Hot Cowboy Dip
My hot cowboy dip is what I’m bringing to the next game day party! It’s loaded with savory sausage, gooey cheese, and a little kick from the jalapeños. Everything comes together in one skillet, so there’s less cleanup and more time to dig in!
Why This Dip Will Steal the Show!
One Skillet Wonder: Cook the sausage, melt the cheese, and bake everything in one pan. Less cleanup is always a win!
Loaded With the Good Stuff: Three kinds of cheese, savory sausage, beans, corn, and jalapeños make every bite extra delicious!
Game Day Gold: Set it out with tortilla chips and watch everyone gather around. It’s hearty enough to keep hungry fans happy!
Ingredients for Hot Cowboy Dip
Control the Heat: If you prefer a milder dip, use mild sausage and mild diced tomatoes with green chiles. Then, skip the fresh and canned jalapeños, or swap the fresh ones for diced bell peppers.
Switch Up the Cheese: If pepper jack is too spicy, try cheddar, Colby Jack, or Monterey Jack instead. For the best melt, use freshly shredded cheese!
Choose Your Dippers: Once the dip is hot and bubbly, serve it with tortilla chips, corn chips, pita chips, or toasted bread. They’re all delicious for scooping up that cheesy goodness!
How to Make Baked Cowboy Dip
Baked cowboy dip comes together in one skillet, making it perfect for game day! Once it’s hot and bubbly, serve it with tortilla chips alongside buffalo chicken wings, pigs in a blanket, or potato skins. If you’re feeding a crowd, don’t expect leftovers!
Cook Sausage: Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large oven-safe skillet, cook and crumble the sausage over medium-high heat for 6–7 minutes, until fully cooked, then drain excess grease.
Add Ingredients: Reduce heat to medium-low. Add cream cheese, sour cream, Velveeta, half the pepper jack, tomatoes and green chiles, beans, jalapeños, corn, chili powder, salt, and pepper.
Melt Cheese: Stir until the cheese melts and everything is combined. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed.
Bake: Sprinkle the remaining pepper jack on top, thn bake for 13–15 minutes, until bubbly and lightly golden. Garnish hot cowboy dip with green onions and serve warm.
Alyssa’s Pro Tip
Don’t rush melting the cheese! Keep the heat on medium-low and stir until everything is smooth and creamy before baking. High heat can cause the cheese to separate and turn oily.
Must Have Tools for This Recipe
Large Oven-Safe Skillet: Use a large oven-safe skillet to cook and bake the dip in one pan. Or transfer to a baking dish before baking.
Hot Cowboy Dip
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Refrigerator: Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3–4 days.
Reheat: Warm in the oven at 350°F, covered, until heated through, or microwave individual portions in short intervals, stirring between each.
Freezer: I don’t recommend freezing this dip. The cream cheese and sour cream can separate after thawing, changing the texture.