Baked Spinach Dip Loaf
Servings 16 people
Ingredients
- 6 strips bacon cooked and crumbled, divided
- 2 pkgs (8 oz each) cream cheese softened
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 pkg (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach thawed and squeezed dry
- 1 can (8 oz) sliced water chestnuts drained and chopped
- 1 1/4 cups Cheddar cheese shredded, divided
- 2 green onions chopped, divided
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 tsp dill weed
- 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
- 1/8 tsp pepper
- 1 (1 lb) round loaf unsliced, sourdough bread
- slices cucumber
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°. Reserve 1 tablespoon crumbled bacon for topping. Beat cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth. Stir in spinach, water chestnuts, 1 cup cheese, half of the green onions, garlic, seasonings and remaining bacon.
- Cut a 1-1/2-in. slice off top of bread. Hollow out the bottom, leaving a 1/2-in.-thick shell. Cut all removed bread into cubes for serving. Fill shell with dip. Wrap in heavy-duty foil, tenting foil over dip. Bake on a baking sheet 1-1/4 hours.
- Open foil carefully, allowing steam to escape. Sprinkle dip with remaining cheese and green onion and the reserved bacon. Bake until cheese is melted, 10-15 minutes. Serve warm with cucumber and cubed bread.
Notes
Baked Spinach Dip Loaf
Any round loaf works as a serving bowl for this cream-cheesy dip, with spinach, cheddar, water chestnuts and, yes, bacon. Scoop the dip with the extra bread and veggies—then eat the bowl! —Frieda Meding, Trochu, Alberta