This isn’t my recipe. Jenni Jones taught it to me, but she says she didn’t make it up, either. Y’all know Jenni. She ran the front of the catering shop and was always super nice, genuinely happy to see you, and incredibly helpful. She always knew who you were, whether you walked in or called. Anyway, Jenni now works at the chocolate shop uptown. (Why didn’t I think of that?) And she’s spreading her happy vibes from there. If you’re in Fairhope, go see her!
I told Jenni I didn’t care that she didn’t make this recipe up, because it will always be Jenni’s Hot Bean Dip to me. When she first described it to me I was skeptical. I thought it sounded weird and too good to be true. Undaunted, she came back to the kitchen, made a batch, and made me try it. Of course it was delicious, exactly like she said it would be. And then she explained you can make it up way, way ahead, freeze it for weeks, pull it out still frozen and bake it, and it’s still just as good. Well! I mean, Jenni’s Hot Bean Dip is neither difficult nor time-consuming to begin with, but how alluring is that? (Full disclosure: I fiddled with it a teeny tiny little bit. Jenni knows.)
Having made and enjoyed Jenni’s Hot Bean Dip, let me be perfectly clear: this is primo football food. And it’s forgiving, too. One time I was making it and realized I had a half a can of red enchilada sauce in the fridge but no Rotel. I used the enchilada sauce, a can of drained diced tomatoes, and some red pepper flakes instead. No problem.
If you’re reading this from somewhere other than the U.S. Deep South, you may be wondering why we all talk about football food so much down here. It’s because we are a college football people. Every single Saturday in the fall from about 11 a.m. until at least 10 p.m.–and maybe even later–will find most of us in front of at least one TV or other electronic device, if not two, and sometimes three. (Important games often overlap.) That grueling viewing schedule requires stamina. Stamina requires sustenance. Football Saturday sustenance requires hearty foods that can be eaten without actually breaking eye contact with the game.
Jenni says you can make this in an 8”x8” pan. You could also use a deep pie plate or a cast iron skillet. A double recipe will fit comfortably in your large casserole dish, but may require another 10 minutes or so of baking. At my house we can’t decide whether Jenni’s Hot Bean Dip is better with regular tortilla chips or Frito’s Scoops. All I know is that no one will be mad either way. I thought about telling you that the leftovers are good as a quesadilla filling, but that’s silly. You won’t have any leftovers.
Jenni’s Hot Bean Dip is delicious as is, but if you absolutely must add meat to keep your crowd happy, you can add some to the tomato and bean layer. Browned and seasoned ground beef, cooked Mexican chorizo, or even browned spicy breakfast sausage should do the trick.
Roll Tide!
Jenni's Hot Bean Dip
Ingredients
- 1 8 oz. block cream cheese, softened
- 1 15 oz. can refried beans
- ½ packet taco seasoning--about 1½ T.
- 1 10 oz. can diced tomatoes and chilies, drained
- 1 8 oz. package shredded cheese--Mexican blend or cheddar
- avocado, salsa, sour cream, cilantro, jalapenos, lime wedges--all optional for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Spread the softened cream cheese in the bottom of an 8"x8" baking dish, pie plate, or cast iron skillet. Mix the refried beans with the drained tomatoes, taco seasoning, and half the cheese. Spread over the cream cheese. Top with remaining cheese.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Serve warm with tortilla chips.
- This dip great if you freeze it before baking. Assemble it, cover it with plastic wrap and wrap the entire baking pan in aluminun foil. Freeze until needed. You can thaw overnight or cook from frozen. If you're cooking it straight from the freezer, that's okay, but the cook time will be longer.
- Garnish as you like and serve!
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