Deceptively simple to make, this is the best hot spinach dip you will ever eat!

Ramona Woo and my sister Marie Woolf, both of Greenville, South Carolina, have figured out the perfect balance of ingredients to make this version of spinach dip a real winner!

The only two skills you need to make this dip are cooking bacon and grating cheese.

If you need a quick review, I have a photo-tutorial on cooking bacon in the microwave and one on grating cheese as well.

You will need the following ingredients:

• A 10-ounce box of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• ¼ cup of mayonnaise (light or regular)
• 1 cup of sour cream (light or regular)
• 3 Tablespoons of heavy cream (or half and half)
• 4 ounces of Monterey Jack cheese, grated
• 4 ounces of Swiss cheese, grated
• ½ pound of bacon (about 8 slices)

Once cooked, crumble the bacon by chopping it with a knife or just snipping it with a pair of scissors. Divide the bacon into two piles. One third will get mixed in the dip and the remaining two thirds will go on top of the dip.

(You could crumble it a bit finer if you prefer!)

Using a microwave-safe dish, defrost the spinach in the microwave.

Follow the cooking directions on the back of the box but cook it for about 1/2 of the time indicated. You only want to defrost it at this stage, not cook it through.

Squeeze out all excess water from the spinach. You could put it in a colander and press out the water with your fingers but I usually just squeeze it like a sponge.

Using a grater, grate the Monterey Jack and the Swiss cheese. (4 ounces equals about 1 cup of grated cheese.)

In a large mixing bowl, put the spinach, the cheeses, 1/3 of the bacon, 1/4 cup of mayonnaise, 1 cup of sour cream, and 3 Tablespoons of heavy cream.

Mix everything together.

Spread the mixture out in a 10 inch round baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining bacon on the top.

Bake the dip in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until it's bubbly around the edges.

Serve this fabulous dip with your favorite tortilla chips.

Thanks Marie and Ramona for sharing this recipe with us at startcooking.com!

Enjoy!

You can view and print this recipe here.

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