It’s Dip Week! ~ 7-Layer Dip

I hit the mother lode…on the back of a bag of tortilla chips.

A whole menu of fabulous Mexican and southwestern party dips is printed on the Mission Tortilla Strips bag! With lots of celebrations and family gatherings coming up this time of year I’m declaring this week Dip Week on Cooking On the Side and making a few of the recipes to share on the blog. First up: a personal favorite of mine, 7-Layer Dip.

I can’t tell you how many times I brought a 7-layer dip to school potlucks or scout meetings when I was growing up. The seven layers, in case you’re not familiar with this great dip, are: refried beans, guacamole, sour cream, tomatoes, onions, black olives and cheddar cheese (there’s sometimes a little variation, but generally you see most of these ingredients). Half the fun is digging deep through the layers with your tortilla chip, all the way down to the beans, to create the perfect bite with a little of everything on it. I don’t remember whether I was the one who always requested it (I imagine I was) or if it was just my mom’s standby dish, but I do remember watching my mom assemble all of those yummy layers quite often. It was always a crowd pleaser.

Flash forward a few decades to last week – I found myself with the decision of what to make for my daughter’s year-end preschool potluck. It was my first time bringing food to school as a parent and I didn’t really deliberate about it for too long. In our family, we bring 7-layer dip!

 

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12 Comments

  1. dani wrote:

    omg this looks and sounds like the world’s perfect dip 🙂

    Posted 6.14.10 Reply
  2. Esi wrote:

    7 layer dip is something that I absolutely cannot resist. I want to reach through my computer and grab a scoop!

    Posted 6.14.10 Reply
  3. bobbie wrote:

    That looks so good… I made 5 layer dip (from the magazine Clean Eating) as part of our dinner this evening. That recipe is only 5 layers as it combines the tomato and onion into pico de gallo and omits the olives…. mmmm, I see some snackin’ this evening.

    Posted 6.14.10 Reply
    • Kathy wrote:

      Yum! I toyed with the idea of making pico de gallo too but I really wanted to call this one a *seven* layer dip. 🙂

      Posted 6.14.10 Reply
  4. Sara wrote:

    For starters, anyone who declares “Dip Week” on their blog is someone I want to get behind. Next, anyone who posts dip recipes perfect for tortilla chips is also someone I can get behind. This just might be my new favorite food blog.

    There’s something about a seven layer dip that works so well at parties. Always a conversation piece and a beautiful centerpiece – until the end of the dip anyway.

    Posted 6.18.10 Reply
  5. Kathy wrote:

    Yay for dips! Thanks for your kind words, Sara. 🙂

    Posted 6.18.10 Reply
  6. ANGELA MARIE TAFT wrote:

    Thank you

    Posted 12.20.11 Reply
  7. Karyn wrote:

    Can I make this the night before or will the avacado turn brown?

    Posted 2.17.13 Reply
    • A dip like this really is best served the same day. After a night in the fridge the avocado will likely turn brown and the tomatoes will begin to release water.

      Posted 2.17.13 Reply