Rotel Sausage Dip Recipe
Need and easy appetizer for a game day party or holiday get together? This Rotel Sausage Dip recipe only has 3 ingredients, is easy to whip together, and is always a crowd pleaser.
Why make Rotel Sausage Dip?
Whenever we have family get togethers, there is some sort of tortilla chips and cheese dip situation.
Usually a Velveeta cheese base, with meat like ground beef or chili with beans. Sometimes with salsa, or sometimes with green chilies for a little spice kick. Any way we make it, the chip and cheesy dip combo is always the first thing to get eaten.
However, I’ve recently dropped the Velveeta, and been making this sausage cream cheese dip version with Rotel tomatoes. I think it’s my favorite version.
It only requires 3 simple ingredients, and has so much flavor. Plus, you can dial up the spice factor if you’d like by using either spicy sausage or the hot Rotel tomatoes.
Ingredients needed
- Rotel (I use The Original flavor, but you can use the Hot flavor if you like more spice)
- Jimmy Dean sausage (I use the regular flavor)
- Cream cheese
How do you make Rotel Sausage Dip?
In a large skillet or pot, brown sausage over medium heat until cooked though. Use a meat chopper or a wooden spoon to break into smaller pieces. Drain excess grease.
Cut the cream cheese into cubes and stir into the hot sausage. The heat will begin to melt the cheese.
Add 2 cans of Rotel tomatoes (do not drain) and stir.
Transfer to an 8×8 oven safe dish or a pie pan, and bake at 350 degrees for approx 15 mins.
Open the oven door and give the dip a good stir to combine. Close door and bake for another 5 mins or until the cheese is melted and dip is warmed all of the way through.
Give dip another good stir and serve warm with tortilla chips, corn chips or crackers.
Storing leftovers
Store leftover dip in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
This dip also freezes well. Place dip in an airtight container in freezer for up to 6 months.
When ready to use, let dip thaw on counter until it comes to room temperature. Then reheat in a pot on the stove top over medium-low heat or transfer to baking dish and bake at 350 degrees until hot and bubbly.
FAQs
There are lots of spice options for the Rotel. What are the different flavors of Rotel and which is best?
Rotel is a brand of diced, vine ripened tomatoes and green chilies that comes in a can. It can be found in your grocery store either in the aisle with salsas, or in the aisle with other canned tomatoes. Adding it to your dish adds some excellent flavor and spice, but there a lots of different flavors, so its important to know how much spice you will be adding.
The flavors are: Original, Mild, Hot, Serrano and Fire Roasted. The Original Rotel is my favorite and what I recommend for this dish. If you want less heat, you can use the Mild flavor. If you like a spicy dip, use the Hot Rotel. For very brave snackers, you could try the Serrano which is two times hotter than the Rotel Hot flavor! If you prefer a sweeter, smokey flavor with less spice in your sausage cheese dip, try the Fire Roasted flavor. Feel free to experiment with the different flavors until you find your perfect spice level.
Can you substitute sour cream for cream cheese?
No, you should use cream cheese as it is thicker and will act as a binder to help hold the other ingredients of the dip together.
How can you sneak vegetables into this dip?
Vegetables are great addition to this creamy cheese dip. Instead of using chips, try dipping fresh chopped veggies like carrots, celery, cucumber or sliced bell peppers into the dip. You could also add chopped green chiles, green onion or bell peppers to the top of the dip as well for some added flavor and texture.
How to Serve Rotel Sausage Dip
This yummy dip is always the hit of the party! I typically serve this dish when I need to feed a crowd like at a holiday gathering, or a Super Bowl party.
I like to serve it right in the dish that I bake it in to keep it warm, so I like to bake mine in a nice looking pie pan. I place that right on the table on a trivet. Then in a small bowl or napkin lined basket, I serve tortilla chips with mine. I like the Scoops variety best.
If I need to keep the dip warm for a long period of time, sometimes I use my crock pot. I just transfer the hot dip from the oven into my slow cooker, and put it on the “warm” setting. That way it will have a consistent heat source keeping it nice an bubbly hot. Tip: be sure to stir it occasionally so that it doesn’t scorch in the crock pot.
Bonus Recipes
Looking for another fun option to serve at your next party? Try one of these other appetizers that are always a crowd favorite.
(Grown Up) Pigs in a Blanket with Siracha Mayo
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Rotel Sausage Dip Recipe
Equipment
- 1 fry pan or skillet
- 1 oven safe baking dish
- 1 meat chopper or a wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 16 oz Jimmy Dean Pork Sausage Regular
- 2 8 oz blocks of cream cheese
- 2 cans Rotel Diced Tomatoes and Chilies Original flavor
- tortilla chip or crackers for serving
Instructions
- In a large skillet or pot, brown sausage over medium heat until cooked though. Use a meat chopper or a wooden spoon to break into smaller pieces. Drain excess grease.
- Cut the cream cheese into cubes and stir into the hot sausage. The heat will begin to melt the cheese.
- Add 2 cans of Rotel tomatoes (do not drain) and stir.
- Transfer to an oven safe dish, and bake at 350 degrees for approx 15 mins.
- Open the oven door and give the dip a good stir to combine. Close door and bake for another 5 mins or until the cheese is melted and dip is warmed all of the way through.
- Give dip another good stir and serve warm with tortilla chips or crackers.
