Cheesy, ooey, gooey and oh-so-delicious! Let us introduce you to your new favorite dip! Chorizo Cheese Dip with Spinach is the perfect addition to your Easy Football Food ideas for game day, movie night on the couch, or a hearty, fun snack!
Packed with spinach, spicy chorizo, and three types of cheese, this creamy dip is sure to be a hit at your game day party or anytime you need to satisfy that comfort food craving. Serve with toasted bread, crackers, or even tortilla chips (corn-based) for a gluten-free option.
Easy Football Food Ideas – Cheesy Dips
Dips are one of the best things about game day. The more cheese the better! This creamy Chorizo Cheese Dip with spinach definitely fits the bill.
Softened cream cheese is blended together with sharp cheddar cheese, mozzarella, mayonnaise, and a mixture of spicy chorizo and fresh spinach. Top it with an extra layer of shredded cheese and baked until golden and bubbly for a mouth-watering, delicious cheese dip recipe.
I particularly love pairing this dip with lightly toasted bread (garlic bread would be incredible, so would Soft Pretzels) or crackers, but tortilla chips (corn-based) would also work well for a gluten-free option.
What is chorizo?
Spanish and Portuguese chorizos are made from cured pork that is heavily seasoned with paprika. Their delicious flavor can be smoked or unsmoked, spicy, or sweet.
Another popular variety of chorizo is Mexican chorizo. The main difference between Spanish and Portuguese chorizo and the Mexican variety is the fact that Mexican chorizo is fresh rather than cured.
Mexican chorizo tends to be a bit spicier. It’s seasoned with lots of traditional spices like dried chili, paprika, and cumin. It’s perfect for this Mexican cheese dip!
How to Pronounce Chorizo
You may be wondering, how in the world do you pronounce chorizo? Once you get it down, it is easy – chr·ee·zow.
How to Cook with Chorizo
Chorizo adds amazing flavor to almost any dish! Even just a small amount sauteed with garlic and olive oil will do wonders to potato dishes, beef recipes, pork creations, and even eggs!
There are so many great ways to use chorizo in your cooking. Here are a couple of our favorite easy chorizo recipes.
Ingredients for Chorizo Dip
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion peeled and chopped
- 1 clove garlic
- 4 ounces Mexican chorizo fresh, removed from casing
- 2 cups baby spinach fresh, roughly chopped
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 ounces mozzarella cheese low-moisture, shredded
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
How to Make Chorizo Cheese Dip
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large skillet, drizzle olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant, approximately 1 minute.
- Crumble in the fresh chorizo and cook, stirring often and breaking up with a spoon into small pieces, until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped spinach and cook just until wilted. Remove from heat, drain any excess fat and water, and allow it to cool.
- Set aside about 1/2 cup of the shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese.
- In a large bowl, stir together the cream cheese, remaining cheddar and mozzarella, and mayonnaise until smooth. Mix in the cooled chorizo spinach mixture, then season with salt and pepper.
- Transfer the mixture to one larger or multiple individual oven-safe baking dishes. Top evenly with the set-aside cheese.
- Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese is bubbly and golden,25-30 minutes.
- Serve hot with toasted bread, crackers, or tortilla chips.
Chorizo Cheese Dip with Spinach Recipe Tips:
- Not a fan of mayonnaise or want something slightly lighter? The mayonnaise can easily be substituted in equal parts for sour cream.
- I normally love fresh mozzarella, but you want to use the low-moisture brick variety here. The less moisture added to the dip, the better.
- Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature before mixing in the rest of the ingredients. It will help everything blend more consistently.
- After cooking the chorizo and spinach, be sure to drain any excess fat and water before adding to the cheese mixture.
- I divided the dip among individual oven-safe serving bowls, but feel free to transfer everything to a single, larger baking dish for easy sharing.
Easy Football Food Ideas
- Bang Bang Cauliflower Bites
- Candied Bacon Recipe
- Blistered Shishito Peppers
- Queso Fundido (Melted Cheese with Chorizo)
- Bitterballen (Dutch Fried Meatballs)
📌 Pin Chorizo Cheese Dip to save for later!
Chorizo Cheese Dip with Spinach
🥘 Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion peeled and chopped
- 1 clove garlic
- 4 ounces Mexican chorizo fresh, removed from casing
- 2 cups baby spinach fresh, roughly chopped
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 ounces mozzarella cheese low-moisture, shredded
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
🔪 Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large skillet, drizzle olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Crumble in the fresh chorizo and cook, stirring often and breaking up with a spoon into small pieces, until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped spinach and cook just until wilted. Remove from heat, drain any excess fat and water, and allow to cool.
- Set aside about 1/2 cup of the shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese.
- In a large bowl, stir together the cream cheese, remaining cheddar and mozzarella, and mayonnaise until smooth. Mix in the cooled chorizo spinach mixture, then season with salt and pepper.
- Transfer the mixture to one larger or multiple individual oven-safe baking dishes. Top evenly with the set-aside cheese.
- Bake in preheated oven until the cheese is bubbly and golden,25-30 minutes.
- Serve hot with toasted bread, crackers, or tortilla chips.
Notes
- Not a fan of mayonnaise or want something slightly lighter? The mayonnaise can easily be substituted in equal parts for sour cream.
- I normally loves fresh mozzarella, but you want to use the low-moisture brick variety here. The less moisture added to the dip, the better.
- Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature before mixing in the rest of the ingredients. It will help everything blend more consistently.
- After cooking the chorizo and spinach, be sure to drain any excess fat and water before adding to the cheese mixture.
- I divided the dip among individual oven-safe serving bowls, but feel free to transfer everything to a single, larger baking dish for easy sharing.
Nutrition
This post was updated on 10/28/2019.
We love to hear from you! Leave a comment to let us know what you think!