French Onion Taco Dip – recreated!

My husband has a favourite taco dip from childhood. Whenever he has a craving for it, there is always one ingredient, French onion dip, that we never have on hand. While we do live near many grocery stores, I decided it was time to figure out a way to make this dip with ingredients I regularly keep in my house. Apparently he had been wanting it for four months, so high time to figure this out!

My experiment worked out quite well and so I decided to share it with all of you. This recipe can easily be made ahead of time and just topped with the fresh ingredients at time of serving. Just remember, if you make it ahead, the dip will be fridge cold so it may need a little extra time to heat.

Since the ingredient that I was always missing was French Onion Dip, I need to recreate some sort of version of that. I researched what gives French Onion Dip its flavour and basically it is caramelized onions. I can do that! First, I melted some butter in a frying pan and diced onions, (dice them fine if you have onion haters in the house). I threw the onions and some pepper, salt, onion powder and bit of cayenne in the frying pan and fried it for a few minutes on a higher heat. Then I reduced the heat to low and continued to fry the onions till they were golden and caramelized, about 10-15 minutes.

Using a hand mixer, I mixed a softened block of cream cheese and some sour cream together. I then mixed in the onions and a few tablespoons of taco seasoning. The first layer was done!

From here, the toppings are up to you. I fried some ground beef and also added taco seasoning to that for the second layer, then chopped some green peppers for the third layer. You can opt to use a different colour of pepper, but note that green peppers have a very specific taste and compliment a taco dish very well.

Last layer before baking was cheese of course! Use whatever cheese you like. I just used cheddar for this one.

I put it in the oven, preheated to 350°F, and baked for 15 minutes. You just want it heated through. After it was hot, I took it out and topped it with some fresh tomatoes and green onions. Serve with tortilla chips and you are good to go! This is a great Sunday night supper or appetizer for your next party!

French Onion Taco Dip – Recreated!

Recipe by trishamartin07Course: AppetizersCuisine: MexicanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6-8

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

This taco dip is full of delicious flavour and easy to make ahead, a party favourite for sure!

Ingredients

• First Layer:

• 3 Tbsp butter

• 2 medium yellow onions, diced

• 1 tsp salt

• 3/4 tsp black pepper

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened

• 1 cup sour cream

• 2-3 Tbsp taco seasoning

• Second Layer:

• 1 lb ground beef

• 2 Tbsp taco seasoning

• Additional Toppings:

• 1 green bell pepper

• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

• 3 roma tomatoes

• 3 chopped green onions

Directions

• Melt the butter in a frying pan then add the diced onions, salt, pepper, onion powder and cayenne. Fry medium high heat for a couple minutes and then turn down to low. Stir occasionally for about 15 minutes or until onions are golden and caramelized.
• Mix softened cream cheese and sour cream together. Add onion mixture and taco seasoning. Spread in 9 x 13 pan.
• Fry ground beef until brown. Add taco seasoning and 1/4 cup water and simmer until liquid is gone. Drain grease if needed. Layer ground beef on top of cream cheese mixture.
• Chop green peppers and shred cheese and layer on top of ground beef.
• Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes.
• Top with tomatoes and green onions.

Notes

• This recipe can be made ahead, but remember to add some extra time to heat up if it is fridge cold.

Link to Taco Seasoning Recipe if you would like to make your own.