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
- 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
- 3 cloves roasted garlic, chopped
- for serving: toasted pita crackers, chips, carrots, celery, etc.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C) degrees.
- 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.