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This Southwestern Ranch Dip will make a great addition to your game day menu. Make it the day before to let the flavors mingle and it will be ready to serve when your guests arrive.
Do you have plans for Super Bowl this year?
Although the poor 49ers just weren’t up to par this season (I really don’t want to talk about it), the Super Bowl is being hosted at their home, Levi’s Stadium, a mere 15 minute drive from our house. So, even though our team didn’t get anywhere close to participating this year, we’ve been experiencing the Super Bowl hype up close and personal and you just can’t help but get drawn in!
I’m actually excited about the matchup this year and we’ll definitely be watching. And, besides, we have the Warriors and I think there’s some sort of karma balance happening here. I mean, the Warriors are downright magical and it would be a bit greedy of us to expect to our football team to be in the Super Bowl too, now wouldn’t it? My husband says no, but…
I love this Southwestern Ranch Dip recipe for the following reasons:
- It’s a make-ahead recipe – golden! The flavor will improve as it chills so make it at least 4 or more hours in advance – or even better, the day before.
- It takes less than 5 minutes to put together.
- It’s creamy and delicious.
- It can easily be lightened up without losing any quality and is delicious served with veggies.
Ingredients
- A packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing & Seasoning Mix
- Sour cream (light or regular)
- Ro-Tel Tomatoes (mild or medium)
- A small can of chopped black olives
- Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Green onions
Lighten it Up
So here’s the deal for lightening this recipe up. The main component is the sour cream so if you go with light sour cream you will be cutting a BIG amount of fat and calories. Yes, there’s cheese but all in all, it’s still a pretty light deal as far as dips go. By all means go with regular sour cream if that’s your preference. Either way, it will be delicious!
All the ingredients are combined. Simple.
Make-Ahead and Storage Tips
It’s vital for this dip to chill before serving. The texture will thicken a bit and the flavors will dance and sing with each other and come out bigger, stronger, and better after at least 4 hours in the fridge. It can even be made a day ahead and it will be perfect for serving the next day. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers – the dip holds up exceptionally well for several days in the fridge.
It’s excellent served with a variety of dippers – good old ridged party chips, tortilla chips, corn chips, and definitely put out some veggies.
More Easy Cold Dip Recipes
Southwestern Ranch Dip
Ingredients
- 16 ounces sour cream light or regular
- 10 ounces Ro-Tel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 ounces chopped black olives (about 1/2 of a small can)
- 1 ounce packet Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing and Seasoning Mix
- 3 green onions thinly sliced, divided
Instructions
- Combine sour cream, Ro-Tel, cheese, olives (I used 1/2 can but you can add more if you’d like!), dressing mix, and 2 of the sliced green onions (reserve remaining green onion for garnish). Mix well, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.
- Garnish with remaining green onion and serve with chips and veggies.
CINDY NEWELL says
I MAKE THIS OFTEN BUT ADD AN 8 OZ. PKG. OF CREAM CHEESE MASHED TOGETHER WITH THE SOUR CREAM. STIR IN THE DRAINED ROTEL , HIDDEN VALLEY RANCH AND GRATED BLOCK CHEDDAR (NEVER PRE-PACKAGED GRATED CHEESE). WE LIKE THE THICKNESS FOR DIPPING VEGGIES.
Debra George says
Dee, I make my own Ranch Dressing mix from a recipe I found online. No MSG and no preservatives. When another recipe calls for it, I just substitute my own mix.
Dee says
Question; I have a sensitivity to MSG, so far every ranch product I’ve found (dry mix or bottled) contains MSG. Do you know of one made without MSG? Would love to make some of there delicious sounding recipes , but I would pay with a bad headache. Does anyone else have this problem? Any joy? Thanks, Dee
Lynette says
Would it work if I add ground beef
Jennifer says
Black olives right ?
Valerie says
Yes!
Jamie says
Can’t wait to try this recipe! Do I drain the RoTel?
Thank you!
Valerie says
Hi Jamie. I didn’t drain the Ro-Tel but if you’d like a thicker consistency feel free to drain off a little bit of the liquid. It will work either way. Hope you love it!
Marty Kreider says
Do you drain the olives ?
Valerie says
Hi Mary. Those little cans of chopped olives are typically packed so tightly that there is little to no liquid in them. If you find yours has liquid, then yes, definitely drain them. If you are using sliced olives, those cans are full of liquid and would definitely need to be drained.