Enchilada dip good enough for meal

Every so often my husband comes across a recipe he wants to try making. And fortunately for me and this column, most of the time they turn out great and become part of our regular rotation.

Recently he announced he wanted to make Enchilada Cheese Dip. It is pretty much exactly what it sounds like — cheese dip made with the same ingredients one might put in enchiladas.

I was sure we’d like it, because hello, it’s cheese dip. What’s not to love? But I wasn’t prepared for exactly how much we’d like it. The dip can be made with canned enchilada sauce, but it is especially good with homemade enchilada sauce.

The dip can be prepared on the stove or in a slow cooker. It makes enough to serve a crowd, so it’s ideal for a get-together or for those nights when you just want cheese dip for dinner.

The recipe can easily be halved to make less.

Enchilada Cheese Dip

1 pound lean ground beef, browned and drained 1 (15-ounce) can chili beans (we like hot) 1 cup red enchilada sauce, homemade or canned 1 (4-ounce) can fire-roasted green chiles 1½ pounds shredded American cheese OR cubed Velveeta Tortilla chips, for serving

In a deep skillet or the cooking vessel of a slow cooker, combine all ingredients and cook, stirring frequently, until cheese is melted and dip is heated through. Serve hot with tortilla chips.

Red Enchilada Sauce

3 dried red chile peppers such as guajillo 1 clove garlic, peeled 1 (14-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes ¼ teaspoon cumin seed Ground black pepper 1 ½ teaspoons olive oil 1 cup vegetable broth Kosher salt, to taste Sugar, to taste

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place chiles on a baking sheet and heat in oven until puffed and aromatic, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Remove stems and seeds; tear peppers into pieces.

Place chiles, garlic, tomatoes, cumin and black pepper in jar of a blender. Puree until as smooth as possible.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Set a fine mesh strainer over pan and pour in

sauce. Press mixture with a large spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids. Cook sauce, stirring frequently, until thickened to consistency of tomato paste. Pour in vegetable broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste sauce and season with salt and sugar (a pinch or so) as needed.

Makes about 1 cup.

Sauce recipe adapted from seriouseats.com