If you've never tried Rotel dip before, then you're missing out. Then again, perhaps you've tried Rotel dip and just didn't know the secret ingredient.

Rotel are canned tomatoes, but they aren’t just ANY canned tomatoes. Rotel tomatoes really are special. Heck, most canned tomatoes are just canned tomatoes. Rotels are definitely Rotels.

Rotel tomatoes date back to the 1940s when Carl Roettele opened a small canning company and started making and selling canned tomatoes with green chilies. He decided his last name was hard to say and remember, so he shortened that to Rotel.

Carl’s tomatoes with chilies and seasonings were fabulous, so people started to notice. It took a while, but eventually the company expanded so that Rotel tomatoes are now available at most grocery stores.

Although Rotel tomatoes can be used in many ways, dips made with Rotel tomatoes are particularly popular. It’s pretty certain that if you take Rotel dip, you’ll come home with an empty pot.

There are now many variations of the famous Rotel dip, but this is the original recipe which is listed on the side of Rotel tomato cans.

Basic Rotel Cheese Dip Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 lb pasteurized process cheese (like Velveeta)
• 1 can diced Rotel tomatoes with chilies (10 oz)

Directions:

1. Cut the cheese into small chunks and put in pot on top of stove.
2. Stir in Rotel tomatoes.
3. Cook over low heat until melted.
4. Serve with tortilla chips.

Traditional Rotel dip can be made in the crock pot. Follow the above directions, but put the cheese and tomatoes in a crock pot and heat over low for a three hours or until cheese is melted. Also, the dip can be made on the stove top and then kept warm in the crock pot

Sausage Rotel Cheese Dip Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 lb cheese (Velveeta)
• 1 can Rotels
• ½ lb sausage (cooked and crumbled fine)

Directions:

1. Cook bulk breakfast sausage using a fork to crumble it fine as it’s cooking.
2. Drain fat off sausage meat.
3. Combine cheese, tomatoes, and sausage in pot on top of stove or in crock pot and heat until cheese is melted.
4. Stir well before, a few times during, and after melting cheese.

Any bulk sausage is fine in this recipe, but a better grade of sausage means a better dip. Look for sausage packed in paper and sold in a rectangle rather than the sausage in the plastic tubes. Hot and spicy sausage is excellent in Rotel dip if family or guests like a little zip to the dip.

Hamburger Rotel Cheese Dip Recipe

Instead of using sausage as in the above recipe, use hamburger. Again, cook the hamburger first, crumble the meat fine and drain off the excess fat.

Using hamburger will make a milder dip. There are mild Rotel tomatoes as well as the regular and the hot. For a very mild Rotel dip, go with mild Rotels and hamburger.

Cream Cheese Rotel Dip Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 pack cream cheese (8 oz)
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes
• ½ pound meat – sausage or hamburger (optional)

Directions:

Cream Cheese Rotel Dip is made just as the Velveeta dips listed above. Instead of using Velveeta, use cream cheese. This makes a very rich and yummy dip. It’s not as pretty as the Velveeta dip which is orange colored. With cream cheese, the dip has kind of a gray color. Just close your eyes and dip away. Rotel Cream Cheese Dip is fabulous.

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If you enjoy Rotel dip, then consider also making Lit'l Smokies appetizers. There are many variations, and Smokies are always popular at gatherings.

For balance and to provide healthy options, fresh fruit balances nice with the rich Rotel dip and chips. See Fabulous Fruit Dips for a nice collection of different dips for fruit.

Still hungry? See Super Bowl Appetizer Recipes. You'll find all kinds of delicious finger foods for the Super Bowl or any holiday.