Bacon, Spinach, Swiss, & Caramelized Onion Dip

By emilou

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 kinda light by incorporating some low-fat 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 as long as you’re treating yourself every once in awhile and not eating this as a meal multiple times a week, you’ll be cool.

Ingredients

• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
• 1 (8-ounce) package Neufchâtel cheese
• 1 cup light mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 1 packet onion soup mix
• 8 slices good quality bacon
• 1 large sweet yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 3 cups spinach, frozen chopped
• 1 1/2 cup swiss cheese, shredded (you could also use white cheddar or really any of your favorite shredded cheese)
• 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
• Generous squeeze of lemon juice
• Fresh cracked black pepper

Preparation

Step 1

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/neufchâtel cheeses, mayo, and sour cream.

Blend until completely creamed together, then incorporate the onion soup mix.

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.

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.

After you’ve lightly pulsed it together, dip your favorite cracker or bread in there for a taste test, if you want more pepper, or lemon, onion soup mix, go for it.

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