Perfect for game day or a party, this creamy sausage and rotel dip is loaded with extra cheese and made easily in the crockpot!
The classic creamy rotel dip gets a zesty update with a mix of regular and spicy sausage, and plenty of gooey cheese!
I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving! It was our first year hosting, and I loved every stressful minute of it! Now that the holiday has passed, we’re getting ready for all the party events over the next month or two… which gets me excited about appetizers and party foods. One dip my family has always loved is the creamy sausage dip made with rotel.
Here in the midwest it goes by many names; crack dip, hissy fit dip, “that sausage dip”, and many others… but when researching what to name this post, apparently rotel dip or creamy sausage dip is the one that most people know it by.
WHAT ARE THE INGREDIENTS IN ROTEL DIP?
There are three basic ingredients that are commonly used. Sausage, cream cheese, and Ro-tel. My version has a few extra ingredients to make it extra zesty and flavorful, such as hot sausage, cheddar cheese, garlic powder, and a dash of hot sauce.
WHAT IS RO-TEL?
Here in the US, Ro-tel is a brand name of a line of canned tomatoes mixed with green chiles. The original version uses diced tomatoes and diced green chiles with a proprietary blend of spices. There are MANY different varieties of Ro-tel.
CAN YOU MAKE ROTEL DIP IN A SKILLET?
Absolutely! I love to make it in the slow cooker for the convenience for a party, but you can definitely make it in a skillet on the stovetop. Just brown the sausage, then add in the Ro-tel and cream cheese and stir until melted. Add in the cheddar and cook until melted! Full skillet directions will be written beneath the recipe below.
CAN ROTEL DIP BE MADE WITH BEEF?
Not a sausage fan? No problem. The flavor won’t be quite the same, and I would suggest adding a pinch of red pepper flakes to make up for the heat of the hot sausage, but you’ll still have a tasty dip! I will say though, I’m not the biggest sausage fan, and even I love it in this dip.
HOW DO YOU MAKE SAUSAGE ROTEL DIP?
I love dips like this creamy sausage dip, because you basically only have to cook the sausage. The rest of the dip ingredients are just warmed until gooey and creamy. After you brown the sausage, add it to the crockpot insert and add in Ro-tel and cream cheese, hot sauce, and half the cheddar. Stir, top with remaining cheddar and cook on low until bubbly. Easy peasy!
PRO TIPS FOR MAKING ROTEL DIP:
- Don’t drain the Ro-tel. This goes against all my instincts when it comes to cooking, since I drain everything from a can, but the “juice” is important to thin the dip out so that it’s perfectly scoop-able.
- Use as much spice as you’d like. This dip is somewhere between mild and medium heat as written, but feel free to use all hot sausage, use hot Ro-tel, or add more hot sauce to fit your tastes. Conversely, use all regular sausage and omit the hot sauce to make it more mild.
- This dip is amazing with a salty chip, but you’ll want to pick one that can handle a hefty dip. Fritos scoops are my personal favorite, but tortilla chips can work if they’re not the super thin ones.
OTHER GREAT PARTY DIPS:
- Cincinnati-Style Chili Cheese Dip (Skyline Dip)
- Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Taco Dip
- Bacon Cheeseburger Dip
- Spicy Creamy Corn Dip
- Horseradish Clam Dip
- Jalapeno Popper Dip
SHOP THE RECIPE:
- Large deep skillet – I love this pan, since it cooks evenly, cleans up well, and is large enough for a lot of food!
- 6 quart slow cooker – this crockpot is amazing due to it’s consistent cooking, and I love the sealed lid!
- Original Ro-tel – this is the brand used in this recipe.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- drizzle olive oil
- 1 lb. ground pork sausage roll
- 1 lb. spicy ground pork sausage roll
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp minced dried onion
- 16 oz cream cheese, cubed
- 20 oz Ro-tel diced tomatoes and green chiles (undrained)
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- minced fresh chives, for garnish
Instructions
- Add a small drizzle of olive oil in a large skillet, and heat over MED-HIGH heat. Add both sausages and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon as you cook, until sausage is browned, about 6-8 minutes.
- Drain cooked sausage, then add to crockpot insert. Top with garlic powder, dried onion, cubed cream cheese, Ro-tel, hot sauce, pinch of salt and pepper, and 1 cup of the cheddar cheese.
- Stir well, then cover and cook on LOW for 3-4 hours, or HIGH for 1.5-2 hours. Remove cover and sprinkle with remaining 1 cup of cheddar cheese, then cover again and cook another 10-15 minutes, until cheese is melted.
- Sprinkle with minced chives and serve hot.
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Chef Tips
SKILLET DIRECTIONS
- Brown sausage as directed in step 1. Drain and return to skillet. Add garlic powder, dried onion, cubed cream cheese, Ro-tel, hot sauce, pinch of salt and pepper, and 1 cup of the cheddar cheese.
- Stir well, then cook on MED-LOW until hot and bubbly.
- Sprinkle top with remaining 1 cup cheddar cheese, then cook another 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
- Garnish as desired and serve hot.
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Ron Richtsmeier says
This is great! Loved it and so did my guests. Thank you.
Matt says
This is a family game day go to! Great recipe, thanks so much for sharing!
Leipold Beverly A says
Delicious
Eaddy says
Do you use breakfast sausage or Italian sausage for this?
The Chunky Chef says
You can use either, although I typically go for a roll of breakfast sausage (just not the maple flavored one).
Christina says
Do you know if this be made with ground beef instead?
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested it, but I think that would be delicious 🙂
Kellie says
Hello, would this work with turkey sausage? Hubby doesn’t eat pork.
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t specifically tested this recipe using turkey sausage, but it should work just fine 🙂
Dee H. says
I have alpha-gal allergy and can’t use pork so I made it with the turkey breakfast sausage that comes in a roll just like the pork type. It has the same type of seasonings. Once it was done, I couldn’t tell the difference. SO delicious!