Hissy Fit Dip

The first stir halfway through baking is when the separate cubes of cheese start turning into one creamy dip. Hissy Fit Dip gets its hearty base from pork sausage, while the tomatoes and green chiles bring a little tang and gentle heat to all that rich cheese. I like that everything goes into one baking dish after the sausage is cooked, so there’s no second pot of sauce to fuss with.

The small details help the dip melt evenly: cut the cheeses into cubes, soften the cream cheese first, and drain the canned tomatoes and green chiles. That last bit matters because extra liquid can thin the finished dip. Stir once during baking, then give it a short rest before setting it out. The result is a bubbling, scoopable dip with savory sausage in every bite.

Why Draining the Tomatoes Keeps This Cheese Dip Scoopable

Canned diced tomatoes and green chiles bring moisture along with their flavor. If that liquid goes into the dish, the cheese mixture has to absorb it while it melts, and the finished dip can turn loose around the edges. Drain the can well before combining everything; the tomato pieces still add plenty of bite without pouring their packing liquid into the cheese.

That balance matters because this dip already has several creamy ingredients. Velveeta melts smoothly, cream cheese gives the mixture body, and sour cream loosens it just enough to stir. The drained tomatoes and green chiles add contrast rather than making the whole pan watery. When you combine the ingredients, the mixture will look thick and lumpy from the cheese cubes. That’s expected. It turns cohesive in the oven, and a halfway stir moves the softened cheese through the sausage so it melts evenly instead of leaving a dense layer at the bottom.

Keep the tomato pieces in the dip rather than trying to puree them. Their small chunks give each scoop a little texture, and the green chiles are distributed throughout instead of concentrated in a separate topping.

What the Sausage and Three Cheeses Each Bring to Hissy Fit Dip

• Ground pork sausage — It supplies the browned, savory pieces that keep this from eating like plain melted cheese. Use a sausage you enjoy on its own; the seasonings in the meat carry through the whole dip. Break it into small pieces as it cooks so a chip can pick up sausage and cheese together.
• Velveeta and cream cheese — Velveeta is the dependable melting base here, while cream cheese adds a thicker, gently tangy feel. Cutting both into cubes helps them soften through the mixture in the oven. There isn’t a one-for-one swap among the other listed cheeses that gives the same smooth melt, so keep the Velveeta for the texture this dip is known for.
• Sour cream — This brings a little tang and makes the melted cheeses easier to stir together. Use it straight from the container; no special prep is needed. Replacing it with another cheese would make the dip heavier and less balanced.
• Diced tomatoes and green chiles — The canned combination gives the dip its tomato flavor and mild chile bite in one ingredient. Drain it well, but leave the pieces intact. The brand can vary in heat, so check the can if you’re sensitive to chile spice.
• Sharp cheddar — Cheddar adds a more pronounced cheese flavor alongside the mild, creamy melt of Velveeta. Use shredded sharp cheddar, as it blends readily with the other ingredients.
• Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and dried oregano — These small additions season the cheese and sausage mixture without making it taste like a separate sauce. Measure the dried herbs and seasoning into the dish with the other ingredients so they disperse as you stir.

Brown the Sausage, Then Let the Oven Melt the Cheese

Cook the Sausage Until No Pink Remains

Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium heat and cook the ground pork sausage for 8 to 10 minutes, breaking it into small pieces as it browns. Stir and break up any larger clumps so the meat cooks evenly. Check that no pink remains and that the sausage reaches 160°F. Drain off the excess grease before it goes into the baking dish; leftover grease can leave oily pockets in the finished dip.

Combine Everything in the Baking Dish

Heat the oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9-inch square baking dish. Add the cooked sausage, cubed Velveeta, softened cubed cream cheese, sour cream, drained tomatoes and green chiles, shredded cheddar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and oregano. Stir until the ingredients are distributed, even though the mixture will still look uneven and chunky. If the cream cheese is still firm from the refrigerator, it’ll be harder to work through the sausage before baking.

Bake and Stir Once Halfway Through

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through. The cubes will soften gradually, so don’t judge the dip by how it looks in the first few minutes. At the halfway stir, scrape along the bottom and fold the melted cheese through the sausage and tomatoes. The dip is ready when the cheeses have melted and small bubbles appear around the edges.

Let the Dip Set Before Scooping

Take the dish from the oven and let the dip rest for 5 minutes. It will still be hot, but the brief pause gives the melted cheese time to settle into a more cohesive consistency. If you scoop immediately, the cheese is looser and more likely to run off your chip. Serve once the rest is up, while the dip is still warm.

Two Easy Ways to Adjust the Flavor Without Changing the Dip’s Character

Questions That Come Up When Making Hissy Fit Dip

Hissy Fit Dip

Hissy Fit Dip is a hot, oven-baked sausage and cheese dip with a creamy center and bubbling edges. Velveeta, cream cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, and green chiles make it a hearty party appetizer.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Resting 5 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Servings: 12 servings

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Calories: 380

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 lb ground pork sausage
• 1 package (16 oz) Velveeta cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese softened and cut into cubes
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes and green chiles drained
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 0.5 tsp garlic powder
• 0.5 tsp dried oregano

Equipment

• 1 9-inch square baking dish
• 1 12-inch skillet

Method

 

1. Heat the oven to 350°F.
2. Lightly grease a 9-inch square baking dish.
3. Cook the sausage in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, breaking it into small pieces, until no pink remains and it reaches 160°F.
4. Drain the excess grease from the sausage.
5. Add the sausage, Velveeta, cream cheese, sour cream, tomatoes and green chiles, cheddar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and oregano to the baking dish and stir to combine.
6. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until the cheeses are melted and the dip is bubbling around the edges.
7. Let the dip rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

For the smoothest dip, cut the cheeses into cubes before combining. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; freezing is not recommended because the dairy can become grainy. For a gluten-free option, use gluten-free Worcestershire sauce.