Skip to main content

Tanya’s Spicy Spinach Dip

If you’re a Ro*tel lover, then this is your dish. (In case you aren’t familiar, it’s a blend of diced tomatoes with green chiles, often used to make a mean chili con queso.) We love how Tanya adds spinach to her version of this popular Southern dip, so it makes us feel healthy and good even though it’s still a “comfort” food. We’re typically starving upon arrival, and a great spicy spinach dip with a bowl of tortilla chips is a good way to take the edge off. Throw your luggage down and dig in!

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup heavy cream
Two 10-ounce boxes frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
One 10-ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilies, preferably Ro*tel
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Kosher salt

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Melt the butter in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Once it foams, toss in the onion and garlic, and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour, and cook, stirring, until it becomes a light-blond color. Slowly stir in the heavy cream, and bring the sauce to a simmer; cook until it starts to thicken, about 5 minutes. Stir in the spinach, Ro*tel, and cheese, and cook until the cheese is melted. Season to taste with salt.

    Step 2

    Pour the dip into a serving bowl and serve warm with tortilla chips.

Image may contain: Pat Neely, Human, Person, Food, Meal, Restaurant, Cafeteria, and Buffet
Reprinted with permission from The Neelys' Celebration Cookbook by Pat and Gina Nelly. Copyright © 2011 by Pat and Gina Nelly with Anna Volkwein. Excerpted by permission of Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. Pat and Gina Neely are restaurateurs, best-selling authors, popular speakers, and hosts of the Food Network hit series Down Home with the Neelys. They recently opened their first New York City restaurant, Neely's Barbecue Parlor. They live with their daughters in Memphis, where they enjoy cooking at home with family and friends. Ann Volkwein is a best-selling food and lifestyle author based in New York City and Austin, Texas. Her previous books include: The Arthur Avenue Cookbook, Chinatown New York, Mixt Greens (with Andrew Swallow), and, with Guy Fieri: Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives; More Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives; and Guy Fieri Food.
Read More
This is what I call a fridge-eater recipe. The key here is getting a nice sear on the sausage and cooking the tomato down until it coats the sausage and vegetables well.
Creamy and bright with just a subtle bit of heat, this five-ingredient, make-ahead dip is ready for company—just add crudités.
All the cozy vibes of the classic gooey-cheesy dish, made into a 20-minute meal.
This sauce is slightly magical. The texture cloaks pasta much like a traditional meat sauce does, and the flavors are deep and rich, but it’s actually vegan!
An ex-boyfriend’s mom—who emigrated from Colombia—made the best meat sauce—she would fry sofrito for the base and simply add cooked ground beef, sazón, and jarred tomato sauce. My version is a bit more bougie—it calls for caramelized tomato paste and white wine—but the result is just as good.
Cabbage is the unsung hero of the winter kitchen—available anywhere, long-lasting in the fridge, and super-affordable. It’s also an excellent partner for pasta.
Kewpie Mayonnaise is the ultimate secret ingredient to creating a perfect oven-baked battered-and-fried crunch without a deep fryer.
This marinara sauce is great tossed with any pasta for a quick and easy weeknight dinner that will leave you thinking, “Why didn’t anyone try this sooner?”