How To Make Espinaca: Use as a Dip or a Sidedish (+Video)

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Sneak Preview: Espinaca combines spinach, corn, and mushrooms with cream cheese and green chilies. Use it as a spicy side dish or an easy dip recipe. It’s similar to Abuelo’s version of espinaca.

Serving Espinaca as a dip. Shown with tortilla chips surrounding dip on a plate with a spoon.Pin

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Most of us need a good excuse to eat more nutritious spinach. This colorful and tasty mixture is the perfect answer.

Don’t worry if you’re not a big spinach fan. Once I learned that the world of spinach was bigger than the canned spinach on my plate in the school cafeteria, I jumped on board the spinach train, especially when it’s fresh or frozen.

Add spinach to mushrooms, red bell peppers, and corn, then mix with a spicy chipotle cheese sauce. Top off this party dish with plenty of gooey cheese to make a spicy and savory dip or side dish.

It’s guaranteed to draw a crowd!

Happy Cooks Speak Up

“Wow…love all the ingredients. Great as a dip. I love it!”MARY M.

Recipe Inspiration

Abuelo’s was the first restaurant we visited when businesses opened up after the lockdown. My favorite items on the menu are the sides. This recipe is one I’ve duplicated, along with their Cheesy Jalapeño Mashed Potatoes.


Ingredients and Substitutions

  • SPINACH: Frozen spinach is the easiest way to go, but fresh spinach is also good. Try to get as much moisture out of it as you can
  • MUSHROOMS: Fresh sliced button mushrooms are my first choice. Fresh Baby Bellas would be just as good. Substitute canned mushroom pieces if you don’t have fresh ones. They will be cheaper and easier.
  • BACON: 2 slices are no big deal if you keep cooked bacon in your freezer. Microwaving two pieces of bacon doesn’t take long, either.
    • Costco sells shelf-stable bags of cooked bacon pieces until you open them. They would be the perfect solution for this recipe and your next pizza.
  • CHIPOTLE PEPPERS IN ADOBO SAUCE: Buy these in a small can. They add a lot of heat and interest to this recipe. Freeze the remaining peppers for future use. (See directions below.)
    • Cut back on these peppers if you aren’t much for spicy food.
  • ONION: White or yellow onions are best.
  • RED BELL PEPPERS: Use yellow or orange peppers if you don’t have red bell peppers. Green peppers will give your recipe a different flavor vibe since they are not as sweet.
  • CORN: Fresh would be fabulous, but I generally use frozen corn for convenience.
  • PROCESSED CHEESE: Velveeta is my processed cheese of choice.
  • CREAM CHEESE: This recipe is spicy enough that you can use low-fat cream cheese if you prefer.
  • JACK OR CHEDDAR CHEESE: You could leave this out if you don’t have it. I like to double the cheese. Use pepper jack cheese if you prefer a spicier dip.
Baked Espinaca as a side dish or casserolePin
Serve espinaca as a casserole if you prefer.

How To Make Espinaca

spinach cooked in the microwavePin
1. Microwave spinach until soft but still bright green.
squeezing the moisture out of the spinachPin
2. Use an old but clean tea towel to squeeze out the excess moisture in the spinach. Set aside.
frying bacon cut into piecesPin
3. Fry bacon in a large skillet. Remove from the pan, leaving the grease behind.

softening the peppers, onions, and garlic.Pin
4. Soften the peppers, onions, and garlic in the bacon grease for a couple of minutes.
melting the cheesePin
5. Add cream cheese and Velveeta to make a queso sauce.
Stir until melted.Pin
6. Heat on “LOW” until the cheese melts.
Add corn, spinach, and baconPin
7. Add corn, spinach, and bacon. Stir.
Add milk if the espinace is too thinPin
8. If the Espinaca seems too thick, add milk starting with 1/4 cup. You may need less milk if you serve this as a side dish than if you want to use it as a dip.
Spinach casserole with chips on the sidePin
9. Sprinkle grated cheese on top. Heat in the oven until the dip is hot and the cheese melts.

Espinaca: FAQ

What do I serve with Espinaca?

Pita or tortilla chips are ideal if you use this as a dip. Abuelos serves it as a side dish or casserole with Cheesy Jalapeño Mashed Potatoes.

Since it is plenty spicy, I like to serve it with rice or plain mashed potatoes.

Can I make this recipe ahead of time?

Yes, make it up to 24 hours ahead of time. Mix all the ingredients except the cheese. Refrigerate.

Sprinkle shredded cheese on top and place the prepared spinach into a preheated oven for about 20 minutes before serving.

What are Chipotle chiles?

Chipotle chiles are smoked, dried jalapenos. Purchase these chiles in a can packed with adobo sauce.

Since Chipotle chilies are potent, I drop each whole pepper along with a portion of sauce, onto a cookie sheet covered with waxed paper.

Freeze, remove frozen pepper portions from a zippered plastic bag, and return to the freezer. Take out only the portion you need and chop finely for this recipe.

Parting Thoughts: My favorite way to serve Espinaca is as a cheesy party dip. You also might be interested in this Cheesy Corn Dip or Easy Slow Cooker Velveeta Cheese Dip with Hamburger and Sausage.

Recipe Help at Your Fingertips: For questions or suggestions, email Paula at saladinajar.com. If you need help, I’m happy to troubleshoot via email (faster than leaving a comment). Attach pictures and as many details as possible for the best advice.

Espinaca as a dipPin
Yield: 6 servings

Espinaca like Abuelo’s

Spinach, corn, and mushrooms combine with cream cheese and green chilies to make a spicy and savory dip or side dish.

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5 from 4 votes
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Video

Prep time: 40 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes

Ingredients
 

  • 1 10-ounce bag (283 g) frozen spinach
  • 2 slices bacon, 1/4-inch pieces
  • 8 oz. (227 g) fresh mushrooms, sliced or coarsely chopped
  • 1-2 teaspoons chipotle in adobo sauce, finely chopped
  • ½ (55 g) onion, finely chopped
  • ¼ cup (37 g) red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons seasoning salt
  • 5 ounces (141 g) processed cheese like Velveeta, cubed
  • 3 ounces (85 g) cream cheese
  • 1 cup (236 g) thawed or fresh whole kernel corn,
  • ½ cup (56 g) 2 oz grated Monterey Jack or Cheddar Cheese

Instructions

  • Snip a small corner of 1 10-ounce bag (283 g) frozen spinach. Place onto a plate and microwave (still in the bag) for 3 minutes to thaw. Spinach should still be bright green. Pour into a strainer and mash with a spoon to get as much liquid as possible. Set aside.
  • Sauté 2 slices bacon, 1/4-inch pieces in a medium skillet until crispy. Remove the bacon and pour off all but a tablespoon of grease.
  • Sauté 8 oz. (227 g) fresh mushrooms, sliced or coarsely chopped in the same skillet. Add 1-2 teaspoons chipotle in adobo sauce, finely chopped , 1/2 (55 g) onion, finely chopped, 1/4 cup (37 g) red bell pepper, chopped, and 1 teaspoon garlic, minced when brown, cooking until vegetables are softened. Season with 1-1/2 teaspoons seasoning salt.
  • Over low heat, add 5 ounces (141 g) processed cheese like Velveeta, cubed and 3 ounces (85 g) cream cheese to the veggies. Stir to melt and combine.
  • Stir in 1 cup (236 g) thawed or fresh whole kernel corn, drained spinach, and fried bacon.
  • If using this recipe as a dip, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup or more of milk and stir to make it more “dippable.” Pour into a 1-1/2 quart baking dish. (See the notes below.)
  • Sprinkle 1/2 cup (56 g) 2 oz grated Monterey Jack or Cheddar Cheese on top and heat in a microwave for 2-4 minutes on HIGH or a conventional oven at 350˚F for about 10 minutes or until heated through and cheese melts.

Notes

If this recipe is too thick, add milk. Start with about 1/4 cup and keep adding until it seems right. If you are serving this as a dip, you may need to add a half a cup or even more. Likewise, if you chill this before serving, you will likely want to stir in some additional milk.
Leftover idea: Fill a flour tortilla with 2-3 tablespoons of espinaca and sprinkle with cheese. A quick trip to the microwave makes a very tasty lunch or snack.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 260kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 955mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g

All images and text ©️ Paula Rhodes for Salad in a Jar.com

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Recipe Rating




10 Comments

  1. Kitchenhutt Spices says:

    thanks for sharing it with us !

  2. 5 stars
    Very good! Enjoyed the food very much! I had plenty left for a dip as well but was prepared for 2 rather than 6.

  3. magnoliasouth says:

    Actually, I mince the entire can of chipotles and also wrap them “individually” in waxed paper, then freeze them. Most recipes call for minced chipotles and that’s one less thing.

    Just as another tip (for Asian food lovers), I do the same (almost the same) thing for ginger. I peel and slice them into pieces, then wrap each with waxed paper and freeze. When a recipe calls for grated or minced, it’s much easier to work with a frozen piece. The texture is a bit different but who eats ginger alone? In the recipe no one knows at all and the flavor is still the same. I got very annoyed with Cook Illustrated for having the nerve to knock freezing ginger because “we don’t like the texture.” SERIOUSLY? What a waste.

    As for the recipe, it sounds delicious! I think you’re probably right about the Tex-Mex, which is what I grew up eating. People say Tex-Mex isn’t authentic but if Mexicans make and eat it, then uh, it’s authentic. It’s just a fusion of European and Mexican food. Fusion is the in thing. It cracks me up that you can eat fusion food without complaining that it’s not authentic but if you call it Mexican and it has spinach, then it’s not authentic and they forget the “fusion” part. New Mexico likes to claim it’s authenticity but um, it has European tones as well! The only “authentic” you’ll get is in a tiny village in Mexico… serious digression here.

    I’m glad I found your version of it. I like this one and will try it out this weekend. 🙂

    1. Magnolia,
      Thanks for sharing more tips. I totally agree with you regarding the ginger. Good idea on the chipotle. Then you only have to mess with it once. Hope the Espinaca turns out for you.

  4. Thank you so much for this recipe. I LOVE Abuelo’s Espinaca and was wondering how I could recreate it. Now I can!!

  5. What a great hint about the canned chipotle chilies! I love to use them, but never need the whole can. Thanks.

  6. That looks so good! I love spinach. Just had some creamy spinach soup tonight that was really good.
    (I always only buy 2% cheeses and the less fat cream cheese. I can’t tell a difference.)

  7. yum…i would choose to eat the whole thing as a dish! would make a great food while watching the cowboys play. since the season is over now, let’s remember this recipe for next year!

  8. I’m always on the lookout for side dishes to serve with Southwest/Mexican foods this looks fantastic.
    Mimi

  9. Wow…love all the ingredients. Great as a dip. I love it!