Recipe for Hot Nacho Dip at Life's Ambrosia

Who doesn’t love nachos? I mean seriously, what is not to love about a big plate of chips covered with cheese, meat, beans, tomatoes, olives and jalapenos? Now, imagine with me for a moment that you remove the chips from the equation and take all of those wonderful goodies that you usually pile on top of the chips, layer everything in a casserole dish and bake until hot and bubbly. That my friends is what I like to call Hot Nacho Dip.

Despite the fact that our Seahawks haven’t been doing well, Ryan and I still partake in our Sunday game day snack tradition. This dip is the latest addition. Think of it as a cross between nachos and the popular party appetizer 7 layer dip. First you layer spicy refried beans, nacho cheese and seasoned beef. Then you bake that just until warmed through, remove it from the oven and top it with sliced olives, freshly chopped tomatoes, spicy jalapenos and two more kinds of cheese (because you can never have too much cheese when it comes to nachos, or anything for that matter). Next you bake it all until the cheese melts and the edges are bubbly. Once the baking is done and it has cooled slightly you scoop up all of the yumminess with some crispy tortilla chips. Call me a nerd but I get giddy just thinking about it.

Serves 4-6

You will need:

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 (15 ounce) can spicy refried beans
1 cup salsa con queso
2 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 (2.5 ounce) can sliced black olives
1/2 cup pickled sliced jalapenos
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine cumin, garlic powder, chili powder and kosher salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and seasoning mixture. Cook until beef is browned. Transfer to a colander placed over a bowl to strain the grease. Set aside.
In the same pan that you cooked the beef in, add the diced onion. Cook 2-3 minutes or until softened. Return beef to pan. Toss to combine. Remove from heat.
Spread refried beans in the bottom of an 8″ x 8″ glass baking dish. Spread salsa con queso over the refried beans. Spoon meat mixture over the top, spread evenly. Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and layer with olives, tomatoes, jalapenos, cheddar and jack cheese. Return to oven and bake for 10 more minutes or until cheese is melted and the edges are bubbly.
Remove from oven allow to cool for a several minutes. Serve.

A word of warning, I was a little too excited when I pulled my dip out of the oven, I grabbed a chip right away and dug in. Mistake. A mistake that the roof of my mouth is still trying to recover from. So please take my advice and make sure you allow this to cool several minutes before serving. Then dig in like a mad woman (or man) and enjoy!

Responses to "Hot Nacho Dip"

“
Made this one tonight at the house… another hit Des.

Thanks for the recipe.
”

- Gary

“
You’re welcome Gary! I’m glad you enjoyed it :)
”

- Deseree

“
What a tasty looking dip!
”

- Kevin

“
Thank you Kevin!
”

- Deseree

“
Thinking this would be ultra good w/ chorizo fried up and added rather than beef. Zing!
”

- letty

“
Letty- that would be a great substitution. I’ll have to try it. Thanks!
”

- Deseree

“
This sounds great! Do you maintain a cookbook for individuals at this site or do we have to download and print? Right now my printer is being obstinate and won’t print anything off the web. My daughter [the almost resident comp. guru hasn't had time to come and fix it, yet."soon" she says].
”

- Shirlee