recipe: easy peasy taco dip

last weekend the chicago bears had a playoff game. this, of course, called for a party (and they won, so another party this sunday!). thinking of the nature of the party — football and drinking — i wanted to keep my food simple and yummy, so i made taco dip.  an easy peasy (not 7 layer) taco dip (although those are delish).

cast of characters: taco seasoning, cream cheese (whatever brand and calorie count you want), salsa, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes (regular or grape or even diced in a can…these were adorable so i bought these this time) and cheese (cheddar or mexican blend, shredded)

(no, we will not be using all of the humongous salsa or humongous taco seasoning or humongous cheese. we shop at costco, obvi)

let’s begin.

mix the cream cheese with the salsa and taco seasoning. try to mix evenly, but don’t worry, it will still taste good if you have some pockets of non-mixed cream cheese. spread the cream cheese mixture in bottom of dish. (not gonna lie, the pinkish reddish mixture is not the prettiest sight you’ve ever seen…i neglected to take pics of this step. i’m sure you’re so disappointed)

shred your lettuce. i thinly slice about 1/2 of the head of lettuce (i don’t care much about the leftover lettuce), then chop the opposite way. and then i might change up my cutting direction again, because i like smaller pieces of lettuce.

top your cream cheese mix with the shredded lettuce. (i did try to take a photo of this in action, but let’s just say it’s not worth your while). i suppose you could always put the cheese first, but i like it after so that it weighs down the light lettuce.

top the lettuce with your cheese.

chop your tomatoes. since i bought the adorable grape tomatoes, i only sliced them in half lengthwise. if you bought whole tomatoes, i would suggest removing most of the seeds/pulp so your dip doesn’t get to wet, then dice (and if you went the can route, drain those puppies first).

top your cheese with the tomatoes.

voila! easy peasy squeezy.

serve with tortilla chips. try not to hog it. be sad when there’s none left.

here’s the steps in one handy dandy area (so if you actually want to save this, you only have to cut and paste one area. you’re welcome.)

taco dip

2 packages cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 c. salsa
1/4 c. taco seasoning (or one packet)
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
2 c. cheese (cheddar or a mexican blend)
1 c. tomatoes, diced or split half depending on size

mix the cream cheese,  salsa and taco seasoning; try to mix evenly. spread the cream cheese mixture in bottom of 13×9 (or similarly sized) dish. top with shredded lettuce. top with shredded cheese. finish with the tomatoes on top. serve with tortilla chips. (keep in fridge until serving)

(i do want to come clean and tell ya that all of the measurements above are my best guesses; i did not use a measuring cup or spoon anywhere in the process. but you can’t go wrong with any of the ingredients, so don’t worry, just trust me and yourself 🙂 want more cheese? go for it. no tomatoes? no problem)

now i have to go and decide what i’m making for this sunday’s party. bruschetta? spinach artichoke dip? any suggestions?

{justine}

p.s. i also made brownies, so stayed tuned for that super easy recipe