Make Bean Dip

This is a recipe for some really good bean dip It's delicious, and extremely easy to make!

Ingredients

  • Family-size can of refried beans (you'll need it - this stuff is good)
  • Shredded or crumbled cheddar cheese
  • Mild salsa (or hot, if you're adventurous) Note: Not salsa con queso! It may sound like it's saving a step, but it doesn't work.
  • Black olive slices
  • Ground beef with taco seasoning (optional)
  • Lettuce, sour cream, other cold ingredients (optional)
  • Soft flour tortillas or crunchy corn tortilla chips

Steps

  1. Gather the ingredients. This recipe is including the optional items. If you're not including ground beef, then skip to step 3. If you are including it, then continue reading.
  2. Preheat the oven to 450F. Cook the ground beef in a pan on the stove set on medium-high heat, breaking it into little pieces with your spatula, until all brown. Add taco seasoning; pour a small amount of water over the meat to help spread the seasoning. Turn the heat down to very low to keep the meat warm.
  3. Go to another counter, open the can of refried beans and get a tablespoon. This is the fun part. Spoon half of the can of refried beans into the 9x13 casserole dish and spread it around, making a fairly even layer. Add more where necessary, but make sure to save roughly half a can of beans.
  4. Know that if you're adding ground beef, this is where you do it. Spread a layer of ground beef over the refried beans, possibly saving enough beef to make a second layer later. It depends on your tastes and how much beef you have.
  5. Take your shredded or crumbled cheese. Apply liberally. Seriously, don't skimp on the cheese - you'll use most of a full bag for just this layer of cheese, and there's a second one later. On top of the cheese, spread a layer of salsa using a spoon. Be generous with it. Add to next layer the rest of the refried beans. It's a little difficult putting a layer of dense refried beans over a layer of not-as-dense salsa, but it's not impossible, and it's okay if they mix. And they will mix. It all goes to the same place anyway.
  6. Finish the ground beef if you've got any left on top of the second refried beans layer. Add some more cheese and the black olives. These can be put on together - the layers have a tendency to mix anyway. Take the whole mixture, and put it in the oven for five minutes. After those five minutes have passed, check on it - if it looks like the cheese needs to melt a little more, then pop it back in there. If you're making burritos out of this (which is a really good idea), then take a plate large enough to hold a tortilla and two paper towels. Wet both paper towels and squeeze them out so they're damp. Place one damp paper towel on the plate, place the tortillas in a stack on the paper towel, and put the other paper towel on top of the tortillas. Microwave for about 45 seconds. When the microwave beeps, your bean dip should be done as well.
  7. Take a tortilla, scoop a generous amount of bean dip onto it. If you want to add lettuce, sour cream, more salsa, or a packet or two of Taco Bell sauce, do it now. Then fold the burrito. You may want to use a fork to eat it. If you're using it as a chip dip: Scoop some onto a plate with a pile of tortilla chips. If you're using this for a party, maybe array the chips nicely around the casserole dish. If you're just eating it on its own: Just put a dollop on your plate, get a fork, and dig in!

Tips

  • Be sure to wash your hands before cooking. Nobody wants your germs.
  • There are a multitude of things you could add to this recipe - onions, mushrooms, green peppers, Spanish rice. You could even crunch up some tortilla chips and sprinkle those over the whole thing.
  • This is an incredibly easy dish to make, and fun, too. Let the kids help, maybe.
  • Try to contain your shock when your kids tell you this is the greatest dinner ever. Because it is. Unless you don't like pseudo-Mexican food, in which case why are you reading this recipe?

Warnings

  • Be extra careful when using a glass casserole dish - glass breaks.
  • Be careful when using the stove and oven. Supervise children helping with those steps that involve the use of either appliance. Hot things burn.
  • Storage Limit: Cooked refried beans are a potentially hazardous food because they are rich in protein (like eggs or poultry). Prevent the growth of harmful bacteria by storing not more than four days if refrigerated between 41 and 45 degrees F; not more than seven days if refrigerated at {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} or less. As leftovers, always reheat to at least {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}}.
  • It's not as good cold, so if you plan to save some and have leftovers for lunch tomorrow, make sure you have access to a microwave.
  • Vegetarians, being what they are, don't eat meat. You may want to reconsider if your guests are vegetarian or vegan.
  • Some people might have an allergy to one or more of the foods that go into this recipe - find out beforehand if you don't know.
  • This dish contains beans, and...well, you know.

Things You'll Need

  • 9x13 casserole dish

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