Stuffed Pepper Tacos
Mushroom Queso Fundido
Updated April 30, 2024
- Total Time
- About 1 hour
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 50 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice (from 1 to 2 limes)
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1garlic clove, grated
- 4tablespoons finely chopped fresh epazote (see Tip)
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- Pinch crushed red pepper
- 8ounces cremini mushrooms, quartered
- 1pound/455 grams queso Oaxaca, shredded by hand into bite-size pieces (see Tip for alternative cheese options)
- Fresh corn tortillas or tortilla chips, for serving
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Step 2
In a medium bowl, whisk the lime juice, olive oil, vinegar and garlic with 3 tablespoons of the epazote; season the mixture with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper. Add the mushrooms and toss to coat. Set aside to marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Step 3
In a medium cast-iron pan, add the shredded Oaxaca cheese and the remaining tablespoon epazote. Stir to combine and bake for about 20 minutes, until the cheese is fully melted.
- Step 4
While the cheese is melting, add the mushrooms and their marinade to another cast-iron or nonstick pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are deeply bronzed and nearly crispy on the edges, about 15 minutes.
- Step 5
Gently spoon the mushroom mixture in the center of the melted cheese. Serve the queso immediately, directly from the pan, with tortillas or tortilla chips.
- Fresh epazote has hints of basil, mint and oregano, with floral and citrus notes. It can be found dried online and in many Mexican grocery stores. If you have to substitute the ingredient, use 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh basil leaves and 1 teaspoon of dried oregano.
- Though Mexican cheeses like Oaxaca cheese are essential to queso fundido for both texture and taste, you could substitute a fresh ball of mozzarella in this dish, adding 1 teaspoon sea salt. Others use Monterey Jack or Chihuahua cheese as the base.
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Private Notes
Cooking Notes
I ham and egged this recipe using Oacaxa cheese with dried oregano, crushed red pepper, and corn tortillas. I substituted lemon for the lime and white mushrooms. The outcome was outstanding. I added a small garden salad, and a cold beer for a delicious dinner. Since I have the taste of a peasant, I did not miss the fresh epazote. A+ for the NY Times with this one.
How much dried epazote would you use?
None. Dried epazote bears no resemblance whatsoever to fresh epazote. If you don’t have fresh epazote leave it out, or maybe substitute a sprinkle of Mexican oregano.
There is NO substitute for fresh epazote. Like basil, its unique character is utterly lost when dried.
Pregnant women should not eat epazote. It can be cause contractions and miscarriage!
Please let’s not have people add that it’s not the way grandmother made it, or not really Mexican… :) Looks fab!
Does medium pan equal 8 or 10 inch?
At what temperature do you bake the cheese? Is the oven preheated?
350 - Step 1.
350F, 20 minutes. Yes, preheated
You can count on ovens always being preheated unless specifically noted otherwise.
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