Until the Chiefs became a part of the post-season, the best part of Super Bowl Sunday for me over the years has been the snack table.
From the days when our church youth group would watch the games while playing a football-themed bingo game to ones with friends gathered in our living room, there has always been a fabulous spread of great food to eat along with the fellowship the game brings.
Of course, it goes without saying that this year’s game will be very different than last year’s Chiefs victory. Last year, our house was packed with people, everyone screaming and yelling when the final seconds ticked down on the game clock, and we all realized we were the Super Bowl champs.
This year, there will likely be more yelling and screaming, and hopefully that will come along with another Lombardi Trophy, but it will be a much quieter din without the crowd of friends and family around us.
Despite the lack of a crowd, Joey and I will still be enjoying some favorite snacks, though, and after I test-drove this one for the AFC Championship game, I have to share it with you.
This comes from Lauren Allen over at her blog, “Tastes Better From Scratch.” You can find the original post at https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/cheesy-bean-dip/. I doubled the seasoning in my version below and substituted refried beans for whole pintos.
Cheesy Bean Dip
Ingredients
- 2, 15- ounce cans of refried beans
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened (I used fat free)
- 2/3 cup sour cream or plain non-fat Greek yogurt
- 2 packets 1/4 cup taco seasoning
- 1/4 cup salsa any kind. I used a tomatillo salsa.
- 1 to 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In an eight-by-eight-inch baking dish, combine the refried beans, cream cheese, sour cream, taco seasoning, salsa and about 1/4-cup shredded cheese.
- Mix it well so that the ingredients are evenly distributed, and then spread it evenly in the dish.
- Top with as much cheese as you like and bake for 25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and just starting to brown around the edges.
- Serve with tortilla chips or as part of a taco bar.
This was absolutely amazing. I know it isn’t a health food by any stretch, but by using fat-free refried beans, fat-free cream cheese and non-fat Greek yogurt to make this, I felt a lot better about placing a big scoop on my plate during the game.
And it certainly did not taste low-fat, either. The variety of cheese gave it fantastic flavor, and the leftovers quickly disappeared over the next few days, as we integrated them into tacos for lunch.
It won’t be the same to watch the Super Bowl without a crowd of friends this year, but I’m hoping that a few fun dishes on the coffee table might make up for it. Of course, another Chiefs victory wouldn’t hurt, either.
This piece first appeared in print on Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021.
Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.
