American Flag Taco Dip (Made From Scratch)
My heavens, this American flag taco dip is addictive! It's a cold, savory, refreshing dip that's simple to whip up completely from scratch, right down to the salsa. This dip is perfect for celebrating Memorial Day, the 4th of July, Labor Day, and any summer day in between. I hope you love it just as much as we do!
Ingredients
Beef
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1 1/2 tsp chili powder (salt free)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder (salt-free)
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/2 of an onion
Salsa
- 16 oz. can of diced tomatoes
- 1/4 of a jalapeño (diced or shredded)(remove seeds)
- 1/4 of an onion (finely diced)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
The Dip
- 1 cups sour cream
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 Tbsp milk
- 3/4 tsp chili powder (salt-free)
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder (salt-free)
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Toppings - Flag Design
- 1/2 to 1 cup shredded lettuce
- 1/3 cup blue corn tortilla chips
- 1 cup shredded low-moisture mozzarella cheese
- Half of the homemade salsa (about 1.5 cups)
Instructions
Cook the Beef
- Dice half of an onion into small pieces.
- Add ground beef, diced onion, and seasonings to a skillet and cook over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes or until fully cooked.
- Be sure to mash meat with a spoon to break it into small pieces as its cooks.
- When beef is cooked, drain off excess grease and set cooked beef aside.
Make the Homemade Salsa
- Add diced tomatoes, onion, and jalapeño to a blender or food processor.
- Pulse until tomato and onion chunks are small (as small as you desire in salsa).
- Pour half of the homemade salsa into a bowl. Save other half for later.
Make the Dip
- Add cooked beef, sour cream, milk, shredded cheddar cheese, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to the bowl you just poured salsa into.
- Stir until all ingredients are fully combined. Pour the dip into a rectangle container (I use a medium to large sized Pyrex container).
Make the American Flag Design
- Add a thin, even layer of shredded lettuce on top of the dip.
- Next crush up blue tortilla chips and create a small rectangle shape with them in the top left corner of the dip. About 2 inches by 3 inches.
- Then, starting at the bottom of the dish, add a 1/2 inch thick stripe of salsa horizontally across the entire bottom to make the first stripe.
- Right above the salsa stripe, add another stripe the same size but this time use shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Repeat with stripes the same size alternating between salsa and mozzarella to make the American flag.
- When you get to the blue tortilla chips, in the corner, start at the chips. This means those stripes will be shorter than the other container long ones just like on a real flag.
- Once you've finished the stripes, use a small star shaped cookie cutter or a knife to cut stars out of mozzarella cheese slices. Do as many as you can fit or would like.
- Add stars on top of the square of crushed tortilla chips.
- Serve right away or store in the fridge for 2-3 days. It has the best flavor when refrigerated for an hour or the next day. Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!
Video
Notes
This recipe was developed from scratch in my kitchen by me, Molly LaFontaine, and tested many times to ensure success. Just like all of my recipes on Plum Branch Home. They're created with purpose, cherished in our own home, and developed with my experiences, trial and error, and skills. NEVER AI (artificial intelligence).