Mexican
The Frugal Foodie
From
The Frugal Foodie
season
1
episode
1
Mexican Layer Dip with Tortilla Chips
With
Steph De Sousa
Cold-layered Tex-Mex party dip: guacamole, beans, spiced sour cream, tomato and herbs.
About this recipe
Justine Schofield's Tex-Mex party dip layered cold. Guacamole on the bottom, refried-style kidney beans, sour cream spiked with taco seasoning, cherry tomato, red onion and coriander on top. Cut down with a chip, the layers come up together. Built for a party tray, eaten in twenty minutes.
The seven-layer dip is the American party-food classic that emerged from the broader Tex-Mex tradition in the 1970s. The defining structural feature is the visual layering (a clear glass dish or a wide flat tray shows off the bands of colour from below) and the integrated way each layer pairs with the chip on the way up: bean (savoury base), guacamole (creamy), sour cream (cool), tomato and onion (sharp), coriander (herbal).
The canned kidney bean shortcut is the home-cook upgrade on the traditional refried pinto beans. Drained and rinsed kidney beans mashed roughly with a fork (rather than blitzed smooth), seasoned with taco seasoning, olive oil and a splash of water, deliver the same structural function as proper refried beans in a fraction of the time. The slight chunkiness gives the dip more textural interest than a smoothly-pureed base.
The order of layering matters for the cut. The heaviest layer (bean) goes on the bottom; the lightest fresh ingredients (tomato, coriander) go on top. A corn chip pushed straight down through the layers picks up a piece of each in vertical sequence; the layered chip lifts the dip into the mouth in proper proportion. Make ahead by no more than an hour (the avocado browns and the tomato weeps water); serve cold with a tray of corn chips alongside.
Ingredients
- 3 large ripe Avocados
- 1 Lemon (juice)
- 2 x New Season 450gm tin Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed
- 600mls Farmdale Sour Cream
- 1 taco mix seasoning sachet (or to taste using below recipe)
- 1 punnet The Good Stuff Cherry Tomatoes
- ½ The Good Stuff small Red Onion
- ½ bunch The Good Stuff fresh Coriander
- 1 large handful Westacre Dairy Shredded Cheese
- Stone Mill Salt and cracked Black Pepper to taste
- 1 packet Bakers LIfe White Wraps (large)
- The Olive Tree - Olive Oil spray
- Recipe Taco Seasoning Mix – Powdered Spices
- 1 tbsp Stone Mill Paprika
- 1 tbsp Stone MillCumin
- ½ tbsp Stone Mill Smoked Paprika
- ½ tsp Stone Mill Chili powder (optional)
- 1 tsp Stone Mill Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Stone Mill Onion Powder
- ½ tsp Stone Mill Black Pepper
- Pop a handful in your air fryer on 180C for 3-5 mins. Shaking halfway through.
- Repeat with remaining tortillas.
- Transport the Tortillas in a separate air tight container to the dip, open and serve
- Keywords
- mexican layer dip, 7 layer dip, layered taco dip,7 layer mexican dip, mexican layer dip recipe, 5 layer dip, lunch ideas
Method
1. Remove seed and skin from Avocados, mash the flesh in a bowl with Lemon juice, salt, and pepper, mash together. Can use Avocado or Guacamole dip.
2. Add the Taco seasoning to the Sour Cream in a bowl and stir well
3. Make the fresh Salsa by slicing the Tomatoes (trick is to lay them flat, put a plat over the top and slice altogether) and Coriander leaves (replace with parsley if required) dicing the onion, and adding some salt and pepper, mixing in a bowl
4. Layer Ingredients:
5. Spread the refried Beans evenly on the bottom of the dish
6. Spread the Guacamole over the Beans
7. Spread the Sour Cream over the Guacamole
8. Sprinkle the shredded Cheese over the top
9. Add the fresh Salsa on top to garnish
10. Cover the dip and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavours to combine
Steph De Sousa
Steph De Sousa cooks as The Frugal Foodie, building recipes around what's already in the pantry and the produce nobody wants to throw out. Her style is straightforward and budget-aware without being austere: roast vegetable peelings, second-day rice, a freezer worked properly. She brings practical home rhythms to Savour and Wander.
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