Bab's South of the Border Taco Dip

Say 'ole!' with this bold and spicy taco dip that includes all of the flavors I remember from my many vacations in Mexico. One thing I will tell you is that this goes perfectly with an icy cold Mexican cerveza (beer) or Margarita! Enjoy with your favorite taco chips. We especially love the blue corn, and the flavor is perfect with this tasty dip.

• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 15 mins
• Total Time: 45 mins
• Calories: 234 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup sour cream
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 pound ground beef
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ½ cup chopped green onion
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 (6 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
• 1 cup chopped fresh tomato
• 1 (16 ounce) jar taco sauce
• 2 peppers chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
• 2 teaspoons lime juice, or as needed
• 2 cups chopped iceberg lettuce, divided
• 2 medium (blank)s avocados - peeled, pitted, and diced
• 2 lime (2" dia)s lime, zested and juiced

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Cook the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat until browned and crumbly, about 10 minutes. Drain the excess grease.

Step 2

Stir in the garlic, chipotle peppers, cumin, and chili powder; cook just until the flavors combine, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Step 3

In a bowl, mix the cream cheese, red bell pepper, and 2 teaspoons lime juice to make a spreadable mixture. Layer the cream cheese mixture in the bottom of a large springform pan or 9x13-inch baking dish.

Step 4

Spread the cooled beef mixture over the cream cheese.

Step 5

Top the beef layer with layers of tomato, black olives, Cheddar cheese, half the lettuce, green onion, remaining lettuce, and the taco sauce.

Step 6

Lightly toss the avocados with juice and zest of 2 limes; spread the avocados over the taco sauce.

Step 7

Finish the dip by dotting dollops of sour cream all over the top of the dish and sprinkling with cilantro.