This 3-ingredient creamy sausage dip is the one my husband starts asking for as soon as the brackets come out every March. I first tasted a version of it at a church potluck back in the late 1980s, when slow cookers lined the fellowship hall and every other dish seemed to involve sausage, cheese, or both. Over the years I pared it down to just three pantry-friendly ingredients that melt together into a thick, spicy, cheese-laden mixture dotted with savory sausage and green chilies. It bubbles away in a warm slow cooker while the game is on, and folks stand around it with sturdy tortilla chips, pretending they’re just having “one more bite” until the bowl is scraped clean.
Serve this creamy sausage dip straight from the warm slow cooker set to LOW or WARM, with a big bowl of thick, sturdy tortilla chips that can stand up to the heavy, cheesy mixture. It’s also wonderful with corn chips, toasted baguette slices, or crisp celery sticks if you want something fresh and crunchy alongside all that richness. Round out a watch-party spread with a simple green salad, a tray of raw vegetables, and maybe a light fruit salad to balance the hearty dip. Keep extra chips nearby, because once that pale orange, bubbling cheese and sausage mixture hits the table, it disappears faster than the first time-out.
3-Ingredient Creamy Sausage Dip
Servings: 10-12
Ingredients
1 pound bulk pork breakfast sausage or mild Italian sausage, casings removed
1 (32-ounce) block processed American cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 (10-ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
Directions
Brown the sausage: In a large skillet over medium heat, crumble the sausage and cook, stirring often, until it is well browned and no pink remains, about 8–10 minutes. Use a spoon to break it into small crumbles as it cooks so it blends nicely into the dip.
Drain excess fat: When the sausage is cooked through, tilt the skillet and spoon off most of the excess grease, leaving just a light coating so the meat stays moist. This keeps the finished dip thick instead of oily.
Layer ingredients in slow cooker: Place the cubed processed American cheese into a 3- to 4-quart slow cooker. Spoon the browned sausage over the top, then pour in both cans of diced tomatoes with green chilies, including all the juices.
