Prep Time: 20 minutes
Chill Time: 1 hour
Servings: 8–10

Ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 (1 oz) packet taco seasoning
• 1 (16 oz) can refried beans
• 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup salsa
• 2 cups shredded lettuce
• 1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 cups diced Roma tomatoes
• 1 (2.25 oz) can sliced black olives, drained
• Sour cream (for piping the stars)
• Tortilla chips, for serving

Instructions

Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat until fully cooked. Drain any excess grease, stir in the taco seasoning according to the package directions, and let cool slightly.

Spread the refried beans evenly into the bottom of a 9×13-inch serving dish.

In a medium bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese and sour cream until smooth. Spread this mixture evenly over the refried beans.

Spoon the seasoned ground beef over the cream cheese layer.

Spread the salsa evenly over the beef.

Sprinkle the shredded lettuce over the salsa.

Create the American flag design by arranging the toppings:

• Fill the upper left corner with sliced black olives.
• Pipe or spoon small sour cream stars over the olives.
• Make alternating stripes using shredded cheddar cheese and diced tomatoes across the remaining dip.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Serve chilled with plenty of tortilla chips.

Tips

• Dice the tomatoes small and pat them dry with paper towels to keep the dip from becoming watery.
• Chill before decorating if you’d like extra crisp, clean lines.
• Garnish with chopped cilantro or green onions just before serving for extra color.
• This dip can be made several hours ahead, making it perfect for cookouts and potlucks.

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