Ultimate Hot Spinach Dip
This dish of deliciousness boasts three types of cheese (tart, nutty, and melty), vibrant spinach, garlic, and the perfect amount of seasoning. The middle is creamy, bubbly, and rich, and the top is golden, cheesy, and stretchy. This, my friends, is the ultimate hot spinach dip.
This recipe was written for the Arizona Republic.
Tips for the ultimate hot spinach dip
- Squeeze your spinach. Spinach contains an enormous amount of water, liquid that will make your dip soupy, not rich and creamy. After cooking the spinach, wrap it in a kitchen towel, or paper towels, and wring out all the liquid.
- Opt for fresh spinach if possible. I prefer fresh baby spinach leaves for this dip. Yes, removing the stems requires a little extra work, but frozen chopped spinach is often stringy. That said, you may substitute 10 ounces of thawed, well-drained, frozen chopped spinach.
About the cheese
I used a blend of parmesan and mozzarella cheeses in this dip for a reason. The parmesan is sharp and nutty, and the mozzarella is buttery and gooey. They simply work well together when commingled in a hot dip. If you don’t have mozzarella cheese, you may substitute Oaxaca, gouda, mild cheddar, Monterey Jack, Swiss, or fontina cheese.
Take note, some of these cheeses have a higher fat content, which might make your dip a bit oily.
If possible, use freshly grated parmesan cheese. Pre-grated parmesan cheese is undoubtedly convenient, but it simply doesn’t melt as well as freshly grated parmesan!
Try to use full-fat ingredients
Nobody ever labelled traditional hot spinach dip “diet food”. It’s a hearty appetizer! Using full-fat ingredients will guarantee the best outcome, and each bite will be more satisfying than a dip made with low-fat or fat-free ingredients. I’m not your boss, so do what you want, just know that a “skinny dip” might be less enjoyable.
Feel free to prep the dip up to 12 hours in advance
Cover the dip with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to bake. For the best results, pull the dip from the fridge 30 minutes before baking (or add a few minutes to the baking time when starting with cold dip).
Consider some add-ins
The recipe below is the classic, much-loved recipe for hot spinach dip. If you want to create your own, custom dip, consider adding:
- 1 cup chopped (drained) artichoke hearts
- 1 cup chopped and sautéed cremini mushrooms
- 1/4 cup chopped (drained) sun-dried tomatoes, 1/4 cup chopped (drained) roasted red peppers
- 1/4 cup crumbled crispy bacon
Serve your dip with crackers, pita, and fresh vegetables
There are no hard-and-fast rules about how to serve your hot spinach dip. Offering a wide variety of options is simply for pleasing the crowd.
Lastly, check your teeth! This isn’t mandatory, but we’re eating spinach here, and you know what often happens. If nobody else has the guts to tell you, I will.
Ultimate Hot Spinach Dip
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil, plus more for coating the pan
- 9-10 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves, long stems removed
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
- For serving, crackers, pita, and vegetables
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven 375 degrees. Coat a baking dish or oven-proof skillet with a thin layer of olive oil.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, stirring frequently. Remove the pan from the heat and let the spinach cool.
- When cool enough to handle, wrap the spinach in a kitchen towel or paper towels and wring out all the water. Transfer the spinach to a cutting board and coarsely chop. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, 3/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, and black pepper. Mix until well blended. Fold in the spinach.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and top with the remaining 3/4 cup of mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for 20 minutes, until the cheese is golden, and the dip is bubbly. If desired, place the pan under the broiler and cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes to brown the cheese further.
- Top with chives and serve with crackers, pita, soft bread, and/or vegetables