This 4-Ingredient Dip Recipe Was the Best Thing I Learned in High School

Those four years of high school are all about learning, but some things stick with us more than others. While some of us might have forgotten how to do trigonometry or what an adverb modifies, we all remember that one teacher who truly touched our lives.

For me, that was my journalism teacher, Mrs. Sitler—and I remember her and her coveted taco dip recipe. I took her news magazine class for three years and on special days—sometimes the day our magazine launched, and other times just a random Friday—Mrs. Sitler would bring in her famous taco dip for the class.

We would proceed to beg her to bring it in every week because, for us 16-year-olds, any class where there was food involved was always our favorite class of the day. On top of that, we all wanted to know what was in Mrs. Sitler’s top secret recipe.

She never told us, but in my senior year she promised our class she would give the recipe to any senior who wanted it as a “graduation gift.” Of course, I jumped at the chance to learn what made her creamy, flavorful dip so great.

Now, before I reveal the recipe, I have to say that as a high school senior who barely knew how to scramble eggs, I couldn’t have even guessed what went into the recipe. But believe me, I tried many times, much to Mrs. Siter’s amusement. Today, I laugh at just how easy the four-ingredient taco dip recipe actually is to make.

It may be embarrassingly simple, but this taco dip is a constant crowd-pleaser and one of my favorite snacks to bring to tailgates and parties. I won’t make you wait four years to learn the recipe—but, I promise, it was worth the wait.

My High School Teacher’s Taco Dip

Ingredients:

1 (1-ounce) packet original taco seasoning (like Old El Paso)1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened1 (16-ounce) container sour cream1 to 2 cups Mexican-style shredded cheese

Instructions:

Mix taco seasoning, cream cheese, and sour cream together in a bowl until smooth. Spread mixture into a serving dish. Top with cheese and serve with tortilla chips.

Cook’s Notes

The recipe says Old El Paso taco seasoning is the secret ingredient, though you could use any brand or even homemade. Additionally, it calls for original taco seasoning, but you could try any flavor or spice level—especially if you want more of a kick.

Of course, there are a million permutations (how’s that for a high school word?!) nowadays for taco dip but there is something nostalgic about this one that always has us coming back.