Spanakopita Party Dip

If you and your family like spanakopita then this dip is for you. Great for a family get together or watching the game with friends (football or otherwise 🙂 ). I got this idea when I was making spanakopita and had a couple of cups of filling left over. Wow, it is amazing!!!

You can serve it with homemade pita bread chips or regular pita, or if you don’t have time store bought is just fine. I also used leftover dip to make spanakopita mac and cheese. Just make your favorite version of mac and cheese and throw in a cup or two (depending on how much you are making) and let it melt into the sauce…actually, that is what I made for dinner tonight.

In this version of spanakopita filling, I added cottage cheese which makes it perfect for a dip since it lends more creaminess to the dish. I also used whole milk mozzarella and asiago for the additional cheeses since that is what I had at home. If you are feeling adventurous, you can add a third cup of chopped canned artichoke hearts (drained) or chopped sautéed mushrooms into it too! Give this a try, it’s a real treat.

You will need:

• 10-12 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed & squeezed of excess liquid
• 3/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 cup cottage cheese
• 4 green onions, cleaned, thinly sliced, and darker greens separated
• 3 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cups shredded kasseri, graviera, gouda, gruyere, Monterey jack or mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1/3 cup grated mizithra, kefalotyri, asiago, or parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil (for dish)
• Pita chips, pita bread, or veggies, to serve

Steps:

1. If you are starting from scratch and don’t have a couple of cups of spanakopita filling left from a different dish then prep your spinach by making sure you have squeezed out as much of the water…this is very important. I use a cheese cloth or thin kitchen towel to twist the water out.
2. Sautee the white and light green parts of the chopped green onions in about a teaspoon of olive oil, set aside.
3. Mix the first 10 ingredients together (from spinach to egg), well (you will add the sautéed green onions and the darker greens at this time), this is your basic spanakopita filling. If you have your own version of filling left over than use that instead, you will need two packed cups worth, and continue with step 4.
4. Add in the cream cheese until well incorporated.
5. Mix the shredded cheese with the grated cheese to combine and reserve 3/4 cup for topping.
6. Add in the rest of the cheese and red pepper flakes to the spinach mixture and combine well.
7. Add mixture into an oven proof dish brushed with a light layer of olive oil.
8. Evenly top with reserved cheese and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes, or until it starts to lightly bubbly on the sides. If you want the cheese to have a light brown color broil for the last 1 to 2 minutes, but keep an eye on it.

Kali Orexi!