Most dip recipes start off with a description along the lines of “crowd-pleasing for parties”. I’d prefer to describe this as “so good, you’ll eat the entire skillet by yourself on the couch in sweatpants”. It’s cheesy, melty goodness that you can scoop up with tortilla chips, crackers, or bread. It gets a touch of heat from fresno chiles and the broiled cheese on top is irresistible.

Two tips for making spinach dip in general: (1) always squeeze as much water out of the spinach as possible, and (2) roughly chop up the thawed frozen spinach to give the dip a much more even consistency and avoid those big, stringy pieces of spinach.

Ingredients:

• 10 oz (1 package) frozen spinach, thawed
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
• 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
• 1 fresno chile, finely chopped
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small shallot, minced
• Fine sea salt
• Freshly cracked black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Squeeze as much water out of the thawed spinach as possible. Chop up the spinach.
3. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the fresno chile and shallot, stirring occasionally until softened, approximately 5 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute for an additional 30 seconds. Add the spinach and a healthy pinch of salt and saute until warmed through. Remove from heat and scrape contents of pan onto a plate or bowl, set aside.
4. Return the empty saucepan to the stovetop over medium heat. Add the cream, milk, and cream cheese (torn into pieces), whisking to melt and incorporate evenly. Whisk while bringing to a simmer. Once brought to a simmer, reduce heat to low and add in the monterey jack cheese in handfuls, whisking to incorporate. Once everything is fully incorporated, add back in the spinach mixture and stir to incorporate. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Transfer the dip to an ovenproof serving dish and sprinkle with the grated parmesan. Bake for 10-15 minutes until the top is golden brown. Serve immediately.