Healthy Spinach Dip

Plunge your nachos and breads in only the best with this healthy, delicious, and CREAMY spinach dip that will be the envy of all the appetizers at your next get-together.

Isn’t it funny how WHAT you dip is less important than what you dip it into? I love my crackers, nachos, crusty bread, and naan, but all that really doesn’t make a difference when there is a spinach dip available. Especially THIS spinach dip, which substitutes cottage cheese for cream cheese and opts for the low-fat sour cream instead of its fattier counterpart.

Now I can indulge without thinking I’m gaining weight with every bite. This is important because you can easily lose track of how much you’ve eaten when it comes to a finger food like this one and your focus is on The Big Game or your conversation with guests.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

• Spinach and cheese have always been a delicious combination dating back to caveman days (well, maybe not THAT far back but it’s certainly stood the test of time, which proves just how well the two ingredients go together).
• The feta adds a lovely salty flavor. This isn’t such a big deal if you’re eating this dip with nachos, which are typically salty, but if you go with crusty bread or naan, you’ll get your salt fix, thanks to the feta.
• You can serve this hot or cold, which means you can prep it beforehand and serve it either right out of the fridge or after a few minutes in the oven or microwave.

Is This Spinach dip Healthy? 

• It is packed with cheese, but we’ve opted for the low-fat varieties so the calorie and fat count is minimal.
• Whereas a lot of spinach dips use cream cheese, we’re using cottage cheese. It has less fat and a lot of protein. I’m not suggesting you eat this after hitting the gym but, you know… every ounce of protein helps!
• It’s a great way of incorporating superfood spinach into your diet without eating a salad.

INGREDIENTS

One-third of the ingredients is a cheese. That’s a good recipe ratio right there.

• 8 oz low-fat smooth cottage cheese
• 1 cup low-fat sour cream
• 10 oz baby spinach 
• 1 tsp garlic, crushed
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 1/2 cups feta cheese
• 2 tbsp oregano

INSTRUCTIONS

Prep

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Steam

Steam or wilt the baby spinach until it is cooked. Squeeze out as much water as possible. Shred it with a knife to make it easy to scoop up in the dip.

Mix

Mix the cottage cheese, sour cream, baby spinach, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, half the Parmesan cheese, and half the feta cheese in a bowl.

Bake

Pour the mixture into an oven-proof dish, top with the rest of the feta and Parmesan, then bake in the heated oven for 20 – 25 minutes.

Variations

• Add artichokes or crispy bacon bits for a delicious extra.
• Use cream cheese instead of cottage cheese. This will raise the C.Q. (cream quotient) but will also raise the F.Q. (fat quotient).
• Use mozzarella instead of feta. I recommend this if sodium is a concern either from a health standpoint or a salt standpoint.
• Add a sprinkle of smoked paprika on top. Not an obvious accoutrement but once you try it, you’ll never have spinach dip without it again.

FAQs

How To Store Spinach Dip

Put the dip in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. Smell it before serving again; if it has an odor or an off-putting appearance, toss it. If you want to reheat it, let it first sit at room temperature for 15 minutes to take the chill off. You can either warm it up in the microwave or on LOW heat on the stove. If it looks dry, add a bit of cream.

You can freeze the dip if you have to but I don’t recommend it; its texture and flavor will be compromised.

Print

Healthy Spinach Dip

Plunge your nachos and breads in only the best with this healthy, delicious, and CREAMY spinach dip that will be the envy of all the appetizers at your next get-together.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Servings 10 Servings

Calories 138kcal

Author FoodFaithFitness

Ingredients

• 8 oz low-fat smooth cottage cheese
• 1 cup low-fat sour cream
• 10 oz baby spinach
• 1 tsp garlic crushed
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated
• 1 1/2 cups feta cheese
• 2 tbsp oregano

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375°F
• Steam or wilt the baby spinach until it is cooked. Squeeze out as much water as possible. Shred it with a knife to make it easy to scoop up in the dip.
  
• Mix the cottage cheese, sour cream, baby spinach, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, half the Parmesan cheese, and half the feta cheese in a bowl.
  
• Pour the mixture into an oven-proof dish, top with the rest of the feta and Parmesan, then bake in the heated oven for 20 – 25 minutes.
  

Notes

• To avoid a watery dip, you must squeeze as much water as possible out of the spinach. Use paper towels to soak up what you can. 
• Speaking of spinach, you can use the frozen variety, just squeeze/press out all that excess water.

Nutrition

Calories: 138kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 594mg | Potassium: 264mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 2899IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 246mg | Iron: 1mg

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