This easy Creamy Taco Dip with Meat is a delicious way to enjoy leftover taco meat!
Have you noticed that ground turkey is almost always sold in 20 oz. packages? Why is that?! Most recipes call for a pound of ground meat, but if you decide to use turkey, you can expect to have an extra four ounces on hand. That’s fine in most cases. The more (meat) the merrier, right? Even so, you might end up with a little more leftovers than usual.
Case in point: I always use ground turkey when I’m making Mexican dishes like taco salad or taquitos, and I usually have at least a cup of meat leftover. Sure, leftover taco meat is great for making more tacos, but why not turn it into a rich, creamy Mexican dip? It’s easy to do with only three extra ingredients!
The measurements here are approximate because the amount of meat you have on hand will vary. I would suggest about 1 part cream cheese to 4 parts meat, and add salsa until it’s a good consistency for dipping. With these simple ingredients, you can’t really go wrong even if the amounts are tweaked a bit. Enjoy!
(P.S. Lots of people have told me they don’t understand the words “leftover” and “taco meat” together, and I get that. I can eat tacos almost indefinitely too, so of course you could make meat just for this recipe if you never have leftovers. It’s definitely worth it!!)
Click play to watch the how-to recipe video!
| Prep Time | 5 minutes |
| Cook Time | 15 minutes |
| Servings |
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- 2 cups cooked, seasoned taco meat
- 1/2 cup reduced-fat cream cheese
- 1/2 cup salsa I used a mix of green and red salsas
- 1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese
- tortilla chips
Ingredients
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- Preheat oven (or toaster oven!) to 375 degrees F. Spray a small baking dish with cooking spray.
- Add meat, cream cheese, and salsa to a small saucepan, and heat over medium heat. Stir frequently until cream cheese is melted and mixture is bubbly. (You could also do this in the microwave, stirring ever 30 seconds or so.)
- Spread meat mixture evenly into prepared baking dish, and sprinkle cheese over the top. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and starting to brown. Serve with chips for dipping.
You NEED these Mexican dip recipes too! (Trust me.)
Does anyone have a coleslaw recipe oil and vinegar that is not too sweet but more like a vinegarette? I am diabetic and love cabbage.
I have a Mexican coleslaw recipe that isn’t sweet at all. It’s one of the only ones I like :) https://wearychef.com/mexican-coleslaw/
My favorite dressing is Olive Garden’s Vingarette Dressing. Can be purchased at Costco or Olive Garden.
Could I use sour cream instead of cram cheese
This sounds good but for me, like most not good enough for me….I will add Peruvian yellow peppers, Habanero and Jalapeno peppers, onion and sour cream to it. Also will use Cheddar or Taco cheese to put on the top or the Mexican Cheese. Now that sounds more Mexican to me. Oh, would never use turkey meat.
I don’t know where you shop but I can buy 2 lb packages of ground turkey at my local Krogers.
I made this dip for a family party. Everyone LOVED it!! Lots of compliments and it was gone in about 5 minutes. Too bad for those who were late to the party. I wouldn’t ever have any leftover taco meat, so I whipped up a pound of ground beef and a taco seasoning packet just for the dip. It was well worth it. I will make this again and again!
Once this has been put together, can it go into a crock pot?
When you say red and green salsa are talking about enchilada sauce? If not what brand of green salsa do you buy? The dip looks delicious and I want to make it but wanted to check with you first.
Hi! My favorite salsa brand is Herdez. I love their green and red salsas!
just made this dip creamy Mexican dip for our beginning of football party. It was excellent. Very Very Good. Will make it again.
Thank you, Barbara! I’m so happy you liked it :)