I doubled this recipe and layered it in two dishes. I also mixed half a pound of lean ground beef (cooked separately and mixed with taco seasoning) in with the beans for the bottom layer. Getting the guacamole and sour cream to layer without mixing takes a little patience but this was a huge hit at the fourth of july party we went to. It was meant as an appetizer but people snacked on it for the whole party and every mom asked about the ingredients. This recipe is our new party staple!

Loved this! My results are here: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/seven-layer-bean-dip

How far in advance could you prep this? Would it last a week in the fridge?

My germaphobe husband would love this. No one else can even breathe on his dip this way.

duckbound you may be right "lame" is a bit strong, but this doesn't seem like much help entertaining wise. Your margarita glasses sound like good fun. I once served 7 layer in a glass dish shaped almost like a flowerpot but shallow. I used a shovel-like server and we scooped it into lettuce leaves so everyone had their own serving, The lettuce leaves could be eaten with any remaining dip in them.

duckbound you may be right "lame" is a bit strong, but this doesn't seem like much help entertaining wise. Your margarita glasses sound like good fun. I once served 7 layer in a glass dish shaped almost like a flowerpot but shallow. I used a shovel-like server and we scooped it into lettuce leaves so everyone had their own serving, The lettuce leaves could be eaten with any remaining dip in them.

I think layered dip is the cat's pajamas. I serve this often in the summer and it keeps the kitchen and the cook from getting steamed up. I have a bunch of boorish teenage boys coming to see the game, though, so the jars are out, but I'll use this nice idea next summer!

I think that the individual servings are a great idea. Guests don't have to keep going back to the main bowl to get more, and dipping out of a jar is easier than chasing a blob of dip around a little plate. People can share if they think one jar is too much for them. I also agree that it's worth a little bit of extra effort when one is entertaining.

I've served layered dip in plastic margarita glasses before. The tray was beautiful! Wide enough opening for the chips and it was a perfect serving size. Some had to grab more than one, but it worked great! I don't think "lame" is fair. It isn't like you're describing serving delivery pizza and potato chips out of a bag to your guests. Now that would be lame! Proper entertaining isn't particularly easy, but I believe it is more than worth the trouble.

I have to agree that the jar thing is a bit lame. What happens if someone decides they don't want the whole serving? There are other ideas out there. I like 7 layer dip, but usually it's best the next day, or even the day after that. So I have to plan to make it a couple/3 days in advance and all the layers etc. seem to take more work than they are worth. I've decided other things are more worth the trouble.