Bean Dip Recipe
It’s Not Magic, But It’s Darn Tasty
Sometimes people don’t recognize the beauty of simple things. This is a simple recipe that I’ve grown fond of recently. I actually eat this for a meal and find it’s tempting because I can make two meals worth in about 10 minutes. Fat free beans and generous portions of veggies make me feel reasonably healthy about eating it.
In The Beginning
When I first started making my bean dip, the recipe was:
1 - 16oz can Taco Bell Fat Free Refried Beans
Season with 3/4 tsp. Cayenne Red Pepper and 1/4 tsp. Sage.
Mix thoroughly. Eat with favorite tortilla chip. There is a big difference in flavor between different brands of refried beans. Be sure to try Taco Bell brand first. Amounts for spices are approximate, I usually just throw some in without measuring it. WARNING: Your tastes may dictate significantly less red pepper.
Then I Started Adding Stuff
Diced onion - Probably about 1/4 cup onion. It’s easy for the onion to overpower everything else so be a little conservative.
Diced tomato - I usually throw in 3 roma tomatoes. That’s about 1 cup of tomatoes.
Diced baby spinach - 1 cup or more. Iceberg lettuce works in a pinch, but is bland and watery. If you substitute the lettuce only add about 1/2 cup.
More seasonings - 1/4 tsp. coriander and 1/4 tsp. cilantro
I mix everything together instead of doing some kind of layer thing. If you want it to look pretty, stir in the seasonings first and then add the veggies. If you don’t stir them too much, the veggies will stay bright and colorful instead of getting all covered in bean paste.
I seem to be adding larger quantities of veggies and seasoning as time goes on. The volume of the recipe has increased enough that I now divide the dip into two or three portions and save some for later meals.
- 1 - 16oz can Taco Bell Fat Free Refried Beans
- 1/4 cup diced onion
- 1 cup diced tomatoes
- 1 cup or more diced baby spinach
- 3/4 tsp. cayenne red pepper
- 1/4 tsp. sage
- 1/4 tsp. coriander
- 1/4 tsp. cilantro
Check out more of my simple recipes.
November 20th, 2006 at 2:40 pm
Having tried this out at the weekend I think you deserve to call it magic, so tasty my friends could not get enough.
December 6th, 2006 at 5:32 pm
taco bell is disgusting. its NOT REAL FOOD. Read the label, there are more chemicals than plants. How bout just boiling some beans.
December 6th, 2006 at 6:24 pm
Jane -
You would be a happier person if you found a more positive outlook. Make sharing what you enjoy about cooking your own beans your main focus, instead of emphasizing how much you dislike other beans.
I prefer Taco Bell refried beans because of how they are seasoned. If you prefer another brand of beans, or cooking your own, those are both excellent choices.
May 12th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
I googled bean dip…….I ended up here
but just had to say
Jane……..chill out and don’t take beans so seriously
August 11th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
Thank you for being so kind to share your recipe. I tryly appreciate it. It is cool to be able to go online and find what you are looking for. I have not tried it yet but I sure have it on my favorite list.
Oh forget that ungrateful persom who made the negative commit about the beans. He/she did not deserve to even get to see your recipe.
February 3rd, 2009 at 1:23 am
I agree to your saying that people really don’t know the beauty of simple things. I think the recipe you have suggested its a mouthwatering for me I really appreciate your recipe and I am waiting to know more from you.
February 11th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
i really like how simple it is to make this bean dip. regardless of whether the bean dip is from taco bell.