Ree Drummond's 5-Ingredient Dip Will Be the Real Winner At Your Next Tailgate

With summer coming to an end, this means one of the best seasons is upon us: football season. Whether you're a college football fan or an NFL aficionado, there's nothing quite like a tailgate.

Sure, cheering on your favorite team is great, but do you know what's even better? Cheering on your favorite team surrounded by a table of delicious tailgating food, of course!

If there's one person who knows a thing or two about football food, it's certainly the mother of three football players and professional home cook, Ree Drummond.

The Best Dip to Serve at Tailgates

The Pioneer Woman is constantly running around to her kids' football games, so when she needs to make a quick and easy tailgating snack she turns to two simple dips: pico de gallo and dirty queso.

"Pico de gallo to me is such a perfect thing to make because it can be you know a dip with chips … it can be sprinkled over nachos, it can go on burgers [and] hot dogs," Drummond says. "So I usually make a ridiculous amount of pico de gallo [with] lots of cilantro. I control the jalapeños depending on who my crowd is, but I like it pretty spicy."

Pico de gallo is simple enough to make with tomatoes, onions, cilantro, jalapeños, lime juice, and some spices. So, we were really intrigued by how Drummond makes her dirty queso.

"Sort of elevated queso in a slow cooker and when I say elevated I really mean loaded. I like queso that I refer to as really dirty, sort of like a dirty martini where there's a ton of stuff and little specks and flecks going on," she says.

Drummond's dirty queso starts with a simple Velveeta and Ro*tel base, but she adds chorizo, caramelized onions, and cilantro. While she didn't give us her exact recipe, we took the liberty of recreating her queso dish — and believe us when we say it's going to be at every one of our tailgates from here on out.

The Pioneer Woman's Dirty Queso

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 medium (or 1 large) yellow onions, thinly sliced
• Salt, to taste
• 9 ounces chorizo, cooked
• 1 pound Velveeta, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 (10-ounce) can Ro*tel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies, undrained
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Instructions

1. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion slices and salt to taste. Stir onions until they are completely coated in butter. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until onions are golden brown and caramelized. If onions get stuck, deglaze the pan with 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar.
2. Heat a second pan over medium heat, and add chorizo. Cook until the meat is heated through and drain excess grease.
3. Combine the caramelized onions, chorizo, Velveeta, and Ro*tel in a slow cooker.
4. Cover and cook on Low for 1 to 2 hours, or until the cheese is melted. Stir until smooth and mix in cilantro. Serve warm with tortilla chips.

Note: If your queso is too thick, add a splash of milk to thin it out. Continue adding milk until it reaches your desired consistency.