Party Party Dip Recipe

Every year for the party, this cold dip has been on the party table. Each time, someone asks, what is it? Not because it looks out of place, (it looks like a dip with tomatoes and cheese) but because the flavor is always unexpected.

Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix instead of taco seasoning is what makes this dish stand out. Just like that, one simple substitution changes the entire flavor. You will still get fresh tomato and the heat from the pickled jalapeños, but the dressing adds a tangy, herby depth that surprises people.

Chilling the dip is not optional. The cheese and dressing need to combine to create a dip that has a unified flavor rather than a bunch of different, disconnected flavors. Chill for a minimum of three hours, though overnight is best.

With just 10 minutes of prep time and a few hours in the fridge, you can make a dip that will be gone before the game starts!

What the Italian Dressing Packet Actually Does Here

Most cold dips that feature tomatoes and cheese typically use either taco seasoning, or some spice blend that has a lot of cumin in it. This recipe, however, makes quite the turn and instead uses a packet of Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix, prepared according to back of the packet instructions with oil, water, and vinegar.

The flavor is a little pico de gallo and a little Italian dressing. It’s a little oddly tangy, roping in and spreading through the tomatoes, cheese, and jalapeños. It is super unexpected when you think a dip would be packed with Mexican spices.

Maybe it’s just the sheer volume of shredded Colby-Jack cheese that is working miracles. It’s definitely not a lightweight dip. One people scoop is more than enough to fill a chip and numerous chips and dip portions will serve 10 to 15 guests. It’s enough to line the whole party table with a dip, chips, and a veggie tray.

Party Party Dip Ingredient Notes

Roma Tomatoes

The ideal choice for this is Roma tomatoes. They are fleshier and contain less moisture, which is particularly important for a cold dip that you’ll be refrigerating overnight. Standard beefsteak tomatoes will release way too much juice and cause the entire dip to turn watery by the time you serve it.

You can use any kind of tomato if you cut them into quarters. With any type of tomato, make sure you drain any excess moisture on the cutting board before adding it into the bowl. If water collects at the bottom, it’ll water down the dressing and make it bland.

Green Onions

Chop three green onions, white and green parts together. Use green onions, as they are milder than normal onions. Raw white onions are too harsh. Plus, they can get sharper overnight in a cold dish, which is not the case with this dip.

If you only have white onion, go with approximately 2 tablespoons of chopped onion. However, keep in mind that the dip may get a little more on the onion-y side after sitting in the fridge. It may sound strange, but that’s not a bad thing.

Cilantro

This calls for three tablespoons of chopped cilantro. If you think cilantro tastes like soap, feel free to leave it out — it works without it. If you don’t have a strong opinion on cilantro, you can start with half the amount and adjust from there.

Prior to chopping, take out the thick, central stems. The thin ones attached to the leaves are perfectly fine, but thick ones become bitter when they marinate in dressing, and certainly no one wants that by day two.

Pickled Jalapeños

**Important:** This recipe uses *pickled* jalapeño rings, not fresh jalapeños. Fresh jalapeños have a different taste and heat than pickled ones because of the vinegar they get soaked in. The vinegar and acidity will compliment the Italian dressing instead of clashing with it.

Using five or six rings will give a mild to medium heat, and if your crowd runs hot, use 8 to 10 rings. If you’re aiming for no heat at all, use a tiny amount of finely diced green bell pepper for color and crunch but not the spice.

Shredded Colby-Jack Cheese

Grab a bag of pre-shredded Colby-Jack cheese. It costs less than buying a block, and adding another step to this recipe is unnecessary. The 16 ounces is there for a reason. Don’t cut it down just because it feels like a lot.

If mixed and chilled, the cheese will absorb the dressing and soften, integrating it into the dip instead of staying as loose dry shreds on top. Good substitutes include Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, or a Mexican Four Cheese blend. Keep in mind, when using Pepper Jack, it will add extra heat on top of the Jalapenos.

Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix

The packets can be found in the salad dressing aisle. To make the dip, follow the instructions on the packet. You combine the dry powder with oil, water, and vinegar in the provided cruet or in a small jar, shake it up, and it’s done. Good Seasons Italian dressing mix is what gives the dip that flavor.

Ready-to-use Italian dressings are highly variable in quality. Some have a decent taste, while others are just a mess of salty flavor. If you can’t find Good Seasons, Zesty Italian from a packet is a decent second choice. Avoid using pre-bottled Italian dressing. It is too watery and will make the dip too wet.

How to Make Party Party Dip

Start with the packet for the Italian dressing. Combine the dry packet with the oil, water, and vinegar according to the directions on the packet. Shake well, and set it aside.

Identify the half-inch markings on the ruler; you will be cutting the Roma tomatoes into those sections. Also, while cutting, make sure to eliminate any moisture on the cutting board, as excess moisture will change the texture of tomatoes after refrigerating overnight.

Slice the green onions thinly. With the cilantro, separate the thin leaves and stems from the thick stems, and then chop. For the pickled jalapeños, drain them and chop roughly.

Combine the chopped tomatoes with the shredded cheese into the bowl. Add the green onions, the cilantro, and the jalapeños. Toss everything together with the Italian dressing. Dress everything well; the cheese will clump together at the bottom if you don’t mix thoroughly.

Cover it in plastic wrap and place it in your refrigerator for a minimum of 3 hours. The more time it has, the better. There is no way to shortcut this step. The dressing needs time to permeate the cheese. In addition, the tomatoes must extract some of their moisture, and this will combine with the dressing to create that saucy consistency that transforms this from a cheese salad to a dip.

Since the dressing will settle at the bottom, give it a stir before serving. It can be served cold with tortilla chips.

Why It Keeps Getting Better After Day One

In my opinion, a dip only becomes acceptable after three hours of chilling. It’s best after it’s been chilled overnight. The difference is so huge that I tend to do this the night before a party instead of the day of.

The Italian dressing has soaked into the cheese which caused it to soften so that it feels more integrated with the rest of the components rather than just being separated and placed in the bowl on top of everything else. Plus, the tomatoes have released some of their juice which mixes with the dressing to bring everything together. At the end of the day, everything is really harmonious and tastes like it belongs together as opposed to just tasting like a bunch of individual parts that were haphazardly thrown into a bowl.

My favorite day for eating this dip is the day after I make it. It has become so typical of my husband to take the remaining dip with a fork directly from the container to eat it. Need I say more?

Things That Can Go Wrong

When making this recipe, the biggest concern you should have regarding the tomatoes is moisture, or I should say too much moisture. Using tomatoes that are too ripe or cutting your tomatoes too large will lead to a watertomatoes that are too ripe or cutting your tomatoes too large will lead to a watertomatoes that are too ripe or cutting your tomatoes too large will lead to a watertomatoes that are too ripe or cutting your tomatoes too large will lead to a watery layer at the bottom of your bowl as the tomatoes release their excess moisture. Be sure to use Roma style tomatoes, cut them to a medium small size, and drain the tomatoes well before adding them to the bowl.

If your tomatoes are extra juicy, let them sit in a colander and drain for about ten minutes before mixing.

The dip won’t last forever. After three days, the dip becomes watery, and the tomatoes begin to break down. For the best quality dip, I suggest you aim to have it eaten two days after it’s made. For a party and for a crowd, dip like this usually won’t last that long, so that time frame shouldn’t be a concern.

Four Ways We’ve Made This Even Better

Add Black Beans

For an even heartier dip with more of a Tex-Mex flair, drain and rinse a can of black beans and stir them into the dip (even with the Italian dressing base). This is a great option when you need to stretch the batch even more for a larger crowd!

Add Corn

A drained can of sweet corn, Sugar and added texture. This version has more of a corn salsa vibe and is especially great to make the summer when corn is in season. If you are using frozen corn, just thaw it and pat it dry.

Swap to Pepper Jack

If you want to make the dip spicier, substitute pepper jack cheese for the colby jack. With jalapeno rings, this dip really heats up. If you’re making it for an audience that enjoys spicy food, this version will disappear the fastest.

Add Cream Cheese

Blend 4 ounces of cream cheese into the dip before refrigerating. This will add more creaminess to the dip and help it thicken. Your dip will have fresh veggies in it! It will be richer than the original and hold together a little better when scooping with chips.

How to Serve It and What Works as a Chip

The best option is standard salted tortilla chips. Lime flavored chips are also good and enhance the brightness of the tomatoes. The most important factor is the chip thickness; a thick chip is better at holding a large scoop of cheesy dip. Of course, thin chips break.

When preparing a party, an example of a wide shallow bowl would work better than a deep narrow bowl. The chips can be dipped easily without having to reach deep into the bowl, and guests can use a serving spoon to load their plates instead of double dipping.

This is great with baked fish or grilled chicken too if you have some leftovers. It can also be a quick weeknight dinner if you just put some on a chicken breast. You can use this on anything you would use pico or fresh salsa on because that is basically what it is, a cold salsa-cheese hybrid.

Storing Party Party Dip

You can keep the dip in the fridge for 2-3 days, but day 2 is the best day to eat it because all of the flavors would have mixed together nicely. On day 3, the dip won’t be as good. The tomatoes will have softened, and dip will be a lot more watery. Of course, it will still be safe to eat, but the overall texture will just really not be the best.

Since the dressing tends to settle, stir it before every serving. Please do not freeze. The cheese, along with the fresh vegetables, do not freeze and thaw well.

More Party Dips We Keep Coming Back To

If this dip really takes off for you and you want something else to go with it, here are some of the dips we make the most often for events:

• Cream Cheese Salsa Dip
• Pepperoni Pizza Dip
• Rotel Dip

After making this Party Party Dip, leave a comment to let me know how it turned out! I’d love to hear if you did a variation.