Cheesy Hot Corn Dip

This dip is to die for. It's almost dangerous because it is so incredibly simple to whip up and uses ingredients that I seem to always have on hand. I could probably eat the entire dish - it is that good! {Well, not the dish itself - the dip IN the dish!} It makes a great hot dip for parties, game day or just for snacking during movie night.

 

The recipe call for chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. These can be found usually in the Mexican foods aisle. They are inexpensive and come in small cans. They are essentially smoked jalapenos in a tomato and vinegar sauce.

They are potent - beware. The recipe only calls for using one pepper {use half of a pepper if you have a super sensitive palette and your peppers are on the larger side of the spectrum}. Do not use the whole can. {A lady actually wrote me recently to inform me that she had accidentally used an entire can in my Chipotle Chicken and Corn Chowder recipe. It was supposed to be one PEPPER and not one CAN. Can you believe that she and her hubby actually choked their way through the chowder? Bless her heart.} If you don't desire to use the chipotle peppers, you could sub in a teaspoon or so of ground cumin. I highly recommend using the chipotle peppers, but cumin will bring some great flavor and smokiness to the dip, too.

TIP: I freeze the leftover peppers in little freezer baggies - one or two per bag - for later use.


Ingredients:

 

FOR THE DIP:

 

1 1/2 cups shredded cheese {Colby or cheddar}

1 1/2 cups frozen corn {allow to thaw completely for faster baking time}

1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced {see notation above}

1 can (4 oz.) diced green chiles, undrained

1/2 cup real mayonnaise

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Juice of 1 lime

TOPPINGS:

1 tomato, diced
2 green onions, sliced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine the dip ingredients. Pour into a small, greased baking dish {mine was 1.5 qt.}. Bake for 30 - 45 minutes or until dip is hot and bubbly. {The length of cooking time will vary depending on the depth of your baking dish and if your corn was still partially frozen at the beginning of baking time.}

Top with green onion and tomato once dip is removed from oven. Serve immediately with corn chips or tortilla chips.

NOTE: There have been times when I've made this that a little grease pools on top of the dip after baking - depending on the type of cheese and mayo used. If this happens, you can skim off the grease using a spoon. Using an oven mitt, tip the side of the dish so that the grease pools to one end and is easily skimmed as needed.

 

Adapted from Gina Marie's Kitchen.

04/24/17: Updated photos and made clarifications to the post.