With the Super Bowl coming up, I thought it would be fun to share one of our all-time family favorite dip recipes! A Super Bowl celebration wouldn’t be complete without yummy finger foods, noshes, and dips. This creamy, rich dip tops them all!
In our family, we call this Aunt Carol’s Spinach Dip. It’s a recipe many of you are probably familiar with, you can find on the back of most Lipton and Knorr Vegetable recipe mix boxes/packets. My Aunt Carol has brought it to our holiday gatherings for as long as I can remember. I’ve made the dip on my own many times, but for some reason Aunt Carol’s always tastes the best. I called her to ask if she has any special tips for making the dip.
Aunt Carol’s Spinach Dip Tips
Tip #1: Pick a creamy sour cream for best results. She uses the full fat variety. I tend to use lowfat sour cream to cut calories. Both taste good, but obviously full fat tastes better. 🙂
Tip #2: Mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, and soup mix together first. Carol recommends refrigerating this mixture overnight to let the flavors blend.
Tip #3: If you’re using frozen spinach, after defrosting make sure you “squeeze the heck” out of the spinach to make sure all the excess liquid is removed.
Tip #4: Stir in the spinach, chopped water chestnuts, and optional green onions just before serving.
Tip #5: Serve the dip well chilled.
These tips are great, but I think the real reason Aunt Carol’s dip tastes best is that she makes it with love. She’s one of the most amazing people I know, a terrific mother who is dedicated to her family. I’ve heard her described as an “angel on earth.” Whenever I serve this dip, I think of her and my heart warms. She is a really special lady. One taste of this dip, and I know you’ll agree!
I like serving Aunt Carol’s Spinach Dip with San Luis Sourdough, a sourdough bread that originated in San Luis Obispo county where I grew up. San Luis Sourdough is the ultimate… the culturing process they use creates a super-sour bread with a fantastic texture. I use a large sourdough round, then I hollow out a hole in the middle of the bread to create a bowl where you can pour the dip. Cut the bread that you hollowed out into chunks, and it’s absolutely perfect for dipping, especially at a Sunday Super Bowl bash. You can also cut veggie sticks for dipping– carrots, celery, and bell peppers all work well.
Kosher Note: Knorr’s Vegetable recipe mix is vegetable based, but I have not been able to find it with a kosher hechsher. However, Lipton “Kosher Recipe Secrets” Vegetable Recipe Soup and Dip Mix is kosher, and it will work just as well– so if you’re strictly kosher and looking for a hechsher, use the Lipton mix!
We’re really looking forward to Super Bowl Sunday. I’m a 49ers girl, but now that they’re out of the running, I’m not really sure who to cheer for. New England Patriots? New York Giants? What do you think?
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Aunt Carol's Spinach Dip
Ingredients
- 1 packet Lipton or Knorr's Vegetable recipe mix
- 16 ounces sour cream I use lowfat)
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 10 ounces baby spinach, chopped or frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 8 ounces water chestnuts, drained and chopped (1 can)
- 2 green onions, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine vegetable recipe mix with sour cream and mayonnaise. Let the mixture refrigerate for 2 hours up to overnight to allow the soup mix to soften and the flavors to blend.
- Stir in the spinach, chopped water chestnuts, and onions (optional) a few minutes before serving.
- If you plan to serve this in a sourdough or other bread round loaf, carve a large round hole into the top of the loaf, letting your knife sink about 3/4 way into the loaf with every stroke. Pull to remove the round piece of bread to form a hollow, bowl-like center in the loaf.
- Use your knife to cut out any chunks of excess bread inside the loaf, leaving enough behind to form a solid bowl shape that will hold a wet dip.
- Cut the center round piece that you removed and the excess bread bits into bite-size chunks.
- Pour dip into the center of the bread bowl surrounded by the bread chunks and any other dipping items you wish to serve (vegetable crudites, chips, crackers).
john says
Mixing in some artificial crab lends a nice addition and if you pick the right artificial crab, you can still keep it kosher.