Ingredients:

  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 packet taco seasoning
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 medium Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
  • 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup diced white onion
  • 1/2 cup sliced black olives
  • 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions:

  1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
  2. Add the ground beef, breaking it apart with a spoon until mahogany-colored and fully cooked.
  3. Stir in the taco seasoning and water, simmering for 3-5 minutes until the liquid reduces into a thick glaze. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
  4. In a mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, sour cream, garlic powder, and salt until the mixture is velvety and smooth.
  5. Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly across the bottom of a 9-inch shallow serving platter.
  6. Spoon the seasoned ground beef over the cream cheese, leaving a rectangular empty space in the top left corner.
  7. Fill the empty top-left corner with sliced black olives to represent the blue field of the flag.
  8. Create horizontal red and white stripes across the remaining beef layer by alternating rows of diced tomatoes and shredded cheddar cheese.
  9. Garnish the edges of the platter with diced white onion and chopped fresh cilantro for added color and flavor.