Crowd pleasing Slow Cooker Mexican Dip is incredibly easy, delicious, and is the perfect appetizer with meal prep options. Serve for holidays, game-nights, or holidays.
My favorite thing about slow cooker recipes is that they’re easy and virtually hands-off. But, when the dish calls for browned ground meat (like this one), it may not be convenient to prepare it the same day, especially if you have a lot going on or are just looking for truly hands-off preparation (which is probably why you’re using a slow cooker recipe in the first place!).
So, I’m sharing one of my favorite “kitchen hacks” when working with slow cooker recipes – browning your meat ahead of time!
I purchased six pounds of ground beef, browned the meat, drained it well and let it cool. Then, I portioned it out into two cup sizes in quart-sized freezer bags, which was close to one pound of ground meat per bag. Off to the freezer they went!
Before cooking, just be sure to defrost in the fridge. You’ll save time and clean up as you prepare your next meal! This is SUCH an easy way to speed up any meal!
🇲🇽 Why This Recipe Works
Minimal Prep Time – This is one of those easy recipes where you pretty dump in the ingredients and go on with your day.
Great for all Occasions – It doesn’t matter if you are having a huge party, or are sitting around watching football on a Monday night, this dip is a hit.
Makes a Large Batch – You will get around 18 servings per batch.
🧀 Ingredients
You aren’t going to believe how simple the ingredients are to work with.
Ground Beef: Ground beef is the perfect hearty meat to add. If you’re feeling a little wild, swap it out for ground sausage. Ground turkey or chicken would also be lovely options as well.
Velveeta Cheese: You will need 32 oz of cubed cheese. This dip is so cheesy and filling you’re going to be so glad you finally made it.
🍲 Instructions
Step One: Spray slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Add the first six ingredients (all ingredients but cheese) and mix well to combine.
Step Two: Add cubed cheese over top. Cover with lid. Turn the slow cooker on low and cook for one hour.
Step Three: After cooking for an hour, stir well to mix the cheese thoroughly into the mixture. The cheese will not be totally melted at this point, but it will continue to melt as it cooks.
Step Four: Replace lid and cook for another hour. Once done, stir before serving to combine.
Fair warning: This is not the prettiest dip in the world, but don’t let that fool you for one second. This is addicting and delicious!
💡 Expert Tips
- There is a small hint of spice from the taco seasoning, but if you want to kick it up a notch, use hot taco seasoning and hot ROTEL instead of the mild variety. Add in a few jalapeños if you want to add even more zest to this one.
- Don’t take the lid off of the slow cooker any more than what the recipe recommends. Otherwise, the crockpot can’t do its job as efficiently.
- Once the dip is done, get it out of the slow cooker. If you overcook it the cheese will develop an unpleasant texture.
🍴 Recipe FAQs
There are two ways you can serve this. #1 is obviously as a dip. #2 is as nachos (as shown above) – just layer it on top of tortilla chips and you’re good to go. You just have to decide whether you’d rather serve it as an appetizer or as more of a main component of your game day meal!
Swap the ground beef for ground turkey, sausage, or shredded chicken. You’ll need to cook the meat ahead of time. Alternatively, leave out the meat all together to make this vegetarian.
Sure! If you like your dip a little thinner, add in some milk and stir it well until it’s incorporated. I recommend starting at ¼ cup and add more if needed. Don’t go overboard and add too much at once.
Keep leftovers in the refrigerator for up to four days. Reheat in the microwave and serve. If it is too thick, add a tablespoon or so of milk and stir to combine. This should ease up the thickness to make the dip perfect.
Use mild salsa instead of Rotel for a mild version of this recipe that still is packed with flavor.
Related Recipes
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Slow Cooker Mexican Dip
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Beef cooked
- 1 can Black Beans 15 oz, drained and rinsed
- 2 cans Rotel with Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies
- 1 Onion medium, chopped
- 3 Garlic Cloves chopped
- 3 tbsp Taco Seasoning
- 32 oz Velveeta Cheese cubed
Instructions
- Spray your slow cooker with non stick cooking spray. Add all of the ingredients except the cheese and mix well to combine.
- Add cubed cheese over the top. Cover with lid. Turn the slow cooker on low and cook for one hour.
- After cooking for an hour, stir well to mix cheese thoroughly into mixture. The cheese will not be totally melted, but will continue to melt as it cooks.
- Replace the lid and cook for another hour. Once done, stir before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
the photo of the pot with the beans, meat, onion, seasoning and tomatoes appears as though the tomatoes have been drained, but doesn’t specify in ingredients list or directions. end product looks kind of thin. drained? not drained?