7 Layer Dip with Fajita Veggies
by This post may contain affiliate links.
The BEST 7 Layer Dip is layered with beans, cheese, guacamole, salsa and fajita seasoned peppers and onions, for a flavorful dip that will have you grabbing for the chips over and over again! This recipe is easy to make in 20 minutes, and can be prepped ahead of time, making it the perfect party appetizer!
Thank you to my friends at Cabot for sponsoring today’s post!
A good dip is one of my all-time favorite things in life! For several years, I’ve asked people to bring their favorite dip to my annual Super Bowl party and I make a dip bar. It’s been a huge hit and I know what I’ll be bringing to this years party, this Fajita-Style 7 Layer Dip!
It’s just like the Mexican 7 Layer Dip that we all know and love, but I’ve added a layer of fajita seasoned veggies in the middle for an extra burst of flavor and texture! This recipe is still easy to make in just 20 minutes and you can make it the night before and store it in the refrigerator. This is perfect for Super Bowl Sunday, or anytime you want to bring this dip to a party.
Speaking of parties, this really is the perfect party dip! It makes a lot of dip, so depending on what else will be served at the party, this dip could easily feed 12-20 people. It’s layered with tons of flavor and I promise, people are going to fall in love with this delicious recipe!
Ingredients
- Olive oil – or feel free to use another neutral flavored oil to cook the bell peppers and onion.
- Bell peppers – red, green, orange or yellow bell pepper will all work for this recipe. When I’m making this dip, I use half red and half green.
- Red onion – a yellow onion can also be used, but I prefer the flavor and color of a red onion paired with the fajita seasoning.
- Fajita seasoning – my homemade fajita seasoning is one of the top 3 recipes on the blog. Needless to say, it’s a hit and I highly recommend using it in this recipe. You can also purchase premade fajita seasoning on the spice aisle at the grocery store.
- Cream cheese – be sure to soften the cream cheese before making the dip, either by leaving it on the counter at room temperature for 30 minutes, or microwaving it for 30 seconds.
- Sour cream
- Refried beans – if you’re not a fan of traditional refried beans, made from pinto beans, try refried black beans.
- Guacamole – feel free to make your own, using the link provided, or purchase pre-made guacamole in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. You’ll normally find it near the other refrigerated salsas and dips, like hummus.
- Chunky salsa – it’s important that you use chunky salsa for this recipe so that it’s not too thin and will stand as it’s own layer in the dip without running into the other layers. I like a medium spice, but feel free to use mild or hot, to follow your spice preference! Purchase a jar of your favorite salsa, or try this 10 minute Homemade Salsa recipe.
- Cabot 4 Cheese Mexican Shredded Cheese – this shredded cheese from Cabot is fine cut, making it the perfect topping for this dip, no grating required! This delicious blend of cheese combines Monterey Jack, Queso Quesadilla, Asadero and Cheddar cheese for a flavorful topping on this dip!
- Jalapeno – feel free to top the dip with fresh sliced jalapenos or pickled jalapenos. If you’re not a fan of jalapenos, I’ve got some other options in the “additions and substitutions” section below!
Instructions
- Prepare the fajita veggies. Add olive oil to a large skillet on the stove over medium high heat. Add diced bell peppers and onions, cook for 4 minutes. Sprinkle in the fajita seasoning and cook for an additional 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Season the cream cheese layer. In a medium bowl, combine softened cream cheese with sour cream and fajita seasoning. Set aside.
- Start assembling the dip. Spread the refried beans in the bottom of a 9″ x 13″ casserole dish, or in a large glass bowl or trifle dish.
- Spread the seasoned cream cheese mixture on top of the beans.
- Add the cooked, diced fajita veggies on top of the cream cheese.
- Spread the guacamole on top of the fajita veggies.
- Drain the salsa using a fine mesh strainer, then spoon it over the guacamole.
- Top with the Cabot Mexican Shredded Cheese.
- Finish with fresh sliced jalapenos, or pickled jalapenos, on top.
- Serve with tortilla chips, for dipping.
Pro tips
- Dollop the guacamole across the fajita vegetables, then spread it on, so that you don’t end up mixing the two layers together.
- Make the dip up to 2 days in advance. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap, and store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve it.
- Serve the dip with thick tortilla chips. I purchase the La Fortaleza Tortilla Chips at Costco to pair with this dip. If there is a Mexican brand of tortilla chips at your grocery store, I recommend checking those out first as they’re normally thicker than the American brands of tortilla chips.
- Using a tall glass bowl, or trifle dish, will result in thicker layers. Using a 9″ x 13″ casserole dish will result in thinner layers. Both work great, just depending on your preference!
- Be sure to drain the salsa before adding it to the dip. Using a fine mesh strainer means that only the thinnest liquid will drain out of the salsa, and if you’re using chunky salsa, as recommend, only a small amount of liquid will drain out. This will prevent the salsa from running into the layers below it.
- This dip is vegetarian using the ingredients shown above. Always be sure to use vegetarian refried beans if you’re making the dip vegetarian.
- This recipe is gluten free using the ingredients shown above. If purchasing premade fajita seasoning, always check the label to make sure it’s gluten free. While most major brands of refried beans are also gluten free, it never hurts to check the label to make sure!
Additions and substitutions
- If you want to make a 7 layer dip with meat, you can easily add chicken or ground beef.
- For the chicken, you can pull 1 cup of chicken from a rotisserie chicken, shred it up and toss it in with the fajita vegetables. You can also use this easy recipe for Instant Pot Shredded Chicken, then toss it in with the vegetables.
- For the ground beef, I recommend cooking and crumbling 1/2 pound of ground beef in a skillet on the stove. Drain any grease, then toss the cooked ground beef with 1 tablespoon of fajita seasoning and 1 tablespoon water. Add the fajita-seasoned ground beef to the cooked fajita vegetables.
- This dip is mild to medium in spice, but to make it less spicy, omit the sliced jalapenos on top and replace it with a layer of shredded lettuce. Also, be sure to use mild salsa.
- To make this dip more spicy, use a hot salsa. Add 1-2 teaspoons of your favorite hot sauce to the cream cheese mixture. Replace the Mexican Cheese Blend with Cabot’s Fiery Jack Cheese, a combination of Habanero Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese that is seriously spicy and seriously delicious!
- To add extra layers to this 7 layer dip, add any of the following ingredients on top of the shredded cheese layer.
- Shredded lettuce
- Sliced black olives
- Diced green onions
- Fresh chopped cilantro
- Diced roma tomatoes
- Pico De Gallo
More cheesy recipes
It’s easy to make delicious appetizers even better with the addition of Cabot cheese! Check out these other easy cheesy appetizer recipes.
- Cheesy Pull Apart Rolls – a viral sensation!!
- Everything Bagel Cheese Ball
- Cheeseburger Egg Rolls
- Waffle Fry Nachos with Green Chili Cheese Sauce
- French Onion Dip Queso
- Jalapeno Popper Crescent Rolls
Be sure to visit CabotCheese.coop for even more cheesy recipe ideas and to learn where to find their products at a grocery store near you!
Cabot is 100% owned by family farms throughout New England and New York. That means that each time you purchase Cabot products, 100% of the profits go back to the hard-working farmers that help make the worlds best cheddar! Support a farmer and eat delicious cheese, that’s a win in my book!
7 Layer Dip
The BEST 7 Layer Dip is layered with beans, cheese, guacamole, salsa and fajita seasoned peppers and onions, for a flavorful dip that will have you grabbing for the chips over and over again! This recipe is easy to make in 20 minutes, and can be prepped ahead of time, making it the perfect party appetizer!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups diced bell peppers, red, green or a combination
- 1 cup diced red onion
- 4 tablespoons fajita seasoning, divided – click link for recipe
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup sour cream
- 16 ounces refried beans
- 12 ounces guacamole
- 16 ounces chunky salsa, drained
- 2 cups Cabot 4 Cheese Mexican Shredded Cheese
- ½ cup sliced jalapenos, fresh or pickled
For Serving
- 10 ounce bag tortilla chips, for dipping
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat.
- Add the diced bell peppers and onions to the skillet and cook for 4 minutes.
- Add 2 tablespoons of fajita seasoning to the skillet and continue cooking for an additional 4-6 minutes, then set the fajita veggies aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream and remaining 2 tablespoons fajita seasoning. Set aside.
- Spread the refried beans in the bottom of a 9" x 13" casserole dish, large bowl or trifle dish.
- Top with the cream cheese mixture, the fajita veggies, then the guacamole.
- Drain the salsa using a fine mesh strainer, then spoon it over the guacamole.
- Top the dish with the shredded Mexican cheese and sliced jalapenos.
- Serve with tortilla chips for dipping.
Video
Notes
- Be sure to soften the cream cheese before making the dip, either by leaving it on the counter at room temperature for 30 minutes, or microwaving it for 30 seconds.
- Be sure to drain the salsa before adding it to the dip. Using a fine mesh strainer means that only the thinnest liquid will drain out of the salsa, and if you’re using chunky salsa, as recommend, only a small amount of liquid will drain out. This will prevent the salsa from running into the layers below it.
- Make the dip up to 2 days in advance. Cover and store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve it.
- This dip is vegetarian using the ingredients shown in the blog post. Always be sure to use vegetarian refried beans if you’re making the dip vegetarian.
- This recipe is gluten free using the ingredients shown in the blog post. If purchasing premade fajita seasoning, always check the label to make sure it’s gluten free. While most major brands of refried beans are also gluten free, it never hurts to check the label to make sure!
- This dip is mild to medium in spice, but to make it less spicy, omit the sliced jalapenos on top and replace it with a layer of shredded lettuce. Also, be sure to use mild salsa.
- To make this dip more spicy, use a hot salsa. Add 1-2 teaspoons of your favorite hot sauce to the cream cheese mixture. Replace the Mexican Cheese Blend with Cabot’s Fiery Jack Cheese, a combination of Habanero Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese that is seriously spicy and seriously delicious!
Nutrition Facts
Calories 370kcal (19%)Carbohydrates 30g (10%)Protein 11g (22%)Fat 24g (37%)Saturated Fat 9g (45%)Polyunsaturated Fat 4gMonounsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 42mg (14%)Sodium 789mg (33%)Potassium 412mg (12%)Fiber 6g (24%)Sugar 6g (7%)Vitamin A 1588mg (32%)Vitamin C 41mg (50%)Calcium 208mg (21%)Iron 1mg (6%)
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