What sauce may cover tortilla chips in nachos besides cheese?

Chile con queso is a sauce that may cover tortilla chips in nachos besides plain melted cheese.

The name means “chile with cheese” in Spanish. In Tex-Mex cooking, it usually refers to a warm, pourable cheese dip flavored with green chiles, jalapeños, or other peppers. Restaurants commonly serve it with tortilla chips, and it can also be spooned over nachos.

Traditional nachos are associated with Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya’s 1943 creation in Piedras Negras, Mexico: fried tortilla pieces topped with melted cheese and sliced jalapeños. Modern nachos expanded far beyond that simple combination, adding beans, meat, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, and queso-style cheese sauces.

A common mix-up is treating chile con queso as identical to every form of “nacho cheese.” Queso may be made with processed cheese and peppers, while nacho cheese sauce is a broader commercial or restaurant term. Chile con queso specifically emphasizes the combination of cheese and chile peppers.