HARDY MEXICAN DIP

 I was craving Mexican, but wanted to make something different so started with what I had on hand.  I had some ground beef and decided to use that as the base for this recipe and just kept adding from there.  I have to say that this one's a keeper.  This dip would also double as a delicious filling for burritos. 

Ingredients:

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 - 10 ounce can Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 1 - 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
• 2 cups of brown rice, precooked and frozen
• 1 teaspoon taco seasoning mix
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• Salt to taste
• ½ cup of cream cheese
• 1 - 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup of Mexican blend cheese
• 1 bag of restaurant style tortilla chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Brown ground beef, onion and garlic until cooked thoroughly.  Drain grease.  Add both cans of tomatoes and rice; simmer until incorporated.  Once most of the liquid has absorbed into the mixture, add tomato paste, taco seasoning, chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, salt and stir together.  Add cream cheese, stirring until mixture melds together.  Stir in black beans.

Scoop into a 2 quart casserole dish and top with cheese.  Bake 15 minutes or until cheese melts on top.

Serve with tortilla chips.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe from Culinary Collage.