Taco Dip

Growing up, my mom wanted to make New Years Eve special.  All my memories involve playing cards and eating yummy snacks/appetizers that we only had on new years eve.  This taco dip is a must-make holiday appetizer at our place!

Say hello to my mom's taco dip.

Taco Dip  - Mom
{Print Recipe}

Base
1 - 8oz cream cheese*
1 - 8oz sour cream*
1 - 6oz frozen avocado dip (not guacamole)
1 tsp. lemon juice

Middle
2 lbs. hamburger
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 - 4oz chopped green chillies, undrained
2 - 1 lb. cans of tomatoes (one drained, one undrained)
2 tsp. salt (or less)
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 - 8oz mild taco sauce

Topping
~ 1 1/2 C shredded lettuce
1 large chopped tomato
1/2 C grated cheddar cheese

Mix together the cream cheese, sour cream, avocado dip and lemon juice.

Spread on the bottom of a serving tray.

Then, brown hamburger with onion and garlic.
Add in the tomatoes, chilies, salt and pepper.
Then, add in the taco sauce.
Cook mixture at least for 30 minutes, until most of the liquids have evaporated.
 You'll want the meat to be "moist" super dry.  If you happen to get it too dry, just add in a little water before assembling.

We make the meat ahead of time, and refrigerate until we're ready to assemble.

Spread the meat (usually it's best to spread it cooled) on the base layer.

Then, top with shredded lettuce, tomatoes and cheese.

Serve with chips right away.

Or, refrigerate until serving time.

We often put together a half batch and keep the other layers separate in the fridge until we're ready to use another serving.  We love having it together at the holidays -- there always seem to be people over to enjoy it with!

*Light/low fat/fat free options are just fine.

This post is linked to:
Bloggy Progressive Dinner - Appetizers, This Week's Craving, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Mouthwatering Mondays, Delicious Dishes, Tasty Tuesday, URS, 2, Ingredient Spotlight, Diptacular