• 2 cups of refried beans or 1 15 oz can (I buy the vegetarian kind because it doesn't have LARD!
  • 1 teaspoon (or more) of bacon fat (or 1 strip of bacon, cooked and minced) -optional
  • 1 teaspoon of chili powder, Tobasco chipotle, or cholula sauce. Add more to taste. I added quite a bit for a good kick
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • Salt
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
  • 1/4 cup chopped green Anaheim chiles (canned)
  • 1 avocado, peeled and chopped
  • 1 hot house tomato, cut in half horizontally, seeds and juice gently squeezed out and discarded, chopped
  • 1/3 cup of sour cream, or if you can get it Crema Mexicana (Mexican sour cream)
  • 1/2 small can of sliced ripe black olives
  • 2 tablespoons chopped green onions

Two reasons why I love this recipe: 1-it’s healthy, and 2-the refried beans are served warm!   Have you ever had a bean dip with warm beans?  I love this 7-layer dip just for that reason!  I don’t know if I will ever go back to liking cold refried beans again after making this.  This is the perfect party dip for any gathering.

Depending on what you have on hand, your bean dip may be between 6-9 layers.  Improvise your dip with the toppings you like!

Step 1:

Heat refried beans in medium saute pan or cast iron skillet.   Stir in enough water to get the dip-able consistency you want.  I added about 1/4 cup.  The bacon fat really enhances the flavor of the refried beans.  I just add about 1 teaspoon.  If you don’t have bacon fat, cook up a strip of bacon, chop it up and add it to the beans.

Step 2:

Mix in the chili powder (Tobasco, or cholula) and cumin to taste.  The sour cream and the avocados take away a lot of the spiciness of the beans so you can afford to be a bit more spicy.  Stir in salt to taste, depending on how salted your refried beans are to begin with, and also how salty your chips are.

 Step 3:

Once your beans are hot and bubbly, spread them over the bottom of a warmed serving dish.  Immediately add the shredded cheese so that the heat from the beans helps met the cheese.

Step 4:

Layer on the chopped green chilies, chopped avocado, chopped tomato. Spoon on the sour cream (or crema Mexicana). Top with sliced green onions and olives.

Serve immediately with chips!

Enjoy!