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2 cups Shredded Iceberg Lettuce
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2 Roma Tomatoes (seeded and diced)
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1/2 cup Black Olives (sliced)
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1 bunch Green Onions (sliced)
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Optional: Pickled Jalapeños or Fresh Cilantro
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Sauté and Season In a large skillet, brown the ground beef and onion. Drain the excess grease. Stir in the refried beans and green chiles directly into the skillet with the beef. Cook for 2–3 minutes until the beans are smooth and mixed with the meat. Set aside to cool slightly.
2. Whip the Base In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, sour cream, taco seasoning, and garlic until completely smooth. Spread this evenly across the bottom of your 9×13 dish.
3. The Melt Layer Spread the beef and bean mixture carefully over the cream cheese layer. While the meat is still warm, sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top.
Pro Tip: If you want a true “melt,” pop the dish into a 350°F oven for 10 minutes at this stage until the cheese is bubbling. If you prefer a cold-style dip, just let the meat cool before adding the cheese.
4. The Crunch Layer Once the base layers are set (and cooled if you baked it), pile on the shredded lettuce. Follow with the tomatoes, olives, and green onions.
5. Chill and Serve Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. This allows the flavors to meld and the cream cheese base to firm up so it can support a heavy scoop on a chip.
The “No-Soggy” Rules
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Seed the Tomatoes: Always scoop the watery “guts” out of the tomatoes before dicing. If you don’t, the juice will run down and make the lettuce soggy.
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The “Lid” Effect: If you’re traveling with this, don’t put the lettuce on until you arrive. Keeping lettuce under a plastic lid for an hour makes it wilt.
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The Chip Choice: You need “Scoop” style chips or heavy-duty “Cantina” chips. Thin chips will snap instantly against the weight of the refried beans and cream cheese.
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