Serves 8 – 10
Hot Cheesy BLT Dip
- 4 pieces of thick cut bacon, cooked, chopped
- 8 oz ⅓ reduced fat cream cheese, at room temperature
- ¼ cup light mayonnaise
- ¼ cup light sour cream
- 1 garlic clove, pressed
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayeene pepper
- 1 cup baby spinach, chopped
- 1 tomato (medium-large, like a roma or on the vine variety)
- 1¼ cup Italian blend shredded cheese (or mozzarella cheese), divided
- Fresh herbs for garnish, chopped (parsley/basil), optional
– Start by cooking the bacon – I do this by baking it on a foil lined baking sheet at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, remove it from the oven, flip it, then cook for another 5-10 minutes depending on thickness. You want the bacon almost cooked through – a little softness is ok. Remove bacon from oven and transfer to a paper towel lined plate and blot grease off. Cut bacon in little pieces.
– Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
– In a bowl combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, and sour cream, beat with a hand mixer (or stir it by hand) until combined. Add in bacon pieces, garlic, salt, cayeene pepper and stir, then add in baby spinach and tomato pieces and half of the cheese (3/4 cup). Stir until combined, then spoon into baking dish (or dishes). Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of the baking dish (or divide among the baking dishes) and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese on the top is melted and the edges start to brown.
– Remove from oven, allow to cool for 5 minutes, then serve and enjoy!
– Serve with olive oil brushed bread (I like to bake mine so that it forms almost crostini-like pieces) or serve with crackers or chips