5-Layer Bean Dip

This 5-layer bean dip is not French by a long shot, and is therefore not a recipe I thought to share with you. Also, I thought everyone knew how to make it so what’s the point of doing the recipe?

Except that I found that – not only does everyone not know how to make it, but some people don’t even know what it is? (I’m mainly talking to the Americans here). What about you? American or not, do you know what this is? Do you know how to make it? And more importantly … would you want to?

This is the simplest recipe in the world, and if you have access to refried beans (hello Texans), it’s even simpler. Here in France we don’t, so I make my own. Honestly, I don’t even know if this is a legit refried beans recipe. It’s just one that makes sense to me.

You need some beans (and olives, and salsa, and sour cream, and cheddar).

Fry up an onion and 2-4 cloves of garlic in 1T of olive oil.

Rinse the beans – get rid of all that stomach-expanding foam.

When the onion and garlic mix is brown, add the beans and fry for about 10 minutes. You don’t need to add salt because the canned beans have salt. And the olives have salt. And the salsa has salt. And the cheddar has salt … you get my drift.

Put the beans in the Cuisinart with a cup of water. Purée it.

And then re-fry them! (See what I did there)? 😉

I used another 2 tablespoons of canola oil, and fried the beans for another 10-15 minutes in a non-stick pan, stirring constantly. Are you horrified by all that oil?

HA! Just you wait. That’s only the beginning.

LAYER ONE: Refried beans, spread over the bottom of a 9×13 greased pan.

LAYER TWO: Spread 2.5 cups of sour cream or crème fraiche (if you’re in France) over the beans. (See, I told you – the oil was nothing).

Now. Chop 2 cups of green olives.

LAYER THREE: Spread the green olives over the sour cream.

LAYER FOUR: Spread two jars of El Paso mild salsa over the olives.

LAYER FIVE: Grate 400 g of cheddar cheese, which makes about 4 cups. Spread that over the top.

Put it in a pre-heated 375°F oven and bake it for 20 minutes, or until the cheese starts to brown.

(There was oil on the top of the melted cheese, and I blotted it off with paper towels.)

You neither want it to be too hot or too cold. If it’s too hot, it’s runny. If it’s too cold, it’s congealed. Plan on serving it about 15-30 minutes after it comes out of the oven – and don’t forget the huge, accompanying bowl of plain, salted corn chips!

This is perfect for a large gathering since it’s way too dangerous to keep around as leftovers.

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