Hot Chorizo Cream Cheese Dip – A recipe inspired by my little brother
This chorizo cheese dip is not, flavorful and a perfect party dip or appetizer. Enjoy it with some friends, family for game day. 
Chorizo Cheese Dip Recipe
My little brother is man of few words. Indeed, he’s grown-up, a man who is only a few years my junior, but he’ll always be a little brother to me.
Since childhood, his silence was often overlooked because with so many frolicking kids in one household, all the loud chatter and squabble over the one television was usually ignored. With 6 high energy kids between the ages of 5-16, my parents became selectively deaf to all our loud obsessions and disputes over the Atari game system. A household of 6 kids and two joysticks was never a quiet one.
Mom and Dad knew each of our strengths, weaknesses and tendencies to conjure up crafty excuses as to why we didn’t finish our homework. Gosh, they’re so smart. They know us so well. So my little brother’s soft speech and gentile demeanor was of no surprise to them. The whole family and neighborhood friends accepted him as the “quiet kid” and we protected him with the armor of our sibling clan. No one dared tried to bully him in our hood.
my brother’s love for chorizo is boundless
It wasn’t until middle school that school counselors found his silence to be too unusual, somewhat threatening and tried to label him as clinical. Despite his great grade point average, they “concluded” that he needed help, even possible medication. They eventually became the enemy. My family had to fight the school system and prove to them that he was a normal kid. The school administrators tried to intervene as ambassadors to better his mental health.He was just quiet. He wasn’t a freak. To prove to the antagonists that he deserved to be in a normal school, he had to take a barrage of academic and mental health tests.
My parents told him to prove to everyone that he wasn’t a mute nor a clinical case. The repercussions of him failing was to simply take away his Atari video game system. That was enough to pull him out of his shell.
Lo and behold, he went in there, chattered his way through the tests and passed with flying colors. Little Brother was able to keep his beloved Atari. It’s amazing how kids make a 180 degree turnaround when they get threatened to have their toys taken away.
Till this day, he’s still a quiet type; a tender, passionate, gentle soul who normally never sparks conversation with anyone he doesn’t know. But when you bring up anything that has to do with video games, music, classical guitars, baseball, or fast cars, he’ll speak more than just a few words. Little brother will give you an ear-full.
Recently, I found another subject that has sparked his interest and has him talking for minutes on end. It’s his love of my sweet onion dip. He loves my sweet onion dip so much, that he actually adapted it and made it amazing. To have my little brother experiment with food has always been a miracle in itself, but to have him adapt a recipe of mine and make it his own was shocking to me.
Little Brother added chorizo to the sweet onion dip. He told me that. He talked with great excitement. He just couldn’t stop talking his chorizo cheese dip version.
I sat and watched him rattle eloquently about how delicious the chorizo was. He talked my ear off on his onion browning techniques, the best timing for the cheese melt and how his dip became the hit at his last party. He made it obvious that his love for chorizo and melted cheese was boundless and eternal.
My little brother may be quiet, but like many of people I know, they only want to speak when there’s a purpose. They’re the flies on the wall, the attentive, observant ones who would much rather listen than speak. I don’t find these folks threatening, but rather refreshing because it’s nice to just be able to sit with someone you love and care about, in silence.
This hot chorizo dip recipe is dedicated to him and rightfully so.
-diane
This hot chorizo cheese dip recipe was originally published in 2010 and is a reader favorite. I’ve re-edited and updated the recipe to make it easier to read and clarified more of the steps. Thank you! Here’s a roasted cherry tomato sweet onion dip and stove top artichoke dip you might enjoy.
Hot Stove-Top Chorizo Cheese Dip Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound (455g) pork chorizo , most chorizo sold in packages come in 10-12 ounces. This amount will work fine too
- 1 tablespoon (30ml) vegetable oil (optional) , depending on the fat content of the chorizo. Leaner chorizo will need some oil coated on the pan, fattier chorizo will release plenty of fat for this dip.
- 1 cup (240ml) minced onion (about 1 small onion)
- 1 cup (240ml) mayo
- 8 ounces (227g) cream cheese
- 1/2 cup (120ml) freshly grated parmesan cheese
- fresh jalapeno or serrano chili peppers , sliced (optional)
- fresh chopped cilantro (optional)
Instructions
- In large skillet, heat oil (if needed). Remove chorizo from casing and break-up into the pan. Cook for about 1 minute until fat is released. Add minced onion and chili peppers. Gently stir and cook for about 5 minutes or until chorizo and onions are cooked.
- Add mayo, cream cheese and freshly grated parmesan cheese. Continue cooking until all the cheese is melted and mixed well into the chorizo.
- If there is excess fat grease, soak up with paper towels (but you can leave the excess fat if desired because the fat is what makes it good!). Top with fresh chopped cilantro or cilantro sprigs.Serve with crunchy tortilla chips. And add a ice cold beer to complete the meal!
Nutrition Information per Serving
I bookmarked this awhile ago, and right now I have some leftover chorizo in my fridge, so this is definitely getting made in the next couple of days! I might just eat it for dinner. But don’t tell anyone. 🙂
I’m so glad that you guys posted this again for the Superbowl… this is one of my favorite recipes that you guys have ever posted. sooooooo goooooood
Thanks for posting! My little brother (and he will always be) loves this kind of thing. He and his wife are both teachers so I appreciate the education angle too. I am always trolling for interesting versions of classics. Thanks for this one and the other stovetop recipes.
I used an 8oz (225g) package of cream cheese, I figured that is what you intended.
I substituted New Mexico green chile for the peppers–don’t figure this make any difference, but I always have some around.
I also added 1 t. of cumin and some dried oregano and cilantro to add a little flavor to compliment the chile and chorizo.
I’m the second-time visitor and the first-time commenter. You’ve most likely heard this many times, but your photography is so beautiful I can’t stop looking. On top of it, you also, generously, share photography tips. What a deal. Thank you, thank you.
I made this!!! IT WAS FANTASTIC.
I could not get chorizo so I used hot Italian sausage but it was still amazing. LOVED IT.
Nicole- yay! glad it worked well and the hot italian sausage sounds amazing! thanks for the tip.
What a hearty and tasty looking dip!
This is such a great story and, of course, recipe.
Although the football season is ending, Nascar is starting up and this would be great to have for race day- esp. daytona! Thanks for sharing. My boyfriend will LOVE this. I want to show him now but I think I’ll surprise him on 2/14!!
What a great story. I went through a similar thing (I was told my school that he had ADHD) with my son. Parents know their children. I refused to put him on meds because I loved just the way he was. He is now a great student, and great kid. Glad I listened to my heart. Adding chorzio to anything makes it better!!
Holly- good for you ! Refuse the meds.
Beautiful post and amazing recipe. Can’t wait to try it & thanks for sharing your story with us. 🙂
I would be blabbing too if someone threatened to take away the Atari. Heck my parents put us in front of it so we would shut up and leave them alone.
Definitely liking this dip and I could babble about chorizo and cheesy goodness all day long too. Nicely done!
Jeff- LOL! Atari seems to be the key to getting kids to excel!
To Everyone—–thank you for sharing your sibling stories with me. It’s so wonderful to know that silence is often a virtue to many.
and for the rest of you who like the dip, hope you get to make alot of it for superbowl! thank you.
Touching post and a great recipe – what more can you ask for 🙂
You just made me miss my sister 🙂 Thanks for the wonderfully written and moving piece. That makes me soooo irate that people here are so ready to dole out diagnoses and medicate whenever they can. I was also a pretty quiet child who got great grades on all tests and papers but didn’t achieve perfect scores because I was a little too shy to fulfill my “class participation” quota. Let’s hear it for the quiet ones!
Fiona- yeah, it was tough for us to have to fight administration from medicating my sibling. It can be infuriating, but that’s for me to vent on another forum.
Giving you and your sister a big hug right now!
your ‘lil bro sounds like a sweetheart. it must run in the family.
I feel for the guy… growing up, people were always asking my sister what I was so angry about (apparently, to some people, quiet and reserved = sullen; go fig). Thankfully, I was private- and home-schooled, so never had to deal with bureaucrats.
One problem with the recipe, though… cilantro is NEVER optional. 😉
Jac- LOL! I don’t want to have to make cilantro an option either, but I know of some folks who are seriously sensetive to you. Too bad!
Wow, such a touching post – thanks for sharing. The dip looks amazing and very appetizing.