I love a good spinach dip whether it’s served hot or cold or mixed with other ingredients. This is a fairly healthy (or perhaps ‘less bad for you’) take on spinach dip.
Many spinach dip recipes call for frozen spinach, but I much prefer to use fresh spinach. If you’ve cooked fresh spinach you know that it decreases in size a lot as it wilts. To get the desired 1-1/2 cups of cooked spinach, you need to begin with 22 ounces – that’s two large containers at my grocery store. Perhaps you have 24 ounces of fresh spinach, that’s fine as it is okay to use a bit more.
While I look for any reason to use artichokes in a dish (they’re my favorite food), I used hearts of palm which have a similar consistency to artichoke hearts and a slightly milder flavor. In this case they provide a different texture and allow the spinach to shine. Hearts of palm are fairly low in calories but packed with important minerals like potassium, phosphorus, copper, and zinc.Hearts of palm are also a bit lower in carbs than artichoke hearts.
This recipe calls for different types of cheese including mozzarella, ricotta and Parmesan-Reggiano. The ricotta binds the rest of the ingredients together while the mozzarella and Parmesan-Reggiano provide nice flavor.
I served this dip with an assortment of vegetables including carrots, celery, cucumbers and radishes. The ‘Red Meat’ or ‘Watermelon’ radish slices were a big hit. These came from our weekly Bryn Clovis CSA share in Malvern, Pennsylvania. Given my signature colors, you’re likely not surprised that I love this radish with its hot pink center and green outer circle. You can also serve it with baguette slices.
Thank you to our new friends, Ray and Allyson B, for hosting us for dinner and allowing me to try out a new recipe on you. We all agreed that this dip was tasty.
Looking for other spinach dips? Artichoke and Spinach Dip is a regular in my hot dip rotation and Buffalo-Bacon-Spinach-Artichoke Dip is a good special occasion dip as it has a lot going on.
| Cheesy Spinach Dip | | Print |
- 4 teaspoons olive oil, divided (see Notes)
- 22 ounces fresh spinach, divided (see Notes)
- 14 ounces hearts of palm, drained and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella (whole or part skim)
- 1-1/4 cup part skim ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese
- Serve with sliced vegetables and/or baguette slices
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a 9-inch square baking dish with oil. Set aside.
- In a large pot (5 to 6 quarts) heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add half of the spinach (approximately 11 ounces) and toss with tongs until the spinach wilts. Remove from the pan and place in a colander in the sink. Repeat with remaining olive oil and spinach. Add the second batch to the colander. Press as much of the liquid as possible from the spinach. Transfer spinach to a cutting board and roughly chop.
- In a large bowl combine cooked spinach, hearts of palm, garlic, mozzarella, ricotta, and Parmesan-Reggiano cheeses. Mix well with a rubber spatula.
- Transfer mixture to the prepared pan.
- Bake (uncovered) for 20 to 25 minutes until cooked through and slightly browned around the edges.
- Serve warm with sliced vegetables and/or baguette slices.
* You can use 1-1/2 cups of frozen spinach (thawed and squeezed to remove liquid) in place of fresh spinach. You do not need to cook it.
* You can prepare the dip 24 hours in advance up until the baking step. Cover and refrigerate until ready to bake. Add 10 extra minutes to baking time (30 to 35 minutes).
Thanks for sharing! It was a great dip and very healthly option which is always appreciated!
Ray – Thank you! I’m so glad you and Allyson liked it.
Ooooh. I love the idea of using hearts of palm! Great idea. Great recipe.
Mimi – Thank you!