Spinach & Caramelized Onion Dip A flavor-blasted take on the classic Spinach Onion Dip with cream cheese. Caramelize the onion for an ultra amazing appetizer for your parties and gatherings.
With graduation around the corner, it’s time to think of celebratory foods.
When it comes to appetizers, I’m completely defenseless against warm, creamy, cheesy dips made with cream cheese. Any time the classic onion, spinach or spinach-artichoke dip is present, it’s like staring at the face of addiction.
Recently, it dawned on me that I needed a homemade onion dip in my life.
And then it hit me – why stop at onion?
Why not caramelize it? And while we’re at it, why not do a hybrid spinach-onion shebang?
Yeah, let’s do it!
How to Make Caramelized Onion Spinach Dip:
Preparing the dip is a multi-part process, but nothing too complicated.
Start by caramelizing the onions, which takes a chunk of time but is a fairly hands-off step. You can work on other things while the onions are caramelizing.
Once the onions are caramelized, wilt the spinach and mix the rest of the ingredients in with the veggies.
Transfer the mixture to an oven-safe dish, give it a sprinkle of cheese and bake it up. Serve hot with your choice of toasted baguette, fresh vegetables, chips, and enjoy!
I personally love using sea salt potato chips for dipping into this sort of flavor fest.
They’re super crunchy and sturdy so you can load them up with as much dip as your mouth can take and not worry about them breaking.
There’s nothing like a satisfactory dipping experience.
This dip can also be served cold.
To serve it cold, simply skip the baking process and refrigerate the dip until chilled.
For a dairy-free mock cream cheese dip, make my Paleo Sour Cream and Onion Dip!
Dig in!
Spinach & Caramelized Onion Dip
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 small yellow onions finely chopped
- 5 oz. baby spinach
- 1 8-oz package cream cheese
- 1/3 cup half-and-half or milk
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to sweat, about 5 minutes.
- Decrease the heat to medium and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to turn deep brown, about 25 minutes.
- Add a couple of tablespoons of water to deglaze the pan and decrease the heat again to medium-low. Continue cooking until onions are deep brown in color and caramelized, about 20 more minutes. Set aside until ready to use.
- Preheat the oven to 425° F. Add the spinach to a pot and cover it. Heat over medium, stirring occasionally until wilted, about 3-5 minutes.
- Once the spinach is cooked, add the remaining ingredients (except for ½ cup of the mozzarella cheese) to the saucepan. Stir and heat until it's all well-combined, about 5-8 minutes.
- Transfer the hot dip to a small oven-safe casserole dish and sprinkle it with the remaining cheese.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the cheese is golden-brown and the dip is bubbly. Serve with potato chips, and enjoy.
Why did I wait so long to make this? It is amazing! Thank you for a new favorite appetizer.
I’m so happy you enjoy it, Connie! Thanks for letting me know! xo
Did you know it’s been almost 41 years since I graduated from high school? Yes. I just admitted that. I will now need this dip to get over this shock to my system over being so old and to hell with the chips. Just give me a spoon.
Time really does fly lol! It’s insane. Also insane? This dip–it’s everything I want and need in a dip. Caramelized onions, spinach, cheeeeese-just….deliciousness
Geez reading this made me think about my own graduation. It doesn’t seem all that long ago, but if I think about it for real it’s been just about 9 years. Crazy! Who knew that much time had passed.