toasted bread, crackers, or tortilla chips for serving
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Grease a medium casserole dish or deep skillet with cooking spray, oil or a little softened butter.
Squeeze any excess water from the spinach and give it a rough chop. Set aside.
In a large bowl with a sturdy wooden spoon, combine the cream cheese, sour cream and parmesan until no lumps remain.
Stir in the Armanino Pesto, 1 cup of the mozzarella, garlic, salt, pepper, chile flakes, lemon juice, and chopped spinach until well combined.
Turn the mixture into the prepared baking dish and top with reserved ½ cup mozzarella.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until dip is bubbly and cheese is melted and golden brown. If the cheese needs a little more color, run under the broiler for an additional 2-3 minutes.
Serve warm with toasted bread, crackers and/or tortilla chips.
Chef’s Tips
Dip can be made and assembled up to 2 days ahead and kept in the refrigerator before baking.
This recipe works well in a slow cooker too, for easy hands off prep. Cover and cook on low 2-3 hours (or high 1 hour) until cheese is melted. Check every 30 minutes or so and give it a stir.
Mix it up by adding ½ cup chopped marinated artichoke hearts, ½ cup cooked crumbled bacon or a cooked link or two of crumbled Italian sausage.
