Step up Your Queso Skills With This Cheesy Bacon Jalapeño Corn Dip

What's better than queso, you ask? How about queso that highlights crispy bacon, fresh jalapeños, roasted corn, basil, and the ultimate cheese trifecta: shredded mozzarella, Parmesan, and cream cheese? This creative concoction from Food Steez has everything we want out of snack: an easy, painless recipe, and a slew of bold flavors in every bite. Chips and dip are a staple of any party table spread, and this shareable appetizer is no exception -- providing, of course, that you're willing to share (yeah, it's that good). 

Cheesy Bacon Jalapeño Corn Dip

Total Time: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
  • 8 strips bacon
  • 2 ears corn, roasted
  • 2 jalapeños, sliced
  • 1 cup cream cheese, softened
  • 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • Dash cayenne pepper
  • ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
  • Parmesan cheese, grated, to taste 
DIRECTIONS:
  • Preheat oven to 400°F. 
  • In a medium-sized cast iron skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until semi-crispy. Remove from heat and set on a paper towel-lined plate to drain any excess oil. Drain off all but 1 teaspoon of the remaining grease in the skillet (you'll use it later to grease the pan and add more bacon flavor to the dip). 
  • Chop the bacon into crumbles.
  • In the same skillet, combine the roasted corn (cut from the cob), sliced jalapeños, cream cheese, salt, cayenne pepper,  half of the mozzarella, half of the bacon, and half of the basil. Create a second layer with the remaining bacon, basil, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese to taste.
  • Place in the oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes. Serve with the tortilla chips of your choice on the side. 
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