Cheesy Baked Taco Dip

Time to add a new party food recipe to your bag of tricks! I just love the spicy flavors and gooey cheesiness, serve it with corn chips & suddenly, you have a party on your hands.

I used previously browned ground beef, which saves me so much time when I am in a rush to put on a party. I would highly recommend that you start bulk cooking hamburger and freezing in 1-lb packages. In addition to pre-cooked hamburger, my homemade bulk taco seasoning blend makes this dip a breeze to prepare. If you don’t make your own taco seasoning, now is the time to start! It is super easy, immeasurably more delicious & you control the heat & salt!! Who could ask for anything more?

Now onto the dip! Here is a quick list of dip ingredients:

½ sweet white onion, diced
½ 14.5 oz can of petite diced tomatoes
1 c of your favorite salsa
½ pound pre-cooked hamburger meat
1½ T dry ranch seasoning blend
1½ T homemade taco seasoning blend ((RECIPE HERE))
5-6 T fresh chopped cilantro, divided
½ c beans, either cooked or refried
1 8 oz block of cream cheese
½ c light mayonnaise
1 c hand-shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Simply heat the tomatoes, salsa and onions until the onions are softened ((approximately 5 minutes)).

Add hamburger & half of the dry ranch.

Add the homemade taco seasoning blend.

When I made this dip, I had some leftover Beans & Chicos. With such tasty ingredients on hand, I couldn’t help but add some to this dip. Into the pot : ½ c of cooked beans ((and chicos — recipe HERE)). ((½ c of canned or refried beans will work nicely if you don’t want to go to the effort to make Beans & Chicos.))