Rotel Dip

Spicy Rotel cheese dip with hot Dr Pepper (with a slice of lemon) on a cold Texas night. Fond memories of childhood in the 70s. Never had meat.

My version of Rotel dip goes back to the 60's and my mothers bridge parties. There was nothing involved other than Velveeta Cheese and canned Rotel tomatoes and chilies. There was no microwave, it had to melt and merge together on the stove. Leftovers were solidified and we kids were allowed to eat it, but it took a spoon to transport the cheesy goodness onto a Frito!

This is a classic with Jimmy Dean sausage, never ground beef. Also for vegetarians, there is a veggie breakfast sausage called Gimme Lean that also comes in a roll like Jimmy Dean and works really well! Just fry up the sausage first and add to the melted cheese and Rotel. I have also seen recipes where they add a can of Cream of Mushroom Soup (condensed). Yum! I always add some chopped jalapeños or Serrano peppers to kick up the heat.

A quick simple version of this recipe (I have done it for ~30 years) uses a can of Rotel, a package of cream cheese (lo cal if you want), and a package of sausage (spicy if you like). Cook the sausage in a skillet (retain the small amount of fat), dump in the entire can of rotel (liquid too), simmer and mix well, reduce heat to low/medium low, and add the cream cheese, mix well until all the ingredients are well combined and hot. Serve.

Chorizo instead of ground beef

We did have this dip for dinner when I was growing up. My mother used it as a spaghetti sauce.

Rotel also has a no sodium chile sauce.

We use chorizo instead of ground beef. You are welcome, also from Texas.

Way easier: melt velveeta in the microwave while warming canned chili without beans on the stovetop. Combine in pan with the chili, adding salsa or whatever you like, or not. Serve warm. We've been bringing this to potlucks forever, and it is always devoured -- sometimes with spoons!

This SO reminds me of my childhood in central Arkansas! This is exactly how I remember Ro-tel Dip. This seems to be very faithful to the recipe Arkansas families used to make/eat. I don't remember the Jimmy Dean sausage v. ground beef though I remember that we sometimes had it without the ground beef. Velveeta is so bad yet so good in this recipe.

This native Texan says add a dash of Worcestershire Sauce. And eat with Fritos! Never used any meat, even Jimmy Dean sausage. (Jimmy was from my hometown so I am loyal but not for Rotel Dip.). However, I shall definitely add it next time. I always add Jimmy Dean sausage to our family’s (now in it’s fifth generation) cornbread dressing at Thanksgiving.

I also grew up in Southern Ohio. In our neighborhood, Hanky Panks were made with a sausage/Velveeta concoction that was spooned onto cocktail rye bread and baked. Delicious! (Cocktail rye bread was also used for cucumber sandwiches as well).

I'll repeat what I've seen others say, replace the ground beef with a breakfast sausage like Jimmy Dean. The spicy one is even better.

Criminy, do not use olive oil. Meat is gonna be greasy or have liquid that you'll need to drain off. You'll need 2 cans of Ro-Tel with that 1-pound block of Velveeta. Consider, instead of ground beef, a roll of Jimmy Dean or similar spicy breakfast sausage, browned and well-drained. Sincerely, from a veteran Texas queso cook.

As a few others have noted, it’s also common to make this with Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage. In southern Ohio, this is known as Hanky Panky. For even more awesome, serve with Frito scoops.