RECIPE - Simple(r) Tex-Mex Layer Dip

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 tbsp or ½ packet taco seasoning (1 oz packet)
• 1 onion, diced small
• 1-14.5 oz can refried beans
• 2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, monterrey jack, pepper jack)
• 8 oz sour cream
• 1 tomato
• Lettuce, shredded fine (1-2 cups, optional)

Serve with tortilla chips

You can also top with diced jalapenos, avocado, fresh onion, or add a splash of lime juice for a tart kick.

Instructions

1. Brown ground beef and onions in a skillet.
2. Once browned, add 1 tbsp taco seasoning and mix through.
3. Add refried beans and mix together, then pour into 13x9 pan and cover with cheese.
4. Put mixture into oven on broil until cheese is sufficiently melted (2-3 minutes).
5. Diced tomatoes and shred lettuce.
6. Once cheese is melted remove from over, cover with sour cream.
7. Only put lettuce on parts you will eat immediately because it will wilt with the heat and won’t reheat very well.

Cover with diced tomatoes and serve.

You can refrigerate this dish and eat it cold or hot later, just remove the lettuce.

Long Story

I was in a bind deciding what to make for dinner since I, religiously, had not planned ahead. Fortunately, I generally keep everything for Tex-Mex in house because  it is easy for anyone to put together, even teens who qualify under the following meme.

Tex-Mex is always a hit in our house. I don’t know why, but it is. It has nothing to do with me being from Texas. At some point Mexican Night became a thing when my husband and I were dating. Eventually it morphed into steak tacos (Cook’s Illustrated recipe), fresh guacamole, fresh salsa, homemade cheese dip, ALL the fixins, and sometimes homemade tortillas. Some time between then and now, Taco Tuesday became a thing. I’m not sure if it was because of the Lego Movie, but it is a thing now. And I love tacos.

But at some point it became too much to prepare all that and I needed simple(r). I love this because it is great hot or cold, even on not Taco Tuesday.

What I Used

• Old El Paso Taco Seasoning (can)
• Old El Paso Original Refried Beans
• Kraft Shredded Sharp Cheddar
• Daisy Light Sour Cream
• Butter lettuce (about ½ head)