Most schools are back in session, but Little Miss’s preschool tends to start up later. Lucky me, I’m the president of the PTO there, and we have a small cadre of volunteers for a number of reasons. In an effort to get things kicked off on a positive note, I invited some of the moms who have volunteered to help out at my house for munchies and our first meeting.
And of course, by some munchies, I made a tomato and avocado salad, brie with dessert sauces, marinated mozzarella with grape tomato skewers, and a hot cheesy spinach dip. Ok, and a few other things. In fact, I just realized that I forgot to put out the truffles. Oops. (See, don’t you wish you were part of my PTO?)
It was good. I finished up the avocado and tomato salad for dinner last night, and it’s possible that I’m currently snacking on the spinach dip right now as my dinner for tonight. Oh choices, choices.
How to Make Cheesy Hot Spinach Dip
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Saute your well-chopped onion in the olive oil. While it is sauteing, defrost your spinach and squeeze the heck out of it to get out allll the excess moisture. You want nearly dry spinach. Or be brave and lightly chop some fresh spinach and toss it in when the onion is nearly done.
Once the onion is sauteed, add the garlic for about thirty seconds. Then add the mayo and Neufchatel. Toss in the spinach and chili powder (cayenne pepper). Stir on medium-low heat until it’s nice and combined and the Neufchatel is totally melted.
Slowly add the cheddar cheese. As in add one small handful at a time, stir until totally melted, then add the next handful. If you don’t do this, you’ll end up with an icky mess of cheese. Once all the cheddar is incorporated, do the same for the Parmesan.
Once everything is incorporated, salt and pepper to taste. With the salt in the cheeses, you shouldn’t need much at all. Serve it hot (keep it warm in a crock pot doo-hickey) with fresh bread — Hawaiian is great, but French is pretty darn good, too. When you run out of bread, tortilla chips make a good substitute. Not that I’d know personally…
This would also be great with chopped artichoke hearts. Or diced fresh tomatoes are added at the end. Or other cheeses. Or anything your imagination can come up with, I’m thinking!
Enjoy!
If you like me and want me to have the chocolate that I so desperately need, go vote for my pretty banana boats over at Laura’s Best Food/Foodie Foto. Please vote for me?
Cheesy Hot Spinach Dip
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 8 ounces neufchatel softened
- 1 red onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1/4 teaspoon Indian chili powder
- 12 ounces frozen spinach
- 1 cup cheddar cheese grated
- 2 cups Parmesan cheese grated
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Saute your well chopped onion in the olive oil. While it is sauteing, defrost your spinach and squeeze out all the excess moisture. Make sure it's nearly dry. Or you can lightly chop some fresh spinach and toss it in when the onion is nearly done.1 red onion, 2 tablespoons oil, 12 ounces frozen spinach
- Once the onion is sauteed, add the garlic for about thirty seconds. Then add the mayo and neufchatel. Toss in the spinach and chili powder. Stir on medium low heat until it’s nice and combined and the neufchatel is totally melted.3/4 cup mayonnaise, 8 ounces neufchatel, 3 cloves garlic, 1/4 teaspoon Indian chili powder
- Slowly add the cheddar cheese. Add one small handful at a time, stir until totally melted, then add the next handful. Once all the cheddar is incorporated, do the same for the Parmesan.1 cup cheddar cheese, 2 cups Parmesan cheese
- Once everything is incorporated, salt and pepper to taste. With the salt in the cheeses, you shouldn’t need much at all. Serve it hot with fresh bread. When you run out of bread, tortilla chips make a good substitute.Salt and pepper
Notes
- The Neufchatel is naturally lower in fat cream cheese — don’t buy the plastic fat-free stuff.
- The Indian chili powder is a personal preference so you can use cayenne pepper or something similar.
- Gradually incorporate the cheese for even distribution and prevent clumping. This ensures a smooth and creamy texture in your dip.
- For additional flavor and texture, consider adding chopped artichoke hearts, and diced fresh tomatoes at the end, or incorporating your favorite shredded cheese blend.
- For more tips and tricks, be sure to read the full article above.
Nutrition
This site uses an online source to provide nutrition estimates as a courtesy. If you need exact values, please calculate yourself.
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Sounds like a great dip for football season! I am sorry I did not make it over here in time to vote for your banana boats! I'm slowly getting caught up on blogging and reading. Finally, things are settling down at least a little around here!
Angela – Yep, I'm definitely doing it for Super Bowl this year! And no worries on the voting – I actually somehow won!