Taco Dip

I have taken this dip to many gatherings over the years and it never fails me. I rarely come home with any left! It's great for movie and game night too.


Ingredients:


1 can refried beans
1 (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 (8 oz.) sour cream
1 pkg, dry taco seasoning mix
1 jar taco sauce, medium
1 jar taco sauce, hot
1 (8 oz) brick of medium cheddar cheese
lettuce
tomatoes


Spread can of refried beans evenly on bottom of 9 x 13 x 2 inch baking pan or casserole dish.


In small bowl, beat together softened cream cheese and sour cream until well blended, add taco seasoning mix and stir well. 


Add taco sauce, medium, in small doses until mixture becomes creamy. (There is nothing worse than breaking off chips in a dip, so your goal is to soften it just enough that the chips won't break, but you don't want the mixture to become runny.) Add small doses of taco sauce, hot, to your liking. If you don't prefer spicy, skip this step. We love spicy! Taste test it as you go along to get it just right. Spread mixture evenly across refried beans.


Grate cheddar cheese and spread evenly on top of cream cheese/sour cream layer. Lightly press cheese into cream cheese/sour cream layer with the bottom of a spoon. (This will help keep the cheese in place when scooping it up with chips.) I can't stress enough how much better this will taste if you grate your own cheese instead of using prepackaged shredded.


Chop desired amount of lettuce and spread evenly over cheese layer.


Dice desired amount of tomatoes; sprinkle on lettuce.


Chill minimum of 2 hours before serving. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips.


A lot of potential to customize this to your tastes. If you don't care for refried beans, just skip that step and it will still taste delicious. Also adding onions or scallions as a topping or black olives. We have even used Paint Thinner (spice) to really kick up the hotness factor.  Enjoy!