I visited a friend of mine (an old college roommate from Freshman year - Go UNC!!) during the late winter and spring of 2009 - clearly, it was an extended visit. I was going through some hard times and needed to clear my head. I was trying to figure out the path ahead of me; trying desperately to see the forest, instead of drowning in the trees.
She was kind enough to take me in and let me cry and rage; and, well, mooch.
I didn't have a job and I was doing my best to contribute to the household responsibilities; but she was definitely succeeding in taking care of my temporarily lost soul, which included feeding my belly as much if not more than my heart.
So, when you ask me what is on my list of comfort food, Shelby's Mexican Dip will be near the top of the list. This delicious appetizer, often-turned-meal, provided sustenance on several occasions as she helped me talk through my heart-hurts and clear out the debris from my life-path.
I will forever be thankful that she was there for me; and that she fed me so well.
The following content has been published with her permission.
Shelby’s Mexican Dip
(AKA - Deliciousness)
Ingredients:
1 Can Old El Paso Vegetarian Refried Beans
Appx. 8-12 oz Daisy Brand Sour Cream
Old El Paso Taco Seasoning
Shredded Lettuce
Kraft Mild Finely Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Tomatoes
Black Olives
Old El Paso Green Chilies
Old El Paso Jalepeños
I will caveat that I have never measured any of the ingredients for this recipe in the 15+ years I've been making it. However, I always stick to the same brand (Old El Paso) for most of the ingredients (I usually use the Mario Black Olives, but didn’t have those today, and I’ve used the Ortega green chilies with no noticeable difference; the rest are always the same). I attempted to take note of how much I used today, and it was delicious - Jason commented that it's one of the best ones I've ever made :)
Cook the refried beans until heated through in a pot at low/medium temperature.
Spoon into a 9” pie pan or similar serving dish until spread evenly. I do not do a thick layer. Refrigerate until cool.
Mix approximately 8-12 oz. of sour cream with Old El Paso Taco seasoning. Again, I have never measured this out, but I had a 16 oz container of sour cream today, and I used a little more than half. I believe this is where the magic happens. I don’t know the exact measurement of the seasoning - I have the large 6.25 oz container of Old El Paso Taco Seasoning at all times in my pantry for these occasions. I just shake the seasoning onto the sour cream and blend together until the mixture is a beautiful, light peach, orange color. I did a lot of shaking. I imagine it's at least a tablespoon or two...give or take. You can do this to taste…and check the color!
When the sour cream and taco seasoning mixture is perfect, spread over the cooled refried beans. Top with a thin layer of shredded lettuce. Then top with a generous layer of cheese.
Here are the reasons I do not call it a “Seven Layer Dip”: You add what you want from there - just chop what you have! I usually load ours up with everything if we have it all! Tomatoes, green chilies (I had the whole ones on hand today and cut them, but you can buy them pre-diced), black olives and **most importantly** jalapenos (we love them, so I used about 8 sliced ones from the jar and diced them up). This is a recipe for deliciousness. Refrigerate until you are ready to eat.
We have Tostitos Restaurant Style Chips tonight, but the dip is a little thick, which makes the chips break. Round chips and Scoops work well, but I’m not a huge fan of Scoops. We’ve enjoyed the dip with Mission Brand Tortilla Chips as well – they don’t break as easily.
**Alternatives** - We have also made the dip where we cook some green chilies in with the refried beans. Super delish if you want to try this. We’ve also tried it where we have a cheese layer on the cooled refried beans…then lettuce, then more cheese. Let's be honest, you can't have too much cheese!
**Why Guacamole is Not Part of This Recipe** I know tons of people do a “Seven Layer Dip” with guacamole. However, I love this recipe as is, and personally, I love guacamole so much on it’s own, I don’t want to mix the flavors!
Enjoy...and know in advance that this is highly addictive and that husbands have been known to eat whole pans on their own, so my advice: make a second batch :)
~Shelby
