Hot Pesto Spinach Dip

Ingredients

  •  10 oz frozen chopped spinach (1 package), thawed
  •  8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
  •  1 cup sour cream
  •  ½ cup grated parmesan
  •  ⅓ cup Armanino Basil Pesto
  •  1 ½ cups grated part-skim mozzarella, divided
  •  2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
  •  ½ tsp kosher salt
  •  ¼ tsp black pepper
  •  ⅛ tsp red chile flakes
  •  1 tsp fresh lemon juice
  •  toasted bread, crackers, or tortilla chips for serving

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  2. Grease a medium casserole dish or deep skillet with cooking spray, oil or a little softened butter.
  3. Squeeze any excess water from the spinach and give it a rough chop. Set aside.
  4. In a large bowl with a sturdy wooden spoon, combine the cream cheese, sour cream and parmesan until no lumps remain.
  5. Stir in the Armanino Pesto, 1 cup of the mozzarella, garlic, salt, pepper, chile flakes, lemon juice, and chopped spinach until well combined.
  6. Turn the mixture into the prepared baking dish and top with reserved ½ cup mozzarella.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
Yields
8 servings
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes

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