. You can alter just about anything in this and still end up with something good, as long as you keep the ingredients in the same family. that is, substitute enchilada sauce for green chile. Experiment with different cheeses and different types of sausage.

Sausage and Quéso Fundido for school (and some for dinner!)

Southwestern sausage and quéso fundido

Grease a 8×14 casserole dish -and an 8×8, if you make this in the quantities I recommend. Pre heat the oven to 325 degrees.

Ingredients 

• 2 T olive oil
• 12-18 ounces chorizo or spicy Italian sausage, to taste (If you like more sausage, by all means, add it. A la Pirates of the Caribbean, these are guidelines, not mandates.)
• One cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup green pepper
• 1/2 cup celery
• 1 T minced garlic
• 1 T diced jalapénos
• 1 lb quéso cheese (the better the cheese, the better the dish)
• 12 ounces crumbled goat cheese
• One pound  ground sausage
• One can diced tomatoes with mild green chiles (use habaneros, if you’re into the heat)
• One can green chilé sauce with chicken
• An abundance of grated cheese (again your choice, Mild cheddar, Monterey Jack, Colby.)
• One bag small tortillas
• Taco chips, crushed
• Sour cream for topping
• Chopped cilantro for topping

Sauté the onion and garlic for a few minutes until it is soft and fragrant. Add the chorizo sausage and stir occasionally until cooked through. Add jalapénos. Melt 1/4 lb  quéso cheese and stir until mixed together. Add crumbled goat cheese to taste.

In a separate pan, sauté another 1/2 cup onion, the green pepper and the celery. Add ground sausage and cook through. Fold in the diced tomatoes and green chile sauce. Add the remainder of the quéso cheese and one cup of the grated cheese. Stir until melted. Add the quéso fundido and stir until fully integrated.

Either warm the tortillas or cook them in one tsp oil until air bubbles form. Layer them in the casserole dishes. Add the fundido. Top with a layer of tortillas and crushed taco chips. Cover with a layer of grated cheese (at least a cup each.) Cook both in the oven for fifteen minutes or until cheese is fully melted and the fundido is bubbly. Serve topped with sour cream and chopped cilantro.