I think this is the best spinach dip ever and after this, I certainly will not be wanting spinach dip from the deli again. This is a hot dip, baked in the oven, but it will be just as good cold the following day. Rebecca’s recipe called for frozen spinach – I was thinking of the abundance of spinach from our garden during the summer and opted to try it out with fresh spinach instead. A package of 10 oz frozen spinach is roughly equals to 1-1/2 cups of cooked spinach, not squeezed out, because the frozen spinach is still full of liquid too. I only made half the recipe, so envision twice the amount pictured here. The biggest task was washing the leaves; the cooking took no time at all. I list both fresh and frozen spinach in the recipe. If opting to use a frozen package, omit the first five steps from the instruction.
REBECCA’S SPINACH DIP
1 cup light cream cheese1 cup light mayonnaise
1 cup light sour cream
1/4 tsp salt
1 pkg. frozen spinach or 2 bunches fresh spinach
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-1/2 cup shredded Asiago cheese, or cheddar or mozzarella, or a mixture of cheeses
If using fresh spinach:
• Wash 2 bunches of fresh spinach in running water.
• Drain.
• Place spinach in a small Dutch pot and pour boiling water on the top.
• Turn on the heat and bring to the boil.
• With kitchen thongs turn over spinach and remove pot from the heat.
If using frozen spinach:
• Omit the preceding steps and defrost the frozen spinach in the microwave.
From here on, prepare both the freshly cooked and frozen package the same way.
• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Squeeze out all the liquid from the spinach and set it aside.
• Place the cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, salt and minced garlic in a bowl and beat to combine.
• Add 1 cup of shredded cheese, reserving 1/2 cup for use later.
• Add the squeezed out spinach and stir to combine.
• Transfer dip to an “oven to table” baking dish.
• Sprinkle the top with the reserved shredded cheese.
• Bake in the oven at 350F until the dip begins to bubble.
• Serve spinach dip either hot, cold or anywhere in between.
