Saturday Down South: Creamy Taco Dip with Taco-Ranch Sour Cream, Shredded Colby Jack Cheese, Crunchy Hearts of Romaine, Homemade Pico de Gallo, + a Drizzle of Salsa Verde Crema

I don't have many recipes that require very little work... but hey, I've got one for you today! It is literally so easy-peasy, that it took me less than 20 minutes to whip up. Hell, you could easily make it faster if you buy a store-bought pico de gallo instead of making it from scratch! Essentially this has all of the components from a bite of a taco. What doesn't sound good about that? We've been on a real Mexican kick as of lately... nearly eating it every other day. So when the weekend came, I knew I wanted to make this. The dip starts off with a cream cheese + sour cream layer that is fortified with loads of flavor from taco seasoning, ranch seasoning, and hot sauce. Spoon this mixture onto a serving plate, and then sprinkle the colby jack cheese on top, followed by scattering the shredded romaine all over the dip. Next, make a mound of the pico de gallo and finish it off by drizzling some of the salsa verde crema + a sprinkle of chili powder. That's it... it's all done! All you have to do is serve it with some tortilla chips and you're gold as gold! Enjoy y'all :)

For the Taco-Ranch Sour Cream:

8oz Cream Cheese, Softened

8oz Sour Cream

1 Package of Taco Seasoning

¼C Ranch Seasoning

¼C Hot Sauce

For the Pico de Gallo:

5 Whole Roma Tomatoes, Diced

1 Small Red Onion, Diced

2 Jalapeno Peppers, Minced

¼C Candied Jalapeno, Minced

4 Cloves of Garlic, Minced

¼C Fresh Cilantro, Chopped

1 Lime, Zested + Juiced

1T EVOO

Salt + Pepper, To Taste

For the Salsa Verde Crema:

½C Mexican Crema

½C Salsa Verde 

For the Creamy Taco Dip:

Prepared Taco-Ranch Sour Cream

8oz Colby Jack Cheese, Shredded

1-2 Hearts of Romaine, Shredded

Prepared Pico de Gallo

Prepared Salsa Verde Crema

Chili Powder, For Sprinkling

Directions:

1. For the Taco-Ranch Sour Cream: In the bowl of a standing mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. With the mixer running on low, start adding the sour cream a little at a time. Next, toss in the taco and ranch seasoning, followed by the hot sauce. Beat to combine.

2. For the Homemade Pico de Gallo: Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and toss to combine. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve.

3. For the Salsa Verde Cream: Whisk together the salsa verde and sour cream. Spoon this mixture into a squeeze bottle and set it aside.

4. Assembling the Creamy Taco Dip: Spoon the Taco-Ranch sour cream onto a serving plate. Sprinkle the shredded colby jack over the sour cream and scatter the shredded romaine on top of the cheese. Top the lettuce with a mound of the homemade pico de gallo. Finish the dip by sprinkling on some chili powder and drizzling the salsa verde all over the dip. Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!