Bacon, Spinach, Swiss & Caramelized Onion Dip

I know the Super Bowl is over (GO HAWKS OMG!) but I see no reason why I can’t share my latest dip recipe with you. I mean, DIP! Who doesn’t love it? It’s not like you can’t eat dip just because football season is over (*sob*). After all, we still have basketball, Oscars, random Saturday nights when you feel like staying on the couch with a box of wine, Costco-size bag of chips, and bucket of dip all night, etc… So here we go.

This isn’t anything revolutionary, but it’s all of the best snacking kind of flavors combined into one. Salty bacon? Yep. Sweet caramelized onion? You know it. Refreshing spinach? Heck yes, you’re getting your iron, son!  Savory, cheesy…cheese? YES! I tried to keep it kiiiinda light by incorporating some lowfat ingredients in my Creamy Dip Trinity (cream cheese, mayo, sour cream) but let’s be real. You’re eating bacon pulverized into a dairy base, so “light” is pretty relative in this case. But it’s worth it.

Bacon, Spinach, Swiss, & Caramelized Onion Dip

1 package (8oz) of cream cheese
1 package (8oz) of neufchâtel cheese
1 cup light mayo (I like the kind made with olive oil)
1/2 cup light sour cream
1 packet onion soup mix (secret “cheat” ingredient that makes this soooo gooood)
8 slices good quality bacon (nitrate-free, it might be more expensive but it’s better!)
1 large sweet yellow onion, thinly sliced
3c frozen chopped spinach
1 1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese (you could also use white cheddar or really any of your favorite shredded cheese if you’d rather!)
1 tbsp red pepper flakes
Generous squeeze of lemon juice
Fresh cracked black pepper

Warning: This makes a lot of dip. You can half the recipe if you’re making it for a small gathering. I made this amount for my (30ish+ people) Super Bowl party and we still have about a half cup leftover in the fridge. We had enough food for the entire Seahawks team, though. It was glorious.

ANYWAY, I made this in our food processor but you could also hand mix it if you wanted. It will just take a bit more effort. First, combine all your Dip Trinity: cream/neufchatel cheeses, mayo, and sour cream. Blend until completely creamed together, then incorporate the delicious, delicious onion soup mix. Don’t worry about what’s in it, just keep mixing.

Meanwhile, heat up a tablespoon of oil in a skilled and let your onions brown up and caramelize on low heat for about 20 minutes. When you have about 10 minutes to go, fry up your bacon in another skillet. You want it crispy and crunchable, not soggy, but you also don’t want to burn it. So keep an eye on things, yo.

Add the red pepper flakes, lemon, and as much black pepper to the creamy mixture and give it a few pulses. You can add more later to your tasting.

Once that’s all pulsed (or hand mixed) together and there are no lumps, throw in your caramelized onions, bacon (just crumble it by hand while you drop it in), spinach, and cheese. You don’t want to totally liquefy this all together, you want some texture and chunks and there. It’s a little more exciting. After you’ve lightly pulsed it together, dip your favorite cracker or bread in there and see how it goes! It’s pretty hard to mess this recipe up—if you want more pepper, or lemon, or hey, onion soup mix, I’m not judging! Go for it.

Serve alongside your favorite chips or crackers, topped with a bit of shredded cheese and a sprinkle of paprika.