Bacon Spinach Dip
Served right out of the cast iron skillet, this Bacon Spinach Dip with Garlic Knots makes for a fun and tasty Super Bowl appetizer!
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If you’re looking for a fun and tasty appetizer for the Super Bowl, then this Bacon Spinach Dip is it! You’ve got tasty Parmesan garlic knots. You’ve got creamy spinach dip. You’ve got bacon. (Bacon really does make everything better!) Oh, and the entire thing is served in a skillet for a unique presentation style. I promise there won’t be any of this one left at the end of the party. Well, there might be one lone garlic knot…only because folks seem to be afraid of taking the last piece of anything. (I don’t have that fear. I will gladly take ownership of that last garlic knot!)
Bacon Spinach Dip
Bacon Spinach DipI love a good garlic knot, and I’ve adapted my original garlic knots recipe for this post. (On a side note, I made a Muffin Tin version of garlic knots a couple of years ago. That recipe continues to be one of my most popular each Super Bowl season!) As good as those knots are by themselves, I have to say that they’re even better with this Bacon Spinach Dip. The dip itself comes together quickly in a skillet, and then it gets spooned into the middle of the unbaked garlic knots. Toss the whole shebang in the oven, and out comes this fun appetizer served right in the skillet itself! (Be careful where you set that skillet as it will be very hot.)
I used a homemade pizza dough recipe for the garlic knots, but there are other options if you don’t feel like making your own dough. (On a side note, if you don’t make your own dough this time, then promise me you’ll come back and learn how to make homemade pizza dough some other time. It seriously is amazing!) The easiest option would be to pick up a bag of pizza dough from your local grocery store. Our local store usually has bags of pizza dough for a couple of bucks. (For some reason, they’re in the dairy section. Go figure!)
The in-between dough option is to call a couple local pizza shops and see if any of them sell their dough. One of the key secrets to creating flavor in pizza dough is letting a small portion of the dough ferment overnight. Pizzerias often use a portion of the previous day’s dough when they make the next big batch. If you call around, you’ll likely find a pizza shop that is willing to sell you a ball or two of dough.
No matter which way you go with the dough, this Bacon Spinach Dip is sure to be a party favorite. I know I could barely get the pictures taken before we dug into this skillet of deliciousness! I hope you enjoy this dip as much as we do. After all, if your team isn’t in the big game, then the Super Bowl is just an excuse to get together and eat tasty appetizers with friends. Enjoy!
Did you make this Bacon Spinach Dip at home? Leave a comment. Or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog)!
Looking for other tasty Super Bowl appetizer recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
Muffin Tin Stromboli
Slow Cooker Italian Beef Sandwiches
Pull Apart Cheeseburger Sliders
Pulled Pork Totchos
Pizza Stuffed Pretzel Bites
Bacon Spinach Dip
Ingredients
For the Garlic Bread
- 1 batch pizza dough store-bought or homemade
- 1½ Tbsp olive oil
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1½ tsp Italian seasonings
- 1 tsp kosher salt
For the Bacon Spinach Dip
- 6 slices thick-cut bacon
- ½ tsp minced garlic
- 1½ cups fresh baby spinach chopped
- 8 oz. cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
Instructions
For the Garlic Bread
- Divide the pizza dough into 16 equal pieces.
- Using a circular motion, roll each piece of dough between countertop and palm of your hand until dough ball becomes tight.
- Place a small bowl upside-down in the center of a 9” cast iron skillet. (Tip: The goal should be to create a 3” gap between bowl and sides of the pan.) Place dough balls in a ring around the edge of the skillet.
- Brush tops of dough with olive oil.
- Cover pan lightly with plastic wrap and place in a warm location for 45 minutes, or until dough has risen approximately doubled in size. (Tip: For a warm location, I put the pan in my oven with just the oven light on.) This is a great time to make the dip.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Once dough has risen, remove the bowl in the center and fill with prepared dip.
- Bake for 28-30 minutes, or until tops of garlic bread are lightly browned.
- While skillet is in the oven, melt the butter and stir in the Parmesan cheese, minced garlic, Italian seasoning and kosher salt.
- Remove skillet from oven and brush tops of garlic bread with the garlic butter mixture.
- Crumble cooked bacon on top of the dip.
- Serve hot. (Tip: Use a knife to gently cut apart the pieces of garlic bread.)
For the Bacon Spinach Dip
- Using a medium skillet, add bacon and place over medium-high heat; cook until crisp. Transfer cooked bacon to a paper-towel lined plate. Drain excess grease, but reserve 1 tablespoon in skillet.
- Add spinach and garlic; cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until spinach has wilted.
- Add cream cheese, sour cream and Monterey Jack cheese; cook, stirring occasionally, until cheeses have melted and mixture is well combined. Set dip aside.
I might have to fight you for that last garlic knot! This is a perfect appetizer for anytime and I’ll need to make a double batch or else my family will eat it all before I get any!
Haha! Bring it on, Kathy! 🙂 And I totally hear ya about making a double batch…this one disappeared surprisingly fast. Cheers!
Oh, this would disappear fast! And I love that it’s an all-in-one appetizer, David! Delicious (obviously!) and entirely portable if the Super Bowl party happens to be hosted by someone else.
This dip did indeed disappear quickly, Marissa! It was so tasty. And you make a good point about transporting this to someone else’s place for a Super Bowl party. It’s self-contained, and you don’t have to show up and ask them to use the oven. Win-win!
Yum yum yum!!! What a great idea. I love both the bread and the dip. I just made a spinach artichoke dip the other day and didn’t even think about bacon! Brilliant!
Bacon makes everything better, Mimi! This dip is seriously addicting in the best way possible. And the garlic knots as dippers? Oh man, those are good enough to eat by themselves! 🙂
I could so see this being devoured before you can put the pan down. Prefect for game day for sure!
Yup, that’s pretty much what happened here, too, Matt. We had to portion control ourselves so we didn’t eat the entire pan in one sitting…that totally could’ve happened, by the way! 🙂
this looks seriously delish david! i love the idea of bacon and spinach and cream cheese in the middle. and it looks pretty too. cheers sherry
Thanks so much, Sherry! I love this recipe, too. It’s quite tasty, and it’s all contained in one neat little pan. Perfect for serving up fun appetizers to guests!
What a perfect game day appy. I love the presentation idea and I’d tuck-in to that last one no problem.
You know, Swedes have this thing about not taking the last food on a serving plate. Lucky for me as I always grab it…
Yeah, I’m a fan of serving the dip and garlic knots together, too. Not only does it look cool, but it’s easy to serve (or bring with you to someone else’s house).
Interesting tradition about not taking the last food on the plate. I’d have to flip a coin with ya for the last one. And while you’re busy flipping the coin, I’d just go eat it. 🙂
Love dips like this! Nothing like serving the dip and the chips (or buns) all in the one skillet! If this doesn’t say comfort food, I don’t know what does…and after a record breaking snowfall here this past weekend, I need all the comfort food I can get 🙂 Hope you have a great week, David!
I totally agree, Dawn! Serving the dip and the dippers in one skillet makes life easy…plus, it just looks kinda cool. Sorry to hear about the record-breaking snowfall up your way. We had one of those here back in December. Those kinda snows definitely require large amounts of comfort food! Stay warm, my friend!
David, this might just be the most fun, brilliant app ever. So clever to be able to grab a garlic knot (YUM!) and dip it right in to the deliciousness that, that spinach dip is, right in the same pan where it baked! 🙂 ~Valentina
Why thank you very much, Valentina! I love this recipe for a couple of reasons. 1-it’s tasty. 2-it looks cool. 3-it’s easy to serve/transport. I’m not kidding when I say we could’ve eaten the whole thing in one sitting! (We didn’t, though. We’re trying to be _sorta_ good around here. Haha.)
This is a great way to serve bacon spinach dip. I love that you use a cast-iron skillet. Sounds delicious!!
I love my cast iron skillet! I use it all the time, but I especially love when I can serve the recipe straight out of the skillet. This dip recipe is definitely a keeper! Thanks, Dawn! 🙂
Is it weird to love both bacon and spinach? I don’t know. I mean, they’re from entirely different walks of life: one so healthy, one so not. But then how is it that creamed spinach is such a steakhouse staple? What is it about spinach that makes it want associate with all the wrong kinds of foods? Or is it all the right kinds? I guess spinach is like Sandy at the end of Grease, and in the context of your dip, I can just hear it saying, “Tell me about it, stud.”
If anything could possibly make a bacon and spinach dip even more of a tempting combo, it would absolutely be garlic bread! This is a masterwork of comfort food, David.
Hmmm, you ask a lot of excellent spinach-based questions here, Jeff. I must consult with the spinach experts to find the answers. Or I could just shove a garlic knot covered with bacon spinach dip into my mouth and ponder your questions alone. I believe the second option is better.
On second thought, I believe spinach is akin to that friend who wants to be good but keeps finding himself hanging out with the wrong crowd. Then again, if bacon is wrong, I don’t want to be right!