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This 4th of July Flag Dip is a taco flavored dip that is not only a tasty but very patriotic too! Perfect for any red, white and blue celebration! A FLAG THEMED TACO DIP I’m all about the fun Independence Day party food! There’s so many fun ways to celebrate this country and so many delicious recipes to enjoy. Why make a regular, everyday, Taco Dip when you can fancy it up and make it the talk of the party?! I’ll admit, this one can feel a little tedious to make but it is well worth the effort. I promise it will be the hit at the food table! FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:  Can I halve this to make a smaller portion? Sure! If you aren’t serving a big crowd for the holiday, you can certainly still make this. I think halving this would work in a 9×9-inch pan, obviously it wouldn’t be a rectangle, but you could still make a super cute presentation for a smaller crowd. What if I don’t have a star cookie cutter? No problem! Just free hand the cheese with some kitchen shears. Or you can use the suggestion about the piped stars in the next question. Do I have to make cheese stars? No. If you don’t have enough cheese to make the stars, or don’t want to cut out the stars, you can grab a piping bag with a Wilton star tip and pipe on some simple sour cream stars to the star section of the flag. What else can I add to this flag dip? I’ve seen friends who add cooked ground beef to their taco dip. Others have made this more like a layered taco dip with refried beans, guac, and lettuce. Add whatever you think you and your guests will enjoy. Then just top with the cheese, tomatoes and chips to make it red, white, and blue. Can I make this ahead of time? The chips will get stale if stored too long in the fridge so keep that in mind if you plan to make this earlier in the day. Since this is made with cream cheese and other perishable ingredients, it does need to be kept in the fridge when it’s not being eaten. How to store leftovers? This dip always disappears in no time when I make it, but if there are leftovers it would still be good for up to 4 days if covered and kept in the fridge. Keep in mind that the chips will go stale and may get soggy over time. I do not suggest freezing this Patriotic Taco Dip. INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE) cream cheese– softening it to room temperature (not melting) is key to getting the dip to the right consistency. So make sure to pull it out to soften ahead of time. If you forget to grab it from the fridge, try using these tricks to soften your cream cheese faster. salsa – you can make a homemade salsa, or grab some premade stuff from the store. sour cream– light or full fat sour cream will work, whatever your preference. If you don’t like sour cream, try using plain Greek yogurt instead but just remember that since it’s mixed in with so many other things it just adds creaminess and doesn’t really taste like its own separate ingredient. shredded cheddar cheese – this can be any cheese you love since this is going inside the dip and not decorating on top. If you want a kick of heat, try using Pepper Jack cheese. green onions– if you don’t like green onions, just leave them out. taco seasoning – grab a packet from the grocery store, or you can make your own taco seasoning. Monterey Jack cheese – divided use for the white stripes of the flag. This needs to be a block of Monterey Jack cheese (you can also use Mozzarella cheese). blue tortilla chips – crushed, plus more for serving. This is what you use for the blue background underneath the stars. You can find these at most grocery stores. I commonly get them Walmart, as you can see by the Great Value brand seen in the picture below. grape tomatoes – we use these for the red stripes in our flag. If you want to have smaller bites of tomatoes, go ahead and dice these up and just arrange them the same way. Or just grab a regular beefsteak tomato and dice up – whatever works best for you and the taste and texture you enjoy! HOW TO MAKE 4TH OF JULY FLAG DIP Place the cream cheese, salsa, sour cream, cheddar, green onions, and taco seasoning into a large bowl. With an electric hand mixer, combine the ingredients until smooth. Smooth this mixture into the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. Cut the block of Monterey Jack in half. Very carefully, cut one of the halves into about ¼ inch slices. Using a small cookie cutter, cut out stars. I made 6, but you can use as many as you’d like. Shred the remaining Monterey Jack cheese. In the upper left corner of the baking dish, add about half of the crushed tortilla chips in a 5×4-inch rectangle. This doesn’t have to be perfect, just do your best. Then, to make the stripes, add 4 rows of tomatoes, they will be at the top and bottom of the baking dish and two more lines in between. I  like to add just a line of tomatoes for each stripe to get a template going. Fill in the other stripe sections with some of the Monterey Jack cheese. Now, build up the sections with more of the ingredients so you fully cover up the dip underneath. You may not end up using all of the crushed tortillas, tomatoes, and cheese. Finally, add your cheese stars over the crushed tortilla section. Serve immediately with more tortilla chips or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. CRAVING MORE RECIPES?  4th of July Party Recipes Patriotic Homemade Funfetti Cake Patriotic Sugar Cookie Bars Red, White and Blue Jell-O Cups 4th of July Cupcakes 4th of July Rice Krispies Treats Red, White and Blue Pinwheel Cookies 4th of July Waffle Cones Patriotic Jell-O Marshmallows Print 4th of July Flag Dip A Taco Dip in the design of the American flag with cheese and tomatoes on top of taco dip with crushed chips. Course AppetizerCuisine American Servings 20 servings Calories 281kcal Author Brandie @ The Country Cook Ingredients16 ounces (2 blocks) cream cheese, softened to room temperature16 ounce jar of your favorite salsa (I like Herdez salsa)1 ¼ cups sour cream8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese4 green onions, thinly sliced1 ounce packet taco seasoning16 ounce block Monterey Jack cheese4 ounces blue tortilla chips, crushed (enough to make a blue square shape)2 pints grape tomatoes, quartered InstructionsPlace 16 ounces (2 blocks) cream cheese, softened to room temperature, 16 ounce jar of your favorite salsa, 1 ¼ cups sour cream, 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese, 4 green onions, thinly sliced and 1 ounce packet taco seasoning into a large bowl. With an electric hand mixer, combine the ingredients until smooth. Smooth this mixture into the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. Cut the 16 ounce block Monterey Jack cheese in half. Very carefully, cut one of the halves into about ¼ inch slices. Using a small cookie cutter, cut out stars. We made 6, but you can use as many as you’d like and can fit into this section. Shred the remaining Monterey Jack cheese.In the upper left corner of the baking dish, add 4 ounces blue tortilla chips, crushed in a 5×4-inch rectangle. This doesn’t have to be perfect, just do your best. Then, to make the stripes, add 4 rows using 2 pints grape tomatoes, quartered – they will be at the top and bottom of the baking dish and two more lines in between. I like to add just a line of tomatoes for each stripe to get a template going. Fill in the other stripe sections with some of the Monterey Jack cheese. Now, build up the sections with more of the ingredients so you fully cover up the dip underneath. Finally, add your cheese stars over the crushed tortilla section. Serve immediately with more tortilla chips or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. Notes Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions. NutritionCalories: 281kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 22g | Sodium: 576mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g

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