You’ll be the star of any party by serving this cheesy spinach cob loaf (or creamy spinach dip in a bread bowl). It’s endlessly popular, easy to prep, and uses simple ingredients (plus, this version uses no mayo).
There’s nothing quite like presenting creamy, bubbling, cheesy dip in a crispy bread bowl at a party. I don’t know why (well, I do really, it’s cheesy dip in a bread bowl) – but everyone gets very excited and starts to crowd around the table.
From what I’ve gathered from living overseas, a cheesy cob loaf (aka. any manner of dips in a bread bowl) seems to be an Australian/New Zealand thing, so it joins the list of Aussie/Kiwi food that REALLY should be more popular all over the world (I’m looking at you mince and cheese pies..!)
Plus, it’s easy to prep ahead and is a fab way to bring new life to stale bread.
Ingredients
- Spinach. I’m using fresh spinach (I like baby spinach leaves), but you can absolutely use frozen spinach – you can either defrost it straight in the pan (pop a lid on to speed things up), or defrost in the microwave first.
- Cream cheese. Low-fat cream cheese is fine here, and you could replace half of it with sour cream.
- Greek yogurt. I love the subtle tang this brings to the dip – it helps to cut through the richness of the cheese and cream cheese. Make sure you use full-fat, thick Greek yogurt. Low-fat versions tend to split and curdle when they’re heated, which will impact the texture of the dip (it will taste great, but just look a bit off).
- Sour cream. This is optional – it gives the dip an extra creamy layer, but it’s delicious enough with just the cream cheese and yogurt.
- Cheese. I love the mix of mozzarella for the oozy stretch factor and strong cheddar for flavour. Play around with the combination if you like – you could swap cheddar for gruyere, manchego, parmesan, blue cheese or anything else with a good, strong flavour.
- Bread. Any round loaf will do – I love using sourdough.
I love to add a little lemon zest right at the end too, it freshens things up and helps to cut through the cheese, but this is optional.
How to make it
Slice the top of your bread off, and scoop out the middle to leave a deep cavity. Cut the scooped-out bread into little chunks, then arrange on a lined oven tray and drizzle with olive oil.
Cook down your spinach with garlic, salt and chilli flakes, until the spinach has wilted and the water has evaporated. Add the cream cheese, Greek yogurt, sour cream if you’re using it, mozzarella, cheddar and lemon zest, and stir as the cheeses melt into the dip. Transfer the dip into your bread bowl, then scatter with more mozzarella and chilli flakes and bake until golden, crispy and bubbling.
Drizzle with sweet chilli jam or hot honey sauce, then serve with the crispy bread pieces, crackers (I LOVE it with pita chips or sourdough crackers) or crudités.
Got a question?
You can make the spinach dip up to 3 days ahead of time, but don’t put it in the bread bowl and bake it until you’re ready to serve.
Yes, you can. You can either add it straight into the pan and pop a lid on (this will defrost it by steaming it), or defrost it in the microwave first. Just make sure the water evaporates as you’re cooking it on the stovetop (you don’t want a sad, watery dip).
I like to add about 1/2 cup of chopped artichoke hearts (from a jar), to turn this into a classic spinach and artichoke dip, or you could mix through basil pesto, sundried tomato pesto, chopped sundried tomatoes or marinated olives. If you’re not worried about this being vegetarian, cook streaky bacon or diced chorizo in the pan first, until super crispy, then remove from the pan and continue with the recipe, adding it back into the dip after you’ve mixed in the cheeses.
Like this recipe? Here are more easy party food ideas
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave me a comment below.
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Cheesy Spinach Cob Loaf (Dip in a Bread Bowl)
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
You’ll be the star of any party by serving this cheesy spinach cob loaf (or creamy spinach dip in a bread bowl). It’s endlessly popular, easy to prep, and uses simple ingredients (plus, this version uses no mayo).
Ingredients
- 1 large round loaf of bread
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 teaspoons chilli flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 350g/12oz spinach leaves, chopped
- 1 cup cream cheese
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup sour cream (optional)
- 1/2 cup mozzarella, grated
- 1/2 cup cheddar, grated
- 1 lemon, zested (optional)
- Black pepper
- 1 tablespoon sweet chilli jam
Instructions
- Prepare your bread bowl. Heat your oven to 200C/400F fan. Slice the top of your loaf right off, then use your knife to cut into the middle and carve out a cavity in the middle of the bread. Don’t throw away the bread you’ve cut out – slice both the top and the insides you’ve cut out into chunks. Transfer the hollowed-out loaf and the sliced bread scraps to a lined oven tray. Drizzle the bread scraps with a little olive oil.
- Wilt the spinach. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat, then add your garlic, salt and 1 teaspoon of chilli flakes, and stir for a minute. Pile on the spinach (you might need to do this in stages, depending on the size of your pan), then stir it around the pan, as it wilts down and the water is released. If you have a lid for your pan, you can pop it on to speed up the process. Keep stirring the wilted spinach for a couple of minutes, so the water can evaporate (excess water will mean a watery dip, so it’s important to do this step).
- Add the cheeses. Add the cream cheese, Greek yogurt and sour cream if you’re using it, and stir to mix them through the spinach. Add three-quarters of the grated mozzarella and all the grated cheddar, then stir as they melt into the dip. Finish with the lemon zest and a good grind of black pepper, then taste, and add a little more salt if it needs it.
- Bake the dip. Transfer the dip into the hollowed-out cavity of your loaf, then scatter over the remaining mozzarella and chilli flakes. Transfer the tray to the oven, and bake for 20 minutes, until the bread is golden and crispy and the cheese is melted and bubbling.
- Garnish and serve. Remove from the oven, then transfer to a serving platter. Drizzle the sweet chilli jam on top of the hot dip, then arrange the crispy bread scraps all around it. Serve with more crackers and crudités for dipping, and enjoy right away while the dip is hot and gooey.
Notes
PREP AHEAD: You can make the dip itself 3 days ahead of time if you like, but wait until you’re ready to serve to pop it into the bread bowl and bake it.
INGREDIENT NOTES: It’s important to use full-fat Greek yogurt here – the low-fat variety tends to split and curdle a bit when you heat them, which will make the texture of the dip a little off (it will still taste great though).
SUBSTITUTIONS: Use frozen spinach if you like – defrost it either in the pan itself or in the microwave is fine. Low-fat cream cheese works well here. Play around with your cheeses – I like to mix something mild and stretchy (mozzarella) with something strong-flavoured (cheddar here), but you could use gruyere, blue cheese or manchego.
OPTIONAL ADDITIONS: Try adding 1/2 cup of chopped (jarred) artichoke hearts for a classic spinach and artichoke dip, or mix through basil pesto, sundried tomato pesto, chopped sundried tomatoes or marinated olives. If you’re not worried about keeping the dip vegetarian, cook some diced streaky bacon or chorizo in the pan first, then set it aside and add it back into the dip after you’ve mixed in the cheeses.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS: I like to serve the dip with a big pile of crackers and crudites for dipping – pita chips or sourdough crackers are great.
LEFTOVERS? Scoop out the dip from the bread if there’s any leftover – you can tear up the bread and bake it into croutons. Try tossing the dip through pasta for a GORGEOUS pasta sauce, or use it as a spread on sandwiches.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: dips
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: american
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 cup
Keywords: spinach dip, bread bowl
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