Shrek's got nothin' on these layers: layered taco dip

I can't believe I wrote that title. The English major within me is crying in shame. The five year old inside of me, however, is laughing gleefully. And drawing on the walls with crayon. And watching Shrek and quoting every line before a character says it. Is my love for Shrek obvious yet?

Anywho, this is a party chip dip Mr. J and I have made a few times (it's a Mama J classic) and it brings down the house WITHOUT FAIL. This past weekend, we whipped this up for a holiday get together and everyone raved. Not to toot my own horn, but this is better than taco crack: it's taco black tar, baby. The best part is that it takes minutes to throw it into a disposable container.

Layered Taco Dip

1. Use a hand mixer or standing electric mixer to whip one and a half packages of room temp cream cheese (12 oz) with 16 oz of Greek yogurt (two small containers) until thoroughly combined. You may need a splash of milk or cream to help blend everything together smoothly. Spread the cream cheese mixture along the bottom of a disposable container. The size doesn't really matter, but we used a disposable lasagna pan.

2. Evenly distribute one pound of cooked ground beef or turkey over the cream cheese. Prepare the meat beforehand like you would for tacos. Why not make your own taco seasoning?

3. Pour salsa or taco sauce over the meat. We used about half a bottle. Add more if you want it to be spicier.

4. Place diced tomatoes or quartered cherry tomatoes onto the taco sauce.

5. Sprinkle whatever kind of cheese you want on top of the tomato layer. We used half a bag of shredded four-cheese Mexican blend.

6. Top your taco dip off with shredded or chopped lettuce. Be sure the pieces are bite-sized; if they are too big, it will be impossible to get any lettuce on a chip!

Serve to an adoring crowd with your favorite chips (Tostitos Scoops are the perfect match for this hearty dip!)

Enjoy! xo