Hot Cheesy Spinach Dip

It's been a couple of times I've purchased spinach with intent to use it and forgot.

Thus having to toss out my spinach because it went bad. Well, not today! (Though it was close...) 

I decided I wanted to make a cheesy spinach dip as an appetizer for our dinner party. I played around with the abundance of cheese I had in the fridge and came up with this recipe. This truly was a my own Stacy success in the kitchen. It's creamy, cheesy and delicious!! 

Hot Cheesy Spinach Dip

Ingredient List:

3/4 of a 8 oz bag of fresh spinach - approx 6 oz. (will need to slice and chop)

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon minced garlic

3 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup milk

3 oz cream cheese

3/4 cup cheddar cheese (shredded)

3/4 cup mozzarella cheese (shredded)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Chop onion and spinach. Set aside. 

Pour one teaspoon of extra virgin olive in your small pan to grease (I used a 6x8 Pyrex). Set aside. 

In medium pot, add two teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 cup chopped onion, one tablespoon minced garlic and on medium heat cook until hot or softened (about 5 minutes). Be sure to stir often so the mixture, especially the extra virgin olive oil doesn't burn. 

Stir in finely chopped spinach. Cook spinach until soft and deep green in color, almost mushy looking. 

Pour in milk and stir.

Add cream cheese and slowly mix until melted. 

Add 1/2 cup each of mozzarella and cheddar cheeses. Again, stir until cheese is melted. 

Pour mixture into greased baking. Sprinkle 1/4 cup each of mozzarella and cheddar cheeses on top.  

Place in oven for baking.

Bake on 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until the dip is bubbling and golden brown on the sides.

Serve with crackers or chips. 

TIPS:

Using the 6x8 pan made the dip about a one inch deep. 

Once you pull the dip from the oven, the bubbling cheese will settle. The top cheese will harden/crisped a bit. 

I served the dip with wheat thins and garden herb triscuits. The garden herb crackers brought an extra delicious zip to the dip. 

As the only appetizer, this comfortably fed four people. It is extremely filling that it was almost hard to finish but the pan was wiped clean! 

Why not a whole bag of 8 oz spinach? I think it's just too much for my recipe. Plus, I'm about getting the most use out of the ingredients and the left over bag is plenty to add into a large salad. 

Lastly, I think this dip could also be served straight from the pot to a bowl! The dip tasted amazing in the spoon. However, I do like how the almost toasted cheese tasted on top when baked. Therefore depending on how much prep time, and or presentation you want to have could determine how you want this dish served. 

Pictures from cooking...