By Football season. LSU is good this year — really good — and the Saturday ritual in the Beaumont house has reached peak intensity. Luc watches with tactical focus, analyzing plays, predicting coverage. Rémy sits in my lap with no understanding and total enthusiasm. Colette reads on the couch and occasionally looks up to ask, "Did we win yet?" which is the eternal question of the non-sports-fan sibling.
Boudin balls for game day. Always. And this year I added something: a crawfish queso that uses the béchamel base from my Super Bowl queso, with crawfish tails stirred in. Cajun queso. Two cultures meeting in a cast-iron skillet and producing something that made Carl say, "I'm moving in." He's not moving in. But the crawfish queso has a permanent place on the game day menu, and Carl has a permanent seat in my living room, and both of these things are fine with me.
The crawfish queso is the star, no question — but a game day spread needs depth, and that means a second dip on the table for when Luc needs something to do with his hands between plays and Rémy inevitably double-dips everything. This slow cooker taco dip is exactly that: the reliable, set-it-and-forget-it anchor that keeps the snack situation running while I’m actually watching the game. Carl approves of this one too, and honestly at this point I’m just cooking for his approval.
Ultimate Slow Cooker Taco Dip
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 2 hours | Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes | Servings: 12
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 packet (1 oz) taco seasoning
- 1 block (8 oz) cream cheese, softened and cubed
- 1 can (15 oz) refried beans
- 1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes with green chiles (such as Ro-Tel), drained
- 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup pickled jalapeño slices (optional)
- Tortilla chips, for serving
Instructions
- Brown the beef. In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground beef until no longer pink, about 6–8 minutes. Drain excess fat, then stir in taco seasoning per packet directions.
- Layer the slow cooker. Spread refried beans in an even layer on the bottom of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. Top with the seasoned ground beef.
- Add the creamy layers. Scatter the cream cheese cubes over the beef. Pour the drained diced tomatoes with green chiles over the top. Spoon sour cream in dollops across the surface, then sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups of the shredded cheese.
- Cook low and slow. Cover and cook on LOW for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the cream cheese has melted and everything is hot and bubbly. Stir gently to combine the layers.
- Finish and serve. Top with remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese and jalapeños if using. Leave the slow cooker on the WARM setting and serve directly from the insert with tortilla chips alongside.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 285 | Protein: 15g | Fat: 19g | Carbs: 11g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 620mg