Description
This creamy garlic bacon spinach dip is like regular hot spinach dip, but turned up a notch with extra flavor. Enjoy crispy bacon, plenty of roasted garlic, and extra parmesan cheese in each bite. You can bake this dip in a 2.5 quart baking dish or in individual ramekins. Serve warm with crunchy fresh vegetables, crackers, pita chips, pretzel bites, or crusty homemade bread.
Ingredients
- 3 cloves garlic
- 6 slices bacon
- 4 cups fresh spinach*
- 8 ounces full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/3 cup plain full fat regular or Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 3/4 cup shredded or shaved parmesan cheese, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- for serving: toasted pita crackers, chips, carrots, celery, etc.
Instructions
- Roast the garlic: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Using a sharp knife, slice off the top of the fresh garlic head to expose the cloves inside. Pour 2 Tablespoons of olive oil inside a round or square baking pan (I usually use a 9-inch round pan) and coat the pan evenly. Place garlic head inside, exposed side up. Sprinkle the garlic head with a little salt and pepper and drizzle 1 additional Tablespoon of olive oil on top. You want them to have a nice coating of oil so they don’t burn easily. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and roast for 40 minutes. Remove the pan from oven. To remove the roasted cloves, grab the bottom of the garlic head and gently squeeze until the cloves pop out—they will be mushy and ready to use in the dip. (You can roast the garlic in advance if needed. Cool completely, then place in a small container submerged in olive oil. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks, drain, and then use.)
- Turn the oven down to 350°F (177°C).
- Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp. Turn off the heat, transfer cooked bacon to paper towel lined plate, and remove all but 1 Tablespoon of bacon grease from the pan. Once bacon has cooled down enough to handle, chop into bite-size pieces.
- Turn the skillet with 1 Tablespoon of bacon grease on low heat. Cook spinach for 1-2 minutes or until wilted. Turn off heat and set spinach aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, yogurt/sour cream, and mayonnaise together on medium-high speed until creamy and smooth. Add 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese, the salt, pepper, and roasted garlic. Fold in the spinach and all but 2 Tablespoons of the chopped bacon.
- Spoon the dip into a 2.5 quart baking dish, such as a 9-inch square baking pan, 9-inch cast iron skillet, 9-inch pie dish, or anything close to that size. In these photos, I used a 7×11-inch baking dish which holds the same volume. Bake for 18 minutes, remove from the oven, sprinkle evenly with remaining parmesan cheese and chopped bacon. Return to the oven and bake until the dip is bubbly around the edges, about 5-8 more minutes.
- Serve dip warm. Cover leftovers tightly and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 300°F (149°C) degree oven until the sides are bubbly again.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | 2.5-quart Baking Dish (such as a 9-inch square pan, 9-inch cast iron skillet, 9-inch pie dish, or 11×7-inch baking dish)
- Spinach: Use anywhere around 4 cups. The recipe is very forgiving. If you like a lot of spinach, pack down the 4 cups when measuring. If you do not like a lot of spinach, do not pack it down. You can use one 10-ounce package of frozen spinach instead and skip step #3. Thaw frozen spinach and pat very, very dry before using.
- Individual Ramekins: Instead of baking in a baking dish, spoon dip equally into 6 6-ounce or 4 8-ounce ramekins. Bake ramekins on a large baking sheet. Remove from the oven after 15 minutes, sprinkle with remaining cheese and bacon as directed in step 5, then return to the oven for an additional 5-8 minutes.