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Quick and easy, this Rotel Dip with Cream Cheese is made with a taco spiced ground beef, creamy cheese, and canned diced tomatoes with green chiles. No Velveeta is needed to make this addictingly snackable cheese dip. Serve this crowd pleasing appetizer with tortilla chips, crackers or veggies for your next party!
Why we love this Rotel Dip with cream cheese…
- No Velveeta: This Rotel dip with cream cheese is made without Velveeta but still has the same creamy, cheesy texture!
- Quick and Easy: Ground beef is quickly cooked with a homemade taco seasoning and baked with cream cheese, shredded cheese and Rotel diced tomato and Green Chiles.
- Perfect Make Ahead: If you are prepping for the big game or planning a party and want to make as much ahead as possible, this dip is a great option. It can be made ahead completely or prepped and ready to bake when you want.
Ingredients Needed:
- Ground Beef: use a lean ground beef, or remember to drain out the excess grease if needed.
- Cream Cheese: this is what is going to give a creamy base to the dip, since we’re not using Velveeta, the cream cheese melts with the shredded cheese to create a creamy, cheesy dip.
- Shredded Cheese: grab a mild or medium cheddar cheese for a nice mild flavoring. You can also use sharp if you would prefer. Shredding your own cheese will give the best texture since pre-shredded bagged cheese has a powdered coating that can prevent a smooth melting.
- Rotel: this is a brand name of canned diced tomatoes with green chiles and a spicy seasoning. You can purchase cans in varying degrees of heat.
How To Make:
- Cook the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat breaking it up as it cooks. Add in the taco seasoning and stir to combine and coat the meat.
- Add the ground beef to a square baking dish and top with the cubed cream cheese.
- Top with shredded cheese.
- Pour the entire can of rotel tomatoes on top, no need to drain and no need to stir this mixture around.
- Bake until the cheeses are melted, then stir to combine the ingredients until you have a nice creamy, cheesy dip.
Tips and Variations:
- Sausage: swap out the ground beef for a ground sausage for a different flavoring.
- No Rotel: this dip can be made without Rotel. Simply sauté some tomatoes and jalapeños together before cooking the meat. This is the method I use when making my Queso dip without Velveeta or Rotel.
- Slow Cooker: if you would prefer to make this in the slow cooker to keep warm during the course of a party, you can cook up the ground beef according to the recipe, then add it and the remaining ingredients to a slow cooker, cook on LOW for 2 hours stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
- Serve With: serve this Rotel Dip with tortilla chips, crackers, vegetables (carrots, cucumbers, celery, bell peppers).
Common Questions:
Are you supposed to drain Rotel?
The canned Rotel is not drained when making this dip recipe. The liquid helps to thin out the dip making it scoop-able with chips.
How do you make Rotel dip thinner/thicker?
If you find that the dip is too thick for your liking, add a tablespoon of milk and stir to combine. Add more as needed to reach the consistency you prefer. To make the dip thicker, add more cheese and stir while the cheese melts. Add more as needed to thicken it to your liking.
Are Rotel tomatoes spicy?
You can purchase cans of Rotel in different heat levels. This allows you to control the amount of spice in your own dip. There is also an Organic option available.
More Dip Recipes:
Rotel Dip with Cream Cheese
Creamy and cheesy this Baked Rotel Dip with Cream Cheese comes together quick and easy and is perfect for serving to a crowd!
Ingredients
- 1 (10 ounce can) Rotel
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 packet taco seasoning homemade taco seasoning recipe
- 8 ounces cream cheese cubed
- 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
Toppings
- cilantro diced
- tomato diced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Cook ground beef in a medium size skillet over medium heat on stovetop, break apart the meat as it cooks.
- Once beef is cooked and browned, no longer pink, drain any excess grease.
- Stir the taco seasoning into the beef, evenly coating the meat.
- Add the meat to a square baking dish.
- Add the cubed cream cheese, shredded cheese and rotel into the baking dish. (no need to stir together at this point)
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until cheeses are completely melted.
- Stir together the dip until it comes together and is creamy.
- Top with diced tomato, fresh diced cilantro and chives.
- Serve warm with tortilla chips.
Notes
Make Ahead:
- Prep this recipe by cooking the ground beef, layering it all together and storing in a covered dish in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Bake or heat in a slow cooker when needed. Increase baking time until dip is warmed through and cheeses are melted. Allow the dish to warm on the counter for 15-20 minutes before putting into a hot oven.
- Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To reheat the dip you can heat in the oven until warmed, adding milk as needed to loosen it back up if it’s too thick.
- Store cooked dip in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat in the oven or in a slow cooker.
Nutrition
Calories: 489kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 130mg | Sodium: 886mg | Potassium: 283mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1432IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 317mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Photography by the talented @KJandCompany.co
