mexican layer dip

Super Bowl is just around the corner and this would make a great appetizer for the game. I made this dip a few weeks ago when our youth from church came by our house for a progressive supper. We were the appetizer house. At first I thought about making sushi. Then I came to my senses and realized how much work that would be for 15 people. I think this dip was a much better choice. Most of it was gone that evening (we ran out of 2 bags of tortilla chips) but Andrew and I finished it the next day for lunch (I bought more chips in the morning). It still tasted great. The key to this recipe is warming up the refried beans (to get rid of the just out of the can taste), homemade guacamole and pico de gallo.

Mexican Layer Dip - adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Ingredients

1 can refried beans

Tabasco Sauce, To Taste

1 can Diced Green Chilies

Ground Cumin, to taste (I used approximately 1 teaspoon)

¾ cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

1 cup Sour Cream

1 cup Guacamole (see recipe below)

¾ cups Monterey Jack Cheese

1 cup Pico De Gallo (see recipe below)

Preparation Instructions

Begin by throwing the refried beans into a small pan over medium-low heat. Add several dashes of Tabasco sauce and a small can of (undrained) diced green chilies. Sprinkle on a little bit of ground Cumin. Stir well. Heat till completely warmed through. Take off the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Spread the beans on the bottom of a glass bowl or high-sided dish. Over this sprinkle the sharp cheddar. Next, plop on the sour cream and spread it into a single layer, being careful not to disturb the cheese underneath.

The next layer is the guacamole. Spread it over the sour cream. Follow this with a layer of Monterey Jack Cheese. Lastly, place a generous layer of Pico de Gallo. You can also, if you have the gumption for it, sprinkle some diced jalapenos over top.

FOR THE PICO DE GALLO:

5 whole Plum (roma) Tomatoes or 1 container of cherry tomatoes

½ whole Large (or 1 Small) Onion

1 - 3 Jalapeno Peppers (I used one)

Cilantro

Lime Juice

Salt To Taste

FOR THE GUACAMOLE:

3 whole Avacados

Pico De Gallo

Lime Juice

Salt To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Pico de Gallo:
Chop jalapenos, tomatoes and onions into a very small dice. (Leave seeds in your jalapenos for a hotter pico). Adjust amount of jalapenos to your preferred temperature. Next, chop up a nice-sized bunch of cilantro. Just remove and discard the long leafless stems before chopping. No need to remove the leaves from the stems completely. Place all of these ingredients together in a bowl and give it a good stir. There should be an equal balance of tomatoes, onions and cilantro. Squeeze the juice of half of one lime into the bowl. Add salt to taste and stir again.

Guacamole:
Start with buttery-soft avocados. Halve them lengthwise and remove the pits. Next, with a spoon scrape the “meat” out onto a large plate. Next, with the bottom of a clean cup (or with a fork) mash the avocados, making sure to leave it relatively chunky. Add just a couple of shakes of salt to taste. Next, add a generous helping of Pico de Gallo. Fold together. Lastly squeeze the juice of half of a lime over the top. Give it one last stir.