Riverpark West Community
From our kitchen

Graveyard Taco Dip

From our kitchen · October 27, 2026

A layered taco dip in a white dish with baked tortilla tombstones marked RIP standing in the top, tortilla chips alongside.
AI illustration

A taco dip is welcome at almost any gathering. For Halloween, I put a few baked tortilla tombstones in the top and give it a new name.

The dip has layers of beans, seasoned sour cream, salsa, cheese, and lettuce. Drain watery salsa before spreading it, and dry the lettuce well. That keeps the bottom of the dish from becoming a puddle halfway through the evening.

I bake the tortilla shapes ahead and store them separately. They only go into the dip when it is time to eat. If a tombstone tips over, somebody can use it as a chip. This is a fairly accommodating graveyard.

Graveyard Taco Dip

Serves
12
Prep
25 min
Cook
10 min
Total
35 min

Ingredients

  • 1 can (16 ounces) refried beans

  • 1 cup sour cream

  • 1 tablespoon taco seasoning

  • ¾ cup thick salsa, drained if watery

  • 1 cup shredded cheddar

  • 1½ cups finely shredded romaine, washed and dried

  • ¼ cup sliced black olives

  • 3 small flour tortillas

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil

  • 2 tablespoons sour cream, for lettering

  • Tortilla chips, for serving

Directions

  1. 1

    Heat the oven to 375°F. Cut tortillas into about eight small tombstone shapes, roughly 2–3 inches tall. Brush lightly with oil and place on a baking sheet.

  2. 2

    Bake 8–10 minutes, turning once, until crisp and lightly golden. Cool completely.

  3. 3

    Spread beans in a 9-by-9-inch dish. Mix 1 cup sour cream with taco seasoning and spread over the beans.

  4. 4

    Layer salsa, cheddar, and lettuce over the sour cream. Scatter olives on top. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

  5. 5

    Pipe simple RIP lettering on cooled tortilla tombstones with the extra sour cream in a small food bag. Just before serving, stand the tombstones in the dip and serve with chips.

Kitchen tip

Assemble the dip up to 6 hours ahead, adding lettuce and tortilla decorations shortly before serving.

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