“I’ve never met a problem that cheese couldn’t solve!”
Cheesy Sausage Dip
I know I must have been introduced to Velveeta cheese dip much earlier because my mother used it in several of her dishes but, my earliest remembrance of actually cooking with Velveeta takes me back to dorm life in college. The only electrical kitchen appliance we were allowed to use in our dorm room was an electric pop corn popper. We learned early on that in addition to popping pop corn, this versatile machine could do most anything that a crockpot could do including making Velveeta cheese dip which typically served as one or two of our meals most every day. No wonder I gained ten pounds my freshman year!
There are literally hundreds of variations of this recipe ... for example: use salsa instead of Rotel, add a can of (drained) Mexican corn and/or black beans, add chopped spinach or cilantro, substitute grated cheddar or cream cheese for the Velveeta, use spicy ranch seasoning mix instead of the garlic & herb mix, substitute prepared beef chili or lots of bacon bits for the sausage, and the list goes on and on... Regardless, this dip is best enjoyed with tortilla chips or corn chip scoops but it is also delicious as a topping for tacos!
The inspiration for this recipe came from "Sausage Dip" in the 1979 cookbook, With Tender Loving Care from the auxiliary of Children's Medical Center in Dallas Texas.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Assemble the ingredients.
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Cut the cheese into approximate 1-inch cubes a place them in a 3.5 quart slow cooker set on high. Cover.
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Brown the sausage in a large skillet. Drain the grease and set the sausage aside.
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In a medium size bowl, mix the milk, the seasoning packet and finally the cooked sausage.
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Pour the contents of the mixing bowl over the melting cheese in the slow cooker. Before replacing the cover, stir in the can of Rotel tomatoes.
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Reduce slow cooker setting to low and heat for 3 hours stirring occasionally until hot and fully melted. Served in small to medium size bowls garnished with cilantro.
Serving Size 1/3 cup
Servings 24
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 224kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 15g24%
- Saturated Fat 6g30%
- Cholesterol 55mg19%
- Sodium 886mg37%
- Potassium 66mg2%
- Total Carbohydrate 7g3%
- Sugars 5g
- Protein 14g29%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note
If you stay strictly with the given ingredients, this recipe will yield 2 quarts.
This savory, cheesy dip is delicious but it should be eaten in moderation. Although it is high protein, it is not healthy due to the fat and sodium content.
I know ... I forgot to include the can of Rotel in the photo of the ingredients. Trust me, it was in the pantry and made it into the slow cooker in time!
