Holiday Appetizers 101: Fresh Spinach and Artichoke Dip with Bacon.
Here we have another excellent appetizer to cause you to unbuckle that belt one meal too early! It is the holiday season, right? Unbuckling pants mid-meal is inevitable.
Just wear a cute, long top like I do. Because it’s spinach artichoke dip!
I love a thick, creamy spinach dip. Love it even more with bacon. I love it even more with smoked cheese. This is a treat every will love. Even veggie-haters like myself.
Along with cream cheese, I use mayonnaise and sour cream and my base.
Just as with the buffalo chicken dip, if you are making this for a crowd, I suggest using full-fat ingredients. It makes it so decadent!
Fresh sautéed spinach, garlic and shallots are some of the other deliciousness in this dish.
Make sure you use an entire bag of spinach so you are left with enough for the dip by the time it cooks down. I love using fresh spinach, and must admit I’ve never even tried frozen spinach.
So then I fold everything together with a spatula – cheese, artichokes, spinach and bacon.
And I use marinated artichokes because I think they add a delicious flavor to the dip. The best!
Spread it into a baking dish – and voila!
It is simple, quick, and so much tastier than other spinach dips. It is very creamy and thick, with lots of ooey-gooey cheese. Who can say no to that??
Not me, my thighs or my hips. They don’t lie.
I like to serve it with bread and crackers – and my vice – blue corn chips.
Did you know blue corn chips are fantastic for breakfast?? They really are. I promise. Try them.
Fresh Spinach and Artichoke Dip with Bacon
Ingredients
- 2 (8 ounce) blocks of cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayonaise
- 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 cup shredded smoked mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 (6 ounce) bag of fresh spinach
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 shallot, chopped
- 8 slices of bacon, fried and crumbled
- 1 (12 ounce) can of marinated artichokes, drained
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Heat a skillet on medium heat, and add olive oil. Add spinach, garlic and shallots, stirring until spinach is wilted and cooked down. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, and sour cream. Beat with an electric hand mixer until smooth. Fold in 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, spinach, artichokes, and crumbled bacon. Pour into a baking dish and top with remaining cheese.
- Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Serve with bread, chips, and crackers.
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
Four words. Get. in. my. belly.
[photos by sarah fennel]
22 Comments on “Holiday Appetizers 101: Fresh Spinach and Artichoke Dip with Bacon.”
Ha! Get in my belly. This looks REALLY good. Like one of those “Oh I’ll make this for guests then eat it before they even arrive” kinda goods. :)
Blessings!
Amanda
Yah, finally you are making my favorite one!!! I love that spinach dip…..and always over eat them . I would love to make them own with light ingredients , so I won’t feel that guilty!
thanks for doing this series, it’s so helpful ! I collected quite a lot recipes for the party already :-)
Have a wonderful thanksgiving, Jessica!
haha i totally just said that last line in the voice of fat bastard
oh yummy, ok for the holidays in moderation thanks for visiting
Rebecca
spinach & arti dip is HANDS DOWN my fave dip.
I can veganize it, but i do love your version, I bet it’s sooo good :)
dont know if i could eat chips for breakfast, but the dip looks fantastic!
I say YES to chips for breakfast, YES YES YES!:) (ok, I really like chips)
Happy Thanksgiving, dear!
Mmmmmm! That sounds fantastic! I love your style!
I love spinach and artichoke dip, except no bacon. Some restaurants that serve it do make it using bacon grease so as a veggie I always ask about that.
The good food is totally worth every extra belt buckle!
artichoke dip is the only way my fiance will eat artichokes.
which means i buy it all the time to, you know, expose him to the artichokes in hopes of him one day eating them normal
it’s totally altruistic.
This looks amazing!! I’m totally going to try :)
Have a happy Thanksgiving !!
Love the addition of bacon. Bacon makes everything taste better!
I make this dip all the time, but I have never tried bacon or fresh spinach… I will have to try it next time!!
This is a great recipe!! I’ve been looking everywhere for one that used fresh spinach and everything calls for the frozen stuff! I will definitely be making this again, and it’s a great way to get spinach and artichokes in my kids!!
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I have made numerous spinach and artichoke dips, and I’ve never thought any of them were good enough to make again. Your recipe, however, was delicious and we devoured it! I can finally stop the search for the perfect spinach and artichoke dip! Amazing…thanks for sharing!
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hi. wondering what size of baking dish this fits into? thanks so much
Where do you find the shredded smoked mozzarella? Can it be replaced with regular mozzarella cheese ?