Creamy Herbed Spinach Dip or Spinach Dip with Blue Cheese and Bacon

(from RV Brat Recipes’s recipe box)

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

Partial thawing of the spinach produces a cold dip that can be served without further chilling. If you don’t own a microwave, the frozen spinach can be thawed at room temperature for 1 1/2 hours then squeezed of excess liquid. The garlic must be minced or pressed before going into the food processor; otherwise the dip will contain large chunks of garlic.

Source: ATK, Season 5: Appetizers (http://www.woodbridgesparkling.com/pdf/SuperBowl2011.pdf) (from RecipeThing user Bethany) (from RecipeThing user annie hall)

Categories: Snacks

Ingredients

  • 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions,
  • white parts only, from 3 medium scallions
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill leaves
  • 1/2 cup packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced or pressed through
  • garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)
  • 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 medium red bell pepper, diced fine
  • (about 1/4 cup)

Directions

  1. Thaw spinach in microwave for 3 minutes at 40 percent power. (Edges should be thawed but not warm; center should be soft enough to break apart into icy chunks.) Squeeze partially frozen spinach of excess water.

  2. In food processor, process spinach, sour cream, mayonnaise, scallions, dill, parsley, garlic, hot pepper sauce, salt, and pepper until smooth and creamy, about 30 seconds. Transfer mixture to medium bowl and stir in bell pepper; serve. (Dip can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated up to 2 days.)

  3. Spinach Dip with Blue Cheese and Bacon: Cut 3 slices bacon into ¼-inch pieces and fry in small skillet over medium-high heat until crisp and browned, about 5 minutes; using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towel–lined plate and set aside. Follow recipe for Creamy Herbed Spinach Dip, omitting dill, hot pepper sauce, salt, and red bell pepper, and processing 1½ ounces crumbled blue cheese (about ⅓ cup) along with spinach. Adjust seasoning with salt; before serving, sprinkle bacon over dip. If making this dip in advance, hold off on sprinkling the bacon over it until just before serving.

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