Bab s South of the Border Taco Dip

1 pound ground beef

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon chili powder

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 teaspoons lime juice, or as needed

1 cup chopped fresh tomato

1 (6 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

2 cups chopped iceberg lettuce, divided

½ cup chopped green onion

1 (16 ounce) jar taco sauce

2 avocados - peeled, pitted, and diced

2 lime, zested and juiced

½ cup sour cream

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Cook the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat until browned and crumbly, about 10 minutes. Drain the excess grease.

Stir in the garlic, chipotle peppers, cumin, and chili powder; cook just until the flavors combine, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a bowl, mix the cream cheese, red bell pepper, and 2 teaspoons lime juice to make a spreadable mixture. Layer the cream cheese mixture in the bottom of a large springform pan or 9x13-inch baking dish.

Spread the cooled beef mixture over the cream cheese.

Top the beef layer with layers of tomato, black olives, Cheddar cheese, half the lettuce, green onion, remaining lettuce, and the taco sauce.

Lightly toss the avocados with juice and zest of 2 limes; spread the avocados over the taco sauce.

Finish the dip by dotting dollops of sour cream all over the top of the dish and sprinkling with cilantro.