This dip is so good, it will be the hit of the party! Honestly you can even serve this dip mixed with pasta and have a hearty pasta dinner! There is so much packed into this dip, from the spicy Italian sausage to the gooey cream cheese!
The base for this dip is Hot Italian sausage. Don’t worry if spicy food isn’t your thing, this sausage honestly isn’t very spicy, it adds a nice flavor punch. Plus, paired with the cream cheese, it all balances out perfectly. I started by cooking the sausage in a large skillet. Once the sausage was cooked, I transferred it to a plate lined with a paper towel to soak up some of the grease. Cutting out some extra fat.
Next, I wiped the same skillet clean, getting rid of some of the sausage grease but not all of it. Sauté up some onions, red peppers, tomatoes and garlic. Oh and add in a little Italian seasoning for good measure. And don’t forget the… WINE! I used Scout and Cellar Field House Chardonnay. It adds a zesty flavor!
Roughly chop up some baby spinach, it doesn’t have to be perfect. Honestly I just grab a handful from the bag, throw it on the cutting board and run my knife over it a few times, making sure there are no huge pieces. I used the whole 6 ounce bag of baby spinach.
Then grab the cream cheese. I cut mine into four squares so it melts quickly. Make sure to grab the shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese too. Add all that cheese right into the skillet and stir.
At this point I strongly encourage you to grab a spoon and taste! Mmmmmm!
Now, pour the mixture in a casserole dish. Sprinkle some more cheese on top, cover the whole top!
Bake it to perfection until the cheese is golden brown and the sides are bubbly. Your kitchen will smell like heaven! Serve with a baguette or crackers.
So let’s get cooking!
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 pound hot Italian ground sausage
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened
- 1 6-oz package fresh spinach, rough chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 1 cup diced tomato
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 F degrees.
In a bowl, mix together the two cheeses and set aside.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the sausage. Once cooked, remove from the skillet and place on a plate lined with a paper towel.
Using a paper towel, wipe the skillet clean and saute the onions and red pepper in the same skillet, for 3-5 minutes, until translucent.
Stir in tomatoes, and Italian seasoning; cook for 1 minute.
Add the cooked sausage back to the skillet and stir to combine, cook together for 2 minutes.
Stir in wine; cook 2 minutes or until liquid has almost completely evaporated.
Stir in spinach and salt, and cook for 2 minutes or until spinach is slightly wilted.
Reduce heat to medium; add cream cheese and 1 cup of the shredded cheese mixture.
Cook and stir mixture until cheese is melted.
Pour mixture into a 2-qt. baking dish; sprinkle with the rest of the cheeses.
Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or cheese is bubbly and golden brown.
Serve with crostini or crackers.
Whisk Away Kitchen 